Being a dad isn’t always smooth sailing, but compared to a plethora of different species in the animal kingdom, human dads have it easy.
The hardhead catfish is a great example; the father in this fish-oriented family is burdened with protecting as many as 65 eggs in its mouth at one time during transportation. To avoid swallowing any of the eggs, the fish won’t eat until every egg develops and leaves its mouth – a process that can take more than two months.
The giant water bug doesn’t have it that much easier. Females lay more than 100 eggs on the father’s back, and he’s then expected to care for the eggs all by his lonesome until they develop. During this two-to-three-week period, the bug’s wings are completely inoperable, which makes it more vulnerable to predation and makes it tougher for the insect to find food.
The rhea is another example of an animal kingdom super-dad. Males mate with several females at one time, resulting in several dozen chicks. All the female rheas disappear from the nest, leaving the dad to single-handedly care for all the chicks for about half of a year.
Given the perils of being a father in the animal kingdom, perhaps being a human dad isn’t so bad after all…
