featuring Tails from the Alley
Allison Couture Otero
Devoted Dads in the Animal Kingdom
R
ightfully so, mothers usually dominate when it
comes to growing and caring for their young.
When it comes to chivalry, gorilla dads are tops. Male
But, in the animal kingdom, fathers have important
gorillas respect the mothers of their offspring so much,
roles too! Let’s take a look at some of the most
that he dines with her alone each day before letting the
dedicated dads and the duties they are charged with.
kids interrupt. He is also responsible for finding food for
his group which can grow to up to 30 gorillas - this is no
easy feat since gorillas can eat up to 50 pounds of food
While he may have a bad rap due to lounging in the sun
per day! Shoooo! Add on the tasks of beating his chest
while his lionesses go out and risk their lives hunting for
to fend off threats and even settling arguments between
food, when push comes to shove, the male lion will risk
teenage gorillas, he deserves all the bananas in the world!
his life to protect his pride. When a lioness brings home
a fresh kill, the male lion gets the first juicy dibs, even
ahead of the children – that doesn’t seem right! However,
Just like domesticated puppies, wild dogs are extremely
with a pride of lionesses sometimes as many as 30, dad
active and mischievous, which means they expend a lot
will stop at almost nothing to fight off the many dangers
of energy and calories each day. This means they need
that threaten his family, so we give lion dads two paws up!
to eat a lot. Dogs usually cannot eat solid food until they
are about ten weeks old so for the African Wild Dog
The Gorilla
The Lion
The African Wild Dog
36
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WINTER GARDEN MAGAZINE
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JUNE 2018