The animal kingdom is packed with amazing moms who care for their offspring, often putting their children above themselves. However, not all animals are cut out for parenthood. Some moms, despite their feelings of love, will reject or abandon their children shortly after birth. Let’s look at 5 of the animal kingdom’s mothers who will not be receiving a surprise visit on Mother’s Day.
#1 Panda – Plays with offspring
Despite their cuteness, pandas are known for their favoritism. Believe it or not, even though pandas often have twins, they rarely care for both cubs. The mother will start disregarding the weaker child in favor of the stronger sibling. To focus their resources on the stronger cub that has a better chance of surviving, moms would naturally abandon or cull a newborn that is weak, tiny, or deformed.
#2 Burying beetles – The nail that sticks out gets hammered
Burying beetles face tough challenges when it comes to providing for their young, in instances of limited food availability, burying beetle parents may resort to infanticide, consuming their own progeny. Notably, larvae that exhibit excessive begging behavior are often the first to be consumed.
#3 Harp Seals – Limited bonding time
The mother seal gives birth to an adorable pup and nurtures it for up to 12 days until it bulks up to around 55 pounds. After that, the female harp seals leave their pups on the ice and start breeding again. The harp seal pup faces a tough start in life. After being abruptly weaned, it’s left stranded on the ice for over a month, making it incredibly vulnerable to predators.
#4 Cuckoos – Outsourcing parenthood for freedom
It’s fascinating how the cuckoo deceives other birds into raising her offspring, giving her the freedom to live a solitary life. This is achieved by laying her eggs in the nest of another bird.
#5 Skinks – The cannibalistic instincts
Skink parenting skills may seem concerning from a human standpoint. After laying their eggs, they often leave the nest vulnerable and when there are many predators near their egg clutch, they sometimes resort to drastic measures. They eat their own eggs before the predators can get to them, it’s unusual to resort.
Conclusion
In the animal kingdom, survival often hinges on strategic decisions driven by instinct and environmental pressures. Animals that abandon their offspring at birth have evolved to prioritize the survival of their species over individual parental care. While it may be difficult to comprehend, theses behaviors ultimately contribute to the resilience and biodiversity of our natural world.
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Tara enjoys writing about marine animals like whales, sharks, dolphins and nudibranchs.
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