The father enigma

• Autores: Lesley Evans Ogden
• Localización: New scientist, ISSN 0262-4079, Nº. 2973, 2014, págs. 42-45
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Parenting is tough for daddy longlegs living in the Brazilian Atlantic forest, but their efforts aren't in vain. Having a parent to watch over the eggs makes a huge difference to their survival; without one, a third of clutches are eaten. Although humans no longer need to protect their progeny from hungry predators, they are accustomed to thinking that parenting is crucial if offspring are to survive and thrive. Yet, among the myriad organisms on the planet, this is rare. What's more, in those species that do care for their young there is a strong bias towards females doing all the work. That makes the daddy longlegs a real oddity--it is among the few examples where males alone raise the young. Here, Ogden why fathers care at all.