A. Emperor Penguin
1. The female lays a single egg, which is incubated by the male while the female returns to the sea to feed for 2 months.
2. After laying, the mother's nutritional reserves are exhausted and she very carefully transfers the egg to the male.
3. The male spends the winter incubating the egg in his brood pouch, balancing it on the tops of his feet, not allowing it to touch the ground, for 64 consecutive days until hatching.
4. The Emperor Penguin is the only species where this behaviour is observed; in all other penguin species both parents take shifts incubating. By the time the egg hatches, the male will have fasted for around 115 days since arriving at the colony.
5. To survive the cold and winds of up to 200 km/h, the males huddle together, taking turns in the middle of the huddle. The male is solely responsible for incubating the egg, which takes about 65 days. During this time, the male birds brave fierce weather conditions by huddling together.
6. They have also been observed with their backs to the wind to conserve body heat. In the four months of travel, courtship, and incubation, the male may lose as much as 20 kg, from around 38 kg to just 18 kg.
7. If the chick hatches before the mother's return, the father feeds it a curd-like substance composed of 59% protein and 28% lipid, which is produced by a gland in his esophagus.
B. Greater Rhea
1. Males are sedentary, attending the nests and taking care of incubation and the hatchlings all on their own.
2. Recent evidence has shown that some males will utilize subordinate males to help incubate and protect the eggs.
3. Giant Water Bug
The Giant Water Bug also shows paternal care. The eggs are laid on the male's wings and carried until they hatch. The male cannot mate during this period. The males invest considerable time and energy in reproduction and females take the role of actively finding males to mate. It has been named 'Father of the Year' 2009.
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| Image from: www.photovolcanica.com |
1. The female lays a single egg, which is incubated by the male while the female returns to the sea to feed for 2 months.
2. After laying, the mother's nutritional reserves are exhausted and she very carefully transfers the egg to the male.
3. The male spends the winter incubating the egg in his brood pouch, balancing it on the tops of his feet, not allowing it to touch the ground, for 64 consecutive days until hatching.
4. The Emperor Penguin is the only species where this behaviour is observed; in all other penguin species both parents take shifts incubating. By the time the egg hatches, the male will have fasted for around 115 days since arriving at the colony.
5. To survive the cold and winds of up to 200 km/h, the males huddle together, taking turns in the middle of the huddle. The male is solely responsible for incubating the egg, which takes about 65 days. During this time, the male birds brave fierce weather conditions by huddling together.
6. They have also been observed with their backs to the wind to conserve body heat. In the four months of travel, courtship, and incubation, the male may lose as much as 20 kg, from around 38 kg to just 18 kg.
7. If the chick hatches before the mother's return, the father feeds it a curd-like substance composed of 59% protein and 28% lipid, which is produced by a gland in his esophagus.
B. Greater Rhea
1. Males are sedentary, attending the nests and taking care of incubation and the hatchlings all on their own.
2. Recent evidence has shown that some males will utilize subordinate males to help incubate and protect the eggs.
 |
| Rincón del Socorro, Corrientes, Argentina; 5 January 2012 © Francisco Piedrahita |
3. Giant Water Bug
The Giant Water Bug also shows paternal care. The eggs are laid on the male's wings and carried until they hatch. The male cannot mate during this period. The males invest considerable time and energy in reproduction and females take the role of actively finding males to mate. It has been named 'Father of the Year' 2009.
 |
| Image credit: Gerald and Buff Corsi, Visuals Unlimited |
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