By Allison Cameron, Summer Intern

With Father’s Day approaching, it is worth considering the different roles fathers play in the animal kingdom. Typically, animal fathers are known to leave the mother after the baby has been born, but there are a few examples of fathers who take an active role in raising children!

For Red Foxes (Vulpes vulpes), the mother stays in the den to keep her kits (baby foxes) warm and to provide food to them. But who will feed the mama? Never fear! It’s father fox who goes out to hunt and feed mom every 4 to 6 hours. After the kits have grown up, both the mother and father teach them how to hunt their prey on their own. The father hides surplus food under leaves and foliage near the den to encourage the kits to forage their own food!

One of the most loving fathers in the bird kingdom is the male Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). Two to three broods are raised annually by a single pair of cardinals. The male provides the female with nesting materials and feeds her while she is building the nest. Similar to this, the female incubates the eggs the majority of the time while the male delivers her food. Once the nestlings have hatched, both parents take care of them in the nest, but the male often provides more food. When the young become independent, the male will feed and tend to them while the female leaves to build a new nest and take care of a new set of eggs.

Truly living up to their name, Daddy Long Legs (Pholcus spp.), which are also known as Harvestmen, have full responsibility for taking care of eggs. He will build a nest for them and almost constantly watch over them when they are vulnerable, protecting them with his life. He will even periodically clean the eggs to remove fungus and parasites, like giving them a bath!