The Coolest Animal Dads, Part 2 of 2

In this episode, I will introduce more extraordinary cool daddies in the animal world. They are all champion fathers in their own ways. The endurance winner is the emperor penguin dad, for sure! These fluffy and wobbling birds live and breed in the Antarctic landscape. In winter, after the female transfers her precious single egg to her partner, she goes to the sea straight away to replenish herself with food. To keep the egg warm in the brutal Antarctic weather, he must balance it on top of his feet and press it up against his “brood pouch,” a skin flap on his belly, and cover the egg with his plumage. Additionally, he utilizes group hugs to his advantage! Emperor penguins are famous for creating massive huddles, and these gatherings allow penguins to save energy for warming their cherished chicks that are still developing. Until the moms’ return, these dads guard their eggs alone for around 75 days. They also fast for about 120 days from the beginning of the breeding cycle, which ultimately results in their body weight being reduced by nearly half. Male Barbary macaques are perhaps the proudest animal dads. They often interact with their offspring for hours and carry them; this doting on infants includes caring for the young of others in their group, called a troop, as well. These proud dads nudge and chatter their teeth while holding up their darlings in gatherings. Sand gobies are passionate papas at the top of their game. After the eggs are laid, they defend the eggs intensively and use their pectoral fins to fan them with a motherly touch. This action creates oxygenated currents around the eggs, which encourages them to grow. Giant water bug fathers are the clear winners of the weightlifting category. The female will lay and stick her eggs on the dad’s back. A giant water bug dad can carry up to 150 eggs on him! When talking about heroic fathers, few can match the Burchell’s sandgrouse. The brave sandgrouse daddies take on a crucial mission; these frequent flyers make long daily trips to watering holes, sometimes traveling over 160 kilometers, to fill up for their families. After the little ones have their drink, the daddies immediately take sand baths, to remove the strong scent of wet feathers to deter predators. In this series, we have introduced some extraordinary paternal parenting skills in the animal kingdom, which make for a wonderful dedication to all fathers, be they human or animal.