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Many animals show parental care, which includes behaviors that help offspring survive and grow.
Different species show different forms of care before and after birth.
In egg-laying animals, care often begins early with the protection and maintenance of eggs.
In birds, parental care starts with incubation. Parents sit on the eggs to keep them at the right temperature for embryo development. After the chicks hatch, the parents continue to feed and protect them.
Other animals provide care primarily after birth by feeding, grooming, and guarding their young. In mammals, parental care often includes feeding and protecting offspring as they develop.
Newborns are highly dependent, and maternal hormones, such as oxytocin and prolactin, support bonding, milk release during feeding, and caregiving behavior.
Parental care is not limited to females. In some fish species, males take the primary role.
Male sticklebacks build nests and guard eggs. Male jawfish protect offspring through mouthbrooding, where they carry fertilized eggs in their mouths until the eggs develop further.
Parental care requires energy and can limit future reproduction. But it improves offspring survival and helps species continue across generations.