Pets
Awesome Dads of the Animal Kingdom
Photo by: Thinkstock
Rhea
These South American flightless birds might not seem like the best candidates for single parenthood; rheas are polygamous, and males have harems -- which can number as many as a dozen females. But they've earned some female companionship; we'd say. The dads watch the eggs -- all the eggs! Sometimes as many as 60! And this goes on for two months, but sometimes Pops only has a couple of weeks' worth of food to go on! And once the babies arrive, Dad raises them himself -- and it can take nearly two years. Papa is very protective, too, so don't get too close to his chicks, or he'll charge.
These animal dads of land, air, and even sea really go the extra mile -- carrying eggs, hunting for two (or ten), even giving birth! Take a quick break this weekend from celebrating our human dads, and appreciate these dads from other species!
