Parental care in mammals

Dedicated to all Zoologists

1. Parental care in mammals By JAVID IQBAL Submitted to : MAM IRUM GUL Department of Zoology Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat-26000 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PakistaN

2. What is parental care??? In biology,  paternal care  is parental investment provided by a male or female animal to their own offspring. Paternal care may provided in concert with the mother ( biparental care) or, more rarely, by the male alone (so called exclusive paternal care). The provision of care, by either males or females, is presumed to increase growth rates, quality, and/or survival of young, and hence ultimately increase the inclusive fitness of parents.

3.  In a variety of vertebrate species (e.g., about 80% of birds [ and about 6% of mammals),both males and females invest heavily in their offspring. Many of these biparental species are socially monogamous, so individuals remain with their mate for at least one breeding season . Exclusive paternal care has evolved multiple times in a variety of organisms, including invertebrates, fishes, and amphibians .

4. The efforts given by parents to their offspring to increase growth rates, quality, survival and protect from predators . Only 6% of mammals show both paternal and maternal care specially which are socially monogamous. Male mammals also provide paternal care. In mammals, the chief parental care is maternal care; in large part due to lactation.

5. Order: Artiodactyla (Deer, Boar, Buffalo, Gaur etc.) Most are gregarious living in large groups, some are solitary. Pheromones and other glandular secretion to attract opposite sex. They breed only once a year, though some may breed multiple times. Majority are polygynous, a few seasonally monogamous. Most of the species of our country give birth at the starting of rainy season for food abundance.

6. Females are caregivers. Lactation to offspring. Mothers two types; hiders and followers. Hiders keep their newborn offspring in such a place where it is easy to camouflage. During her foraging, she comes back periodically to clean and feed it. She take it with her when it is capable enough to protect itself from predators. They live in small groups for adequate shelter of young. Followers accompany their offspring immediately after birth, live in open habitat with little shelter of young.