Which bird is the most caring mother? The best parents in the animal world

Exotic animals That’s why they are called exotic because they are not common and common in certain geographical latitudes.
Today, exotic animals have become quite popular. Exotic animals have settled in the apartments and houses of many of our friends and acquaintances. This could not but influence the fact that the sale of exotic animals increased: amphibians, spiders, lizards, snakes, and behind them the demand for terrariums and accessories for animals increased. However, I would like to note that not all exotic animals whose photos you see on the Internet get along well at home.

The main reason for this is that exotic animals do not always have the conditions that they need. Buying exotic animals is one thing, but maintaining and providing conditions for normal life completely different. In addition, exotic animals whose sale is carried out by, let’s say, not entirely qualified sellers, may suffer, which is what most often happens. And this, in turn, can become emotional trauma for the animal owner.In order to avoid such “surprises” and to keep exotic animals healthy, it is necessary to responsiblygo to the choice of your future pet, read the recommendations for keeping it inyou will be able to determine the most suitable one for yourselfview of a future pet.

The next step should be to find that specific animal: turtle, spider, snake that suits your tastes and needs. Exotic animals must be tested for health before being purchased. They should look and act cheerful and active. Also take careon the acquisition of an appropriate terrarium or insectarium for its maintenance. Made specifically so that various exotic animals could live there. You can select and order a terrarium, insectarium and accessories for them on our website.Our specialists will be able to help you with all of the above issues., amphibians, invertebrates and other exotic animals.

With us you can get qualifiedconsultation on how tocontain exotic animals. Choose your favorite pet, purchase or order a terrarium and equip it. We also offer a wide range of live food, vitamin and mineral supplements, specialized ultraviolet lamps and other products necessary for the successful maintenance of your pet. In addition, with us you can get qualified veterinary care from one of the best specialists in exotic animals.

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January 19, 2012, 14:00

Kittens, elephant calves, tiger cubs and many other baby animals can boast that their mother is the best in the world. Of course, everyone also has dads. But it’s hard to say how caring he will be - it depends on your luck. Representatives of the cat family are some of the most caring mothers in the world. They are so dissolved in love for their offspring that they are quite capable of adopting not only other people's kittens, but also other living creatures. For example, there was a case when a tigress fed piglets, and a cat fed a squirrel. Cats are rare clean people, so the issue of “diapers” is immediately removed: kittens are always licked “to a shine,” warmed and fed. The mother takes care of the babies until about three months old - by this age they become completely independent.





Another mustachioed and striped mother, the tigress, feeds her cubs with milk for up to six months, despite the fact that small predators eat meat from about two months of age. Then it’s time to learn the wisdom of life. At first, the mother brings fresh meat from the hunt. Then he leads from one prey to another. By the age of two, tiger cubs weigh up to 100 kilograms and, under the guidance of their mother, begin to hunt on their own. The tigress will release her children into independent life well prepared, strong, strong and healthy. What is typical is that she copes with all these worries alone, although “dad” often lives nearby.



And Putin is a tiger! Penguins After the egg is laid, the female emperor penguin very carefully and very carefully delivers it to the father, who hides it in a wide fold of skin under the abdomen and incubates the baby penguin. The female immediately returns to the sea to eat to her heart's content, leaving the male without food for about two months.
"Abandoned" fathers gather in large groups to keep warm and jointly withstand the harsh climate of Antarctica, where icy wind speeds can reach 200 km/h. They patiently wait for the females to return. And when the “prodigal” mothers finally return, each unmistakably finds her penguin - focusing on the trumpet call of her male. During one reproductive season, a male mates with only one female, a rare example of monogamy. Let Volochkova be jealous! Elephants It takes a female elephant 22 months to bear the world's largest child. This fact alone evokes endless respect. However, after the birth of the baby, the mother does not say goodbye to the elephant calf, but begins to raise it and literally nurture it. Baby elephants are born completely blind, so they are completely dependent on their mothers. And here’s what’s interesting: in elephant communities, voluntary babysitters are extremely common. That is, a newborn elephant calf, of course, has its own mother. But at the same time, all the female elephants of the herd are his “mothers,” caring for the baby and protecting him from danger, as if it were their “son” or “daughter.” And at this time, the “main mother” can calmly go in search of food in order to provide milk for her not at all small baby.

Alligators We are accustomed to considering these not very attractive animals to be cold-blooded - literally and figuratively - and are least inclined to think that they are characterized by manifestations of tender love and care. However, this is not true. By making a nest for herself, the crocodile mother not only prepares to lay eggs, but also “determines” the gender of her future children. For example, a nest made of leaves will be warmer than one made of wet moss, so it will hatch more “boys”. As soon as expectant mother Having decided on the sex and laid eggs, she takes over the guard: monitors the temperature, humidity, and drives away overly curious and hungry visitors. When the babies hatch, the mother immediately sends them into her toothy mouth - no, not in order to dine on them, but in order to deliver them to the water. She takes care of them for another year - quite a long time. Especially for crocodiles.
Female orangutan can become pregnant once every eight years. Therefore, it is not difficult to imagine how carefully her long-awaited cub is cared for. For the first two years of life, babies are completely dependent on their mother. Moreover, for the first four months, physical contact between mother and child is never interrupted - the baby is carried with them everywhere, without leaving him for a minute. Mother and baby sleep only in an embrace, in a nest that a caring parent builds every evening. And even older children try to stay close to their mother - up to the age of five. Moreover, daughters do not leave their mothers longer than sons. In a word, everything is like people’s! Who doesn't worry about what they gain during pregnancy? extra pounds, so this polar bears. They know for sure that the main thing is the health of future babies. Therefore, the volume of the bear’s “waist” and weight approximately double. This is not surprising: in harsh conditions In the Arctic, not only will you not be able to feed a bear cub any other way, but you will also not be able to survive yourself. With the onset of cold weather, the expectant mother makes a den for herself, which consists of a tunnel with a narrow entrance and three “rooms.” Having settled in the den, the bear falls into a state of light hibernation. And in the same semi-euphoric state it bears offspring. Perhaps this is the easiest and most enjoyable childbirth - childbirth in a dream. The cubs are born blind and tiny. However, in the spring, by the time they leave the den, thanks to their heroic mother, these buttons eat up to 12 kilograms. And only after eight months of forced starvation will the mother bear and her cubs be able to go to the ice to the sea for real food - fish and Navy SEALs. For the next few years, she takes care of her offspring and teaches them the knowledge necessary for life. But that’s not all - the bear is not averse to “adopting” abandoned or orphaned cubs of others.

Mom is the most important word in the whole world. It is impossible to convey the depth of connection between a mother and her baby that occurs at the moment of birth small miracle and does not end throughout life. There is nothing more perfect than the love of a mother for her child, and mothers from the animal kingdom are no exception. We present to your attention the TOP 10 mothers who do their best to take care of their children and make many sacrifices for them.

10. ELEPHANT

10th place on our list goes to the mother who gives birth to the largest babies among land animals - weighing an average of 100 kilograms. (Can you imagine a diaper for these babies?) The females deserve a reward for heroically enduring a 22-month pregnancy. A baby elephant is born blind and therefore has to rely entirely on its trunk to navigate in space. Fortunately, these animals live in a matriarchal society where females are in charge. As soon as a baby is born, other “ladies” of the herd can come to his aid at any time, this applies to grandmothers, sisters, aunts or other relatives. They accept active participation in all aspects of raising a baby elephant. The eldest of the females has every right to teach the youngest how to raise her own baby and does not tolerate objections. Such a number of caring nannies provides the baby with reliable support from birth and helps him get comfortable in the wild world.

9. KOALA

Never agree to have lunch with a female koala, as the price is very high - your life. The koala's menu is quite monotonous and consists of eucalyptus leaves, which are very poisonous. Digestive system this person can withstand this dangerous food, thanks to the intestines, which are coated with special bacteria that can detoxify hazardous substances. Baby koalas are not born with these super powers; moreover, these babies lack ears, eyes and fur. But a caring mother, as always, comes to the aid of her children; she feeds them with her feces. (Agree, this is a disgusting method. Unfortunately, I couldn’t think of anything better for these poor kids). After birth, koala babies spend about six months in their mother's pouch. In it they receive precious mother's milk. During this period, the cubs develop all the necessary body parts that are needed in adulthood. While these children are sitting in the bag, the mother is not wasting time - she is sleeping. And this sleep takes about 22 hours a day, and this is almost 90 percent of their entire life.

A female alligator reaches sexual maturity on average at the age of three years. Its nest is a pile of rotting vegetation, also called compost. Thanks to the production of heat during the process of rotting vegetation, the female frees herself from such a boring task as incubating eggs. The incubation period is two months, and the temperature in the nest is quite high. If it is below 31 degrees Celsius, then a female will hatch, and if it is above 32 degrees, there will be a male. After the babies are born, mothers take them into their jaws and protect them, and also help them get used to the water, where they spend the first year of life. At this time, their diet consists of fish, insects, snails and crustaceans. Once they reach the age of one year, alligator babies can take care of themselves.

7. POLAR BEAR

The male is king only for one night. This Casanova, after mating, becomes cold and indifferent to the female, leaving her alone during pregnancy. The she-bear is forced to get her own food because she needs to double her weight. If she does not do this, then during pregnancy, her body will absorb the fetus. Sounds like something out of science fiction? Unfortunately, this is true. This mother digs a den during pregnancy and childbirth, most often in snowdrifts, then goes into hibernation, during which she does not eat and may even oversleep the moment the baby is born. Can you imagine this? The cubs are born blind and toothless, but very cute. They remain with their mother for only two years, until they reach maturity.

6. CHEETHAH

Patience plays an important role in life, especially for the mother cheetah. The female usually raises 4-6 cubs. But these babies lack the innate survival instinct. And therefore, the mother is entrusted with this difficult task - to teach her children the rules of life in wildlife. She shows how to hunt prey and avoid other predators. This educational work takes about two years. During this time, children must learn to survive on their own. As soon as they are ready to enter the adult world, their mother leaves them and creates new family. Males remain in the group for the rest of their lives, but females leave their brothers after about six months. Females, as a rule, are loners and avoid each other's company. Oh, these ladies just can't get along!

5. ORANGUTAN

The female ga is a highly intelligent animal whose main goal is motherhood. She spends almost her entire life high in the trees. This female is engaged in building a new nest every day, and it takes her no more than five minutes to do it all. Main building materials in this simple matter, branches and leaves protrude. She does not let her kids go until they reach the age of 6-7 years, this is the longest dependence of any animal on Earth. The main goal Most males mate, after which they leave. Male cubs do not lag behind their adult relatives and try to break away from their mothers more often than their sisters, who stay with their mother and adopt her experience in raising offspring.

Birds with such a rare name, Sulawesi kala, live on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. They use holes in trees as their nests. The eggs of these birds are the favorite delicacy of monitor lizards. Therefore, to protect their future babies, kalao are forced to reduce the entrance to the nest. The best remedy in this case, these birds’ own feces are used. The female Sulawesi kala kalao remains in the nest for the entire two-month period. incubation period eggs She is forced to ignore hunger to her own detriment. (Although, it can be assumed that the smell from her method of protecting nests can kill anyone's appetite). These are maternal sacrifices.

Female elephant seal acts as a very responsible mother. Her weight reaches 770 kilograms, however, this is small compared to the weight of males, which are usually four times her size. Once pregnant, this mom is expected to gain a lot of extra weight. The gestation period lasts 11 months. However, after the birth of the baby, this mother, during the month of feeding, loses about 270 kilograms. (Very good way return your figure to its previous state; not every mother can recover so quickly.)

2. OCTOPUS

When it comes to children, the female octopus does not stand aside. She hatches more than 50,000 eggs and does not require any fertility drugs. The incubation period of eggs is about 40 days. During this time, the mother does not leave her future babies for a second. It protects from predators and also enriches the eggs with oxygen by ventilating the flow of water through the so-called siphon. But playing bodyguard does not give mom the opportunity to hunt and forces her to starve until the children hatch. Unfortunately, such a hunger strike often leads to the death of the mother.

The giant isopod is at the top of our list for a reason. The first thing that does not leave you indifferent is the insidious role of the male. He lures the female into his bachelor hole to mate, where she discovers a "surprise" - a harem with 25 other pregnant women. If that's not shocking enough, here's another shocking fact: as soon as the giant isopod's babies are ready to be born, they begin to make their way by eating their mother from the inside. This is the worst birth you can imagine.

Not all animals, when born, can count on the tender care and love of their mothers. But some of them can justifiably call their mother the most caring in the world. Which animals can you find the best mothers? Which fauna representatives selflessly care for their offspring?

Cat's caress.

The primacy in this ranking is rightfully occupied by mothers of the cat family. They literally dote on their kittens, selflessly dissolving in caring for the babies. At the same time, there are many cases where they tenderly fed representatives of other families, doing this no less devotedly than caring for their own children. There are known cases of a tigress feeding piglets, and a cat feeding a small squirrel.

In one interesting study, German zoologists experimented with a cat raising little chicks! The mother cat looked after them, licked them and put them to sleep, hugging them to her to warm them with her warmth. When, during the experiment, a brood of chickens was attacked by a hawk, the cat, without a second of doubt, rushed to their defense and, even being greatly inferior in “combat power” to the deadly predator, managed to save the helpless babies from inevitable death!

Tigresses are not inferior in their caring to cats. A mother tiger feeds her little tiger cubs with milk for up to six months, even though after two months they are quite capable of eating meat. From the second half of the first year of existence, the tiger mother begins to patiently teach her cubs the wisdom of hunting, without knowledge of which the cubs would simply die in independent life. It is interesting that the entire process of feeding and training lies entirely with the tigress - the tiger dad practically does not take part in this.

Elephant tenderness.

Elephant mothers show no less care for their babies, if elephant calves can be called that. Intrauterine gestation alone is worth it - pregnancy in elephants lasts twenty-two months! And after this, the mother elephant still finds the strength to care for her baby. After all, baby elephants are born blind and are completely dependent on outside help. It is interesting that in a herd of elephants, not only their own mother takes care of the babies, but also any of the females. This allows the baby elephants to be provided with round-the-clock care, giving the mother the opportunity to rest and gain strength.

Caring alligators.

Despite their ferocious appearance and the remarkable strength of their toothy jaws, female alligators are among the most caring mothers in the animal world. Even before laying eggs, the mother alligator carefully selects the place for laying. At the same time, she prepares two different places - one for future girls, and the other for boys, arranging one in a pile of warm leaves, and the other, covering it with cool moss.

After the eggs are laid, the mother takes up a permanent watch, guarding her future children like a vigilant sentry. It is clear that, being under such protection, almost all eggs remain safe and sound. And immediately after the little crocodiles emerge from them, the mother sends them all into her huge mouth! But not at all in order to have breakfast with them, but in order to deliver them to the water. Mom takes care of her children for another whole year!

Polar bears.

Living in very harsh conditions, polar bears nevertheless show an example of care and concern for their babies. A mother bear, preparing for childbirth, actively gains weight, which almost doubles by the time her offspring appear! And all this just so as not to die from exhaustion after the appearance of little cubs - after all, they need not only to be born, but also to be fed! And this is not a matter of one day.

Before giving birth, the bear makes herself a cozy den in the snow, where she falls into a half-asleep - some semblance of hibernation among her mainland counterparts. In this state, childbirth occurs. Once born, polar bear cubs are completely helpless and need round-the-clock care from their mother. This is where the weight gained comes in handy. A mother bear carefully feeds her cubs for eight months and only after that she takes them out of the den to take them to the water and teach them how to fish.

Over the next few years, the mother bear takes care of her cubs, teaching them all the wisdom of life in harsh conditions. arctic conditions, showing an example of maternal love and care for her offspring.

All children need their mother's love and care. But humans and animals have different ideas about what it means to be a good mother. Moreover, they differ between different types animals.

Some of the animal mothers, from a human point of view, do not bother themselves with unnecessary care, some are shockingly cruel. And some females sacrifice themselves in the name of motherhood.

Let's meet some extraordinary mothers of the animal world.

Chickens

Chicken mothers take their responsibilities very seriously. It is extremely difficult for a chicken to produce large quantities of calcium carbonate, which is necessary for the formation of the shell.

Therefore, if the mother chicken does not receive enough calcium with her food, then in order to build a home for the chicken, she dissolves her own bones!

Cuckoos

Cuckoos are known to be bad mothers. They found a good way that relieves them of this heavy burden - to raise offspring. Mother cuckoo lays her eggs in someone else's bird's nest.

Often these are nests of smaller species of birds, which do not notice anything extra. Cuckoo chicks, as a rule, are born first and grow faster than their “brothers,” often not giving them the opportunity to survive.

Then the babies receive the full attention of their adoptive parents and significantly increase their chances of survival.

Blood sucking ants

A tiny, endangered ant native to Madagascar, the dracula ant ( Adetomyrma) very strangely shows his love for children.

These ants engage in a practice called nondestructive cannibalism. When the queen of the colony gives birth to ant larvae, they and her “subordinates” make small holes in the bodies of the babies in order to feed on their hemolymph (fluid circulatory system, similar to blood in mammals).

Scientists cannot say exactly why these insects do this. Peculiarities social behavior These ants are responsible for transferring fluids to each other, so it is likely that they practice this rudimentary form of behavior.

The larva does not die, but sucking the blood of its young is a very strange way of showing love.

sea ​​louse

In this case we will talk about painful pregnancy. The small, fish-living female sea louse deals with a male who fertilizes 25 females at a time.

When the female’s body is already ready to give life to hundreds of her own kind, she doesn’t care at all, so the babies begin to devour her from the inside in order to be born.

Gray whales

Sometimes mothers in the wild have to go to great lengths to protect their babies.

Pacific right whales migrate thousands of kilometers from cold but plankton-rich Arctic waters to the relatively nutritionally poor tropical lagoons of the Mexican coast to give birth.

Despite the fact that the whales are deprived of an abundant food supply, in the southern regions they are also free from dangerous killer whales that live in cold waters and prey on newborn whales.

Being in warm waters also gives newborns time to get enough of their mother's incredibly fortified milk, which contains 53 percent fat.

It also helps them build up a good layer of fat before returning to the icy Arctic.

Like bears, female whales starve for several months, but at the same time they produce the necessary caloric milk for their babies.

During this time they can lose about 8 tons in weight!

Spiders

For many spiders, the act of mating means their life is over. However, some mother spiders of the genus Stegodyphus they go even further, their maternal love knows no limits at all.

The mother attaches the cocoons with offspring to her web and carefully guards them until the babies are born. After their birth, she turns almost all the food she eats into a nutritious soup, which she feeds to her offspring.

Children at this time live in a web. When the babies are one month old, the mother allows them to climb on her back and inject deadly poison into her body.

After the children eat the mother, they begin to attack each other. Therefore, the strongest offspring are selected from the mother’s web.

Poison frog

Small females of this poison frog(little tree frog) literally go to any lengths when it comes to taking on motherly responsibilities.

After laying about five eggs, the female carefully watches how they grow and how the babies are born. The little dart frog then carries its tadpoles, one by one, on its back from the ground to a tree more than 30 meters high.

Once the babies are at the top of the tree, the frog builds a personal pool for each of his babies on a separate sheet.

After this, the mother feeds her babies unfertilized eggs for another six to eight weeks, allowing the tadpoles to grow into young frogs without eating each other.