2025-06-13
12 分钟For Scientific American Science Quickly, I'm Rachel Feldman.
Parental care is costly.
It uses up precious time, energy, and resources.
And in the animal world, it's usually the moms who bear the brunt of it.
For most mammals, the concept of fatherhood begins and ends at conception.
So what drives a father to defy evolutionary norms?
Today's episode celebrates the super parent skills of a surprising and adorable little critter.
Our guide for this Father's Day Friday fascination is Ella Fetter,
a freelance audio producer, editor, and journalist.
Here's Ella now.
In mammals, good dads are the exception.
Male leopards, bears, orcas,
they have a habit of toddling off after mating and leaving the mothers to raise the kids.
So when you come across a mammal species with active, doting dads,
dads who actually matter for their kids' survival, you pay attention.
And one of the most extreme cases of good fatherhood can be found in a dwarf hamster that lives in the cold,
dry semi-deserts of Russia, China, and Mongolia.
Phedopus cambelli, aka the Jungarian hamster.
Cambelli males and females raise their kids in burrows underground.
And when the first litter of pups arrive, The dads get to work right away.