Helen Jukes, author of the new book Mother Animal, which tells stories of parenting, nesting and birthing from the natural world, says: “We tend to carry a particular image of what’s natural when it comes to parenting, but venture a little way into the animal world and an extraordinary diversity emerges when it comes to raising offspring.
Jukes explains the bears mate in late spring as Arctic temperatures begin to rise, and females will suspend the pregnancy until autumn, when embryonic development will either continue or be terminated, depending on whether the mother’s built up enough fat reserves through the summer months.
“If all goes well, the pregnant mother will build herself a snow cave and crawl inside it to give birth in winter – she won’t leave the cave, or eat or drink, until the following spring,” says Jukes.
As parenting goes, malleefowl (stocky ground-nesting birds with flecked, dust-coloured wings) are at the other extreme, and Jukes explains: “Unlike orangutans, they provide almost nothing in the way of parental care.”.
Jukes explains that after a female smooth guardian frog has laid her eggs, the male will guard the clutch for about 10 days, when he shows little interest in mating, eating or even moving.
