Mom is always mom, both in the human and the animal world. Love for your children knows no limits or distinctions, even among different species. In fact, even among animals there are special moms and, with Mother’s Day just around the corner, we want to celebrate them.
Mothers in the animal world
The Emperor Penguin’s mother
The mothers of emperor penguins face many difficulties right from the start. In fact, they lay their eggs far away from food and therefore have to travel for many kilometres to get something to eat for their offspring. This journey can take months! During this period it is the father who is responsible for the protection of the eggs. Once she has found food, the mother returns to her little family and finally feeds the baby. If that isn’t a love gesture…
The Orangutan’s mother
Unlike the mother of the emperor penguin, the orangutan mum cannot rely on the help of her partner. Dads, in fact, do not take care of their little ones. Because of this fact, they develop a very strong bond with their offspring: they take them with them wherever they go and make a new bed of leaves for them every day. However, unlike our mothers, they are 15-30 metres above the ground! This special relationship tends to last a lifetime. In fact, even though the orangutan leaves home at around 8 years of age, he returns to visit his mother very often.
The Koala’s mother
Koalas’ mothers do not stand out for their sweetness but rather for the nurturing of their offspring. As we know, koalas only eat eucalyptus leaves. The only problem is that they can only digest them properly thanks to the bacteria they introduce into the digestive system. How do they pass on the bacteria to their children? Through excrement. The mother koala softens them up and feeds them to her babies. This way, the baby koalas receive the necessary bacteria and nutrition.
Alligator’s mothers
Although you probably wouldn’t say, alligators’ moms are incredibly sweet and caring. From the time they lay their eggs, they are overprotective. They carefully prepare the nest by digging a hole in the ground and laying 30 to 50 eggs at a time. After 65 days of waiting, the baby crocodiles are finally born. The mothers are able to grab up to 10 pups with their mouths and carry them gracefully into the water.
Kangaroo’s mother
One of the best known marsupial animals is the kangaroo. A truly unique species, starting with the mother kangaroo. Few people know that each one of them is able to raise puppies of different ages at the same time. The same pouch can grow together an embryo, a tiny kangaroo still in the womb and other few months old babies! How do they do it?
Just after giving birth, there is already a new egg cell in the womb waiting to be fecundated. An incredible feature is that the kangaroo’s mom is able to block the development of the embryo in the uterus. For example, if she already has little ones to look after she can wait for the best time to give birth. In this case, one could say that the kangaroo’s mother is always pregnant!
This insight into the animal world reminds us how unique and special all mothers are, and how important it is to celebrate them every day. Happy Mother’s Day!