Wild dads often get a bad reputation as absentee fathers, but many animal dads are protective, loving, and willing to risk their lives for their kids. From silverback gorillas, the gentle giants who teach the youngsters in their troop critical life skills, to male lumpfish who protect over a hundred thousand eggs from predators. In king penguin societies, fathers share parenting duties equally, keeping chicks warm and fed – and as penguin parents can be same-sex couples, some chicks get double dads.
Hyaena fathers are at the bottom of the pecking order in female-dominated clans, whereas pipefish dads carry the babies in a tiny pouch outside their bodies until they are ready to swim free – defying traditional parenting roles entirely. Mother nature often takes centre stage, but it is time to celebrate the caring, daring Wild Dads.
