POLAR BEAR: After mommy polar bear gives birth to twin cubs, she teaches them during their first two years how to survive in the icy climate. She digs deep dens beneath the snow where she can keep her babies warm with her body heat, feeding them her milk. Three months later, they go outside and learn how to hunt.
HEY kids! The animal kingdom is full of dedicated moms that take lots of time to raise their babies and teach them how to survive in the wild. Some of them are even better parents than humans, considering all the effort they put into nurturing their babies.
Here are five of the most amazing animal moms:
EMPEROR PENGUIN: Mommy penguin leaves her newly-laid eggs to be protected by daddy penguin while she travels around 80km to find fish from the ocean. Upon her return to the eggs, she regurgitates the fish to her new-born babies. She also keeps them warm with her cosy brood-pouch.
CHEETAH: A litter of two to six cubs are raised in isolation by their mother. She moves the pack around often to prevent their smell from building up and being noticed by other predators. After 18 months, the babies finally leave their mother but still remain a sibling-group for the next six months.
AFRICAN ELEPHANT: This is an absolutely beautiful bond, with lots of affection between mom and child-elephant. New moms are not alone in raising their babies. Other females in the herd help the babies on their feet and teach them how to nurse from their moms. Older elephants in the herd even slow down the pace so that the babies can keep up more easily.
ORANGUTAN: This bond is one of the strongest mother-child bonds in the animal kingdom. The first two years, baby orangutan is entirely dependent on mom for food and transportation. Mom orangutans stay with their children the first seven years of their lives, teaching them how to find food, eat and build their sleeping nests. Later in their lives, the child-orangutans often visit their moms.
