The role of parenting has been reversed in a species of fox. Researchers have found that mother bat-eared foxes go out to forage while the fathers stay home to care for the young and manage the household.
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Image: Discovery |
This modern division of labor seems rare in the animal kingdom, as male caregiving is only observed in 5-10% of mammal species. This finding suggests that parental cooperation can be beneficial for offspring, especially when parents adhere to a monogamous relationship and are wholly dedicated to their young.
In the termite-eating species Otocyon megalotis, the task of bringing back a pile of insects is not easy for the males, so the females hunt in their own way.
“Bat-eared foxes might differ from other parents as the males do not bring termites back to the den, but the females do, in the form of chewing and secreting it as milk“, said Harry William Yorkstone Wright, the study’s author from the University of Warwick, England.
“Mothers spend a lot of time foraging for termites, so the males play an important role in protecting the young, and later, when the pups begin to forage, the fathers will accompany them.”
Wright observed bat-eared fox families in dens in Laikipia, central Kenya. While the mothers went out to forage, the fathers stayed home with the pups, keeping them warm and grooming them.
Occasionally, the males also ventured out to quickly gather food such as large insects, small birds, and moles. They are also fully committed to protecting their young from threats.
M.T.
