Items13The creator’s order
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Emperor penguinAfter the female lays a single egg, the male balances it on his feet under a fold of skin through the Antarctic winter. He and other incubating males huddle to conserve heat. The female returns around hatching, and both parents take turns brooding and feeding the chick.0 - 2
Lined seahorseThe female transfers eggs to the male’s brood pouch, where the embryos develop. When they are ready, he releases the young into the water. This is a case of a father carrying the developing offspring inside a specialized pouch, after which the young are on their own.0 - 3
Greater rheaSeveral females can lay eggs in a nest made by the same male. He incubates the combined clutch and takes care of the chicks after they hatch. A family group can therefore look like one adult shepherding many young birds, all from the nest he tended.0 - 4
Giant water bugIn the giant water bug Abedus herberti, the female attaches eggs to the male’s back. He brings them to the surface to expose them to air and rocks his body underwater to move water over the cluster. The embryos depend on both kinds of care.0 - 5
Northern jacanaThe male incubates the eggs and leads the chicks after they hatch. A female can have more than one breeding partner in a season, and the males may raise separate broods inside her larger territory. Keep an eye on which bird stays with the young among the floating plants.0 - 6
Darwin's frogThe male takes developing young into his vocal sac. They go through the tadpole stage inside it and emerge as little frogs. The southern Darwin’s frog is a remarkable example of a father using an organ otherwise associated with calling as a place for his offspring to develop.0 - 7
Spotted sandpiperOnce the eggs are laid, the male typically incubates them and attends the downy chicks. A female can lay additional clutches with other males. The chicks start moving and finding food early, so the father’s job is largely to keep them together and help protect them.0 - 8
Three-spined sticklebackA male makes a small tunnel-shaped nest with plant material held together by a secretion. After spawning he stays to guard the eggs and fans them with his fins. The work continues after hatching, when he can return wandering fry to the nest.0 - 9
Yellowhead jawfishThe male keeps a ball of fertilized eggs in his mouth until they hatch. Spawning takes place inside his burrow, which the jawfish can dig by moving sand and shell fragments with its mouth. The same part of his body helps make the shelter and later holds the eggs.0 - 10
Leafy seadragonThe male has a brood area under his tail. That is where the eggs attach and develop after they are transferred from the female. They remain visible on the outside of his body, a different way of carrying a brood from the enclosed pouch of a seahorse.0
