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Burying Beetle Mom: Conscientious Cannibal?
Mother's Day honors the bond between mom and child, but many animal mothers are more Mommie Dearest than Mom of the Year--at least at first glance. Take the burying beetle ...
She's a "bad" mom because ... she eats her young in a deadly game of musical chairs.
Burying beetle larvae typically move into a mouse carcass their mother and father have buried. The mother feeds her young by eating the carcass and regurgitating the mouse meat.
"The little larvae wave back and forth, begging to mom," said Scott Forbes, University of Winnipeg biologist and author of A Natural History of Families.
"The first ones get fed, but the very last one sitting there begging [after the portion runs out] gets eaten by the mother."
Give Mom a break, because ... burying beetle mothers are likely culling their brood to match the food supply. The beetles typically produce broods bigger than the carcass can support. A bit of strategic cannibalism boosts overall survival chances for the larvae left "standing" when the music stops.
—Photograph by Gary Meszaros/Visuals Unlimited
Giant Panda Mom: Playing Favorites, Fatally?
She's a "bad" mom because ... panda mothers sometimes have two babies--but they rarely raise more than one.
"Pandas have good press, but they [can be] bad moms," Forbes said. Pandas' second offspring, helpless and about the size of a stick of butter, are typically left to their fate in the wild.
Give Mom a break, because ... As the "favored" offspring gets bigger, he or she takes a lot of attention and eats a lot of bamboo. Mothers probably wouldn't be able to provide for two offspring during the eight to nine months until they are fully weaned, Forbes said.
"One robust offspring is probably better than two weak ones later on," he said, "so the quality control occurs early on when it's cheap—before you've invested lots of resources."
Giant Panda Mom: Playing Favorites, Fatally?
She's a "bad" mom because ... panda mothers sometimes have two babies--but they rarely raise more than one.
"Pandas have good press, but they [can be] bad moms," Forbes said. Pandas' second offspring, helpless and about the size of a stick of butter, are typically left to their fate in the wild.
Give Mom a break, because ... As the "favored" offspring gets bigger, he or she takes a lot of attention and eats a lot of bamboo. Mothers probably wouldn't be able to provide for two offspring during the eight to nine months until they are fully weaned, Forbes said.
"One robust offspring is probably better than two weak ones later on," he said, "so the quality control occurs early on when it's cheap—before you've invested lots of resources."
—Photograph by Michael Nichols
Hamster Mom: Again With the Cannibalism?
She's a "bad" mom because ... despite their cuddly appearance, hamster moms can be cold-blooded killers—they often eat their own young.
Give Mom a break, because ... she was planning for the best, and now she's just dealing with the rest.
Forbes believes hamster moms practice "parental optimism" by creating broods bigger than they may be able to rear.
"They don't know how much food is going to be out there," he said. "They create a litter with a few spare offspring to ensure high-quality young even if [food is scarce] or there are developmental defects in others."
Hamster Mom: Again With the Cannibalism?
She's a "bad" mom because ... despite their cuddly appearance, hamster moms can be cold-blooded killers—they often eat their own young.
Give Mom a break, because ... she was planning for the best, and now she's just dealing with the rest.
Forbes believes hamster moms practice "parental optimism" by creating broods bigger than they may be able to rear.
"They don't know how much food is going to be out there," he said. "They create a litter with a few spare offspring to ensure high-quality young even if [food is scarce] or there are developmental defects in others."
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