In the wide and wonderful world of animals, childcare comes in all shapes and sizes.
The moth and butterfly families do just that, to the extent that ants have been known to care for caterpillars that were left by their parents as eggs . This could be called a hands-off approach at best, but some animal parents take their responsibilities very seriously indeed. The five fantastic fishy fathers we’re about to meet are cases in point.
A model father, for many, is one who is loving and affectionate, but also strong and supportive. One who will protect his children from any threat that may befall them. The sunfish might not be the first creature that comes to mind when you think about these traits, but it boasts all of them.
Sunfish fathers-to-be build nests for the female to deposit her eggs into, before fertilizing them. Significant work goes into attracting the female in the first place, but such is the lot of these fishy fathers. Up to 60,000 eggs later, the father cares for his precious growing brood alone.
Among bluegill sunfish, two distinct types of fathers have been identified. Firstly, there are those that build nests, court their mates, and tirelessly defend their new family, as above. The second group is comprised of males that have evolved strategies such as pretending to be female sunfish or stealthily entering another fish’s nest to claim the eggs as its own!
Regardless of its approach to fatherhood, it’s difficult to accuse any sunfish father of shirking its parental responsibilities. On the contrary, they go to extraordinary lengths to seek those responsibilities out. The more certain they are that the eggs they’re associated with are their own, the more enthusiastically they’ll protect them.
If you’ve seen Finding Nemo , you’ll have a good idea of exactly how dedicated the fathers of the ocean can be. Fascinatingly, the dedicated care and attention Nemo receives from his father Marlin, and the relentless determination with which Marlin searches the oceans for his son, somewhat reflects clownfish behavior in the real world. As in the movie, clownfish eggs are laid in rocky areas typically surrounded by anemones, in order to better conceal and protect them.
After laying, eggs are cared for primarily by the father, and there are two good reasons for this: Firstly, the father risks the mother’s disapproval and its place in the shoal if it isn’t attentive enough. Secondly, it’s thought that clownfish fathers are excellent and attentive parents because of a certain chemical advantage.
A 2017 study from the University of Illinois, concluded that isotocin, an analogue of oxytocin for us, is a key hormone in the powerful bond these fishy fathers have with their young. Not even their own young, either: their protective behaviors – which include using their mouths to remove any potentially harmful debris and ‘brushing’ the eggs with their tails to maintain a strong oxygen supply to them – have also been observed in adult male clownfish who aren’t the father of those eggs!
Clownfish mothers aren’t absent, and have watchful eyes on those loving fathers, it seems, but there’s no denying that these adult males are enthusiastic and driven in caring for their eggs. The crucial thing to note, though, is that this behavior seems to mostly only be directed toward the eggs. On hatching, the babies are largely completely independent .
It’s hard for any human to top the male seahorse’s level of duty and support.
There’s no sneaking away to watch the game in secret while you’re supposed to be building flat-pack nursery furniture for this loving ocean-dweller. That’s right: It’s the male seahorse that becomes pregnant. This trait is completely unique to these select animal families on Earth !
The process itself doesn’t differ very much from the reproductive method of so many other aquatic animals: the females lay their eggs, and then the males fertilize them. The truly unique part is where those eggs are deposited, which is in a pouch on the male’s body. Whereas the other fathers on our list are incredibly attentive to their eggs, their infants, or both, and a lot of human fathers have expressed a wish that they could go through the challenge of a pregnancy for the birthing partner, these adorable little animals actually do that.
For up to six weeks , the babies gestate inside the father’s pouch, but it’s always been a bit of a mystery how this was done. It wasn’t until 2021 that a study from The University of Sydney discovered that the developing young are able to ‘breathe’ using structures similar to a placenta.
It’s extraordinary enough that these fathers can give birth to their babies, but there’s something else to consider too: the sheer quantities of babies involved. As with a lot of aquatic creatures, there are lots of eggs involved at one time, thereby increasing the chances of successful birth. This means that a seahorse can give birth to around 1,000 tiny young at the same time.
As with the clownfish, the situation is markedly different once those young are actually born. A seahorse infant, adorably known as a fry, will go out into its salty, wet world immediately on hatching. Even so, though, this dad plays an utterly essential role in their lives.
You might think that the sergeant major, so named for its characteristic striped body, would be an authoritative, obedience-commanding father. That fits quite well with its behavior: its scientific name, Abudefduf saxatilis , partially translates to “father that lives among rocks,” and it would be a brave fish that ventured into its rocky Carribean or Atlantic realm.
The sergeant major, no larger than nine inches long, isn’t what you’d call a tiny fish, but nor is it exactly a giant of the deep. Nonetheless, they will fiercely depend on their young and their eggs, and that’s no small feat: the female sergeant major will lay 200,000 eggs at one time. Those that are successfully fertilized will continue to enjoy their father’s protection on hatching.
The father builds the nest, and has an interesting behavior while protecting it: the sergeant major fish is known to change its coloring somewhat depending on its environment, and also sometimes does so while in protective dad mode! This may not be a warning sign to would-be aggressors, but they’d be advised to steer clear nonetheless: Despite its relatively small size, the sergeant major has no qualms about warning larger interlopers away: Divers sometimes wear light protective gear when swimming in their territory , because they’ll bite!
Standing at approximately 115 centimeters in height , the world’s biggest penguins are not dads to be taken lightly. Though they can’t give birth themselves like fellow doting dads the seahorses, they show tremendous commitment to their babies too. In just as famous fashion as well.
Of course, countless bird species from all around the world engage in brooding, or sitting on top of a nest of eggs to keep it safe and warm. Emperor penguins can’t do this, as their eggs would be incredibly vulnerable if left alone in their frozen, unforgiving Antarctic home. These stately penguins are known to huddle together for sheer survival as much as warmth, and this has a vital implication for those emperor eggs. Their dads act as, essentially, snuggly warm nests on legs!
Male emperors, like male seahorses, have a pouch in which to incubate their young. In the former case, this is known as the brood pouch . As the name would suggest, it’s not just a loose piece of skin that keeps the dad’s feet warm: they carry their babies on their feet, and for a very long time indeed. Beneath this handy pouch, the egg is kept warm, and away from the frigid ground. The eggs take up to 75 days to hatch , and their fathers carry them on their feet this entire time because the females have taken to the ocean to feast and replenish. They won’t return until hatching time, meaning a long, hungry vigil for the males.
When the chick is born, it is not left to be independent, but is cared for by both parents. They’ll gather food for it and keep it warm, limiting their own ability to feed in the process. Now that’s a dedicated father (and mother duo).
Want to learn even more? What are you waiting for! Stop by Ripley's Aquarium to see some of our very own sea dads up close like never before!
