In the wildlife world, there are mothers that go out of their way in terms of childcare. Mergansers, for example, are known to adopt the ducklings of others, leading to some mother ducks rearing broods of up to several dozen. Orca moms, meanwhile, reportedly jump in to physically, violently, defend their sons from fights, even if it means harm to themselves. Other animal mothers, in comparison, seem much less patient, self-sacrificing, attentive, or, well, caring. Still, Nature knows what it’s doing. Sure, the following five animal mamas might not deserve a “Mom of the Year” mug when Mother’s Day rolls around. But they certainly at least deserve a card or a phone call. Here’s why.
The cottontail rabbit
Like white-tailed deer, cottontail moms are famous for leaving their young alone for long chunks of time during the day. But that’s not neglect, it’s smart parenting—Mom’s keeping them hidden from predators.
The opossum
It’s not uncommon for Virginia opossums—Canada’s only marsupial—to lose track of a joey or two. Oops. But possums can have as many as 20 babies, and they all ride on her back. At the same time. Sometimes one falls off. We can’t really blame her for not noticing the weight difference.
The otter
Otters aren’t born able to swim. Allegedly, some mother otters will drag or force their offspring underwater to “teach” them how (the tough love, jump-in-at-the-deep-end approach). Gah! That said, sea otter moms, for their part, let their babies ride around on their stomachs until the young are about three or four months old. Floating on your back in the water is relaxing, yes…but for four months?
The raccoon
By the time they’re a few months old, raccoon kits follow their moms around at night, so they can learn how to do important raccoon stuff. You know: steal eggs out of birds’ nests, knock over garbage cans, and use their human-like paws to break into your cottage. What kind of parent would encourage that behaviour? Um, one who needs her child to learn street smarts.
The brown-headed cowbird
In the world of brood parasitism, the female brown-headed cowbird is a champ. She stashes all her eggs in the nests of other birds, hoping the unwitting new mothers will raise the cowbird chicks as her own. Yes, there’s a good deal of trickery involved in this parental strategy. But cowbirds lay a lot of eggs—four or five times as many as other birds—so they’re really just trying to do what’s best for their children. Their millions and millions of children.
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