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While animals are often celebrated for their devotion and protective instincts, not all of them are nurturing in a traditional sense. Many animal mothers fiercely guard their young, even against much stronger predators. However, not all animal parenting is tender; some species adopt extreme methods to raise their offspring.
10. Burying Beetle
The diet of a burying beetle consists primarily of decaying birds and small mammals. Once they find a suitable carcass, several beetles engage in a fierce battle for possession. The victorious pair will bury the carcass and the female lays between 10 and 30 eggs in the soil directly above it, providing a meal for their larvae.
Burying beetles are among the rare insect species where both parents actively care for their offspring. This demands careful management of food. While the larvae can typically feed themselves, they often resort to begging for regurgitated food. With up to 30 hungry larvae clamoring for attention, it’s no surprise that the parents sometimes lose their patience. The most demanding larvae are taught a harsh lesson—by being eaten. Consuming the most persistent offspring helps teach the others to be more mindful of their food needs.
9. Rhesus Macaque
Rhesus macaques are easily identifiable by their red faces and brown fur. They are notable for being the first primates to journey into space. These macaques typically live in large social groups known as ‘troops,’ where child-rearing takes place in an open, community-based environment. It’s a lot like human social structures.
However, like humans, rhesus macaques can also exhibit aggression in their parenting. Studies have shown that up to 10 percent of rhesus macaque mothers may physically discipline their infants, including scratching, biting, or dragging them, particularly during the early months. These aggressive actions are often interspersed with normal nurturing. (And, as with humans, baby macaques who experience abuse are more likely to repeat the cycle of violence with their own offspring.)
8. Tropical Skink
Tropical skinks are a species of lizard found in the tropics. During breeding season, females can lay up to 13 eggs. These eggs face numerous threats, especially from egg-eating snakes. In an effort to protect her eggs, the skink will often fight back against the snakes. However, if the attacks become more frequent, the mother skink resorts to a surprising tactic: she eats her own unhatched eggs.
This strategy is similar to a ‘scorched Earth’ approach. By consuming her eggs, the mother prevents predators from benefiting, while recycling the nutrients to potentially try again with a new batch. She is most likely to adopt this method if she’s already carrying another set of eggs inside her. While this might be a practical survival tactic for the mother, the unborn skinks are unlikely to appreciate the decision.
7. Mustached Tamarin
Mustached tamarins are native to the Amazon rainforest. These small, black primates feature a striking upside-down white heart-shaped mark on their faces, resembling a mustache—giving them their name. Despite their cute appearance, tamarin mothers are not always kind. If they determine that an infant has little chance of survival, they may simply kill it to minimize their losses. While many animals discard weaker offspring, mustached tamarins have been observed doing this in an especially brutal manner—by throwing their babies out of trees.
6. Harp Seal
Harp seals are named for the unique harp-shaped markings on their backs. These seals give birth to a single pup between late February and March. For the first two weeks, the mother protects, cares for, and feeds the pup. However, after this initial period, the mother abruptly abandons the pup, leaving it alone on the ice to fend for itself.
Abandoned pups must rely on their fat reserves to survive. They fast for about five weeks after being left alone, losing up to 10 kilograms (22 lbs) of body weight during this time. Only after this period do they gradually begin to eat crustaceans and small fish. This harsh parenting method ensures that the pups quickly acquire the skills they need to survive on their own.
5. Guinea Fowl
Guinea fowl are native to Africa but have been domesticated and raised as livestock in other parts of the world. The guinea fowl mother doesn’t show much concern for the well-being of her chicks. She drags the flock through wet, cold grass, traveling long distances without regard for their ability to keep up. As a result, some chicks perish from the cold and damp, while others tire from the journey and fall behind. For this reason, farmers are often advised to use hen mothers to raise the young guinea fowl.
4. Panda
Everybody adores the lovable panda, often seen as the real-life version of a Care Bear. Unfortunately, pandas have long been considered endangered. Despite significant conservation efforts to help pandas survive and reproduce, their mothers tend to be rather negligent. Panda mothers frequently give birth to two cubs but only care for one. Newborn panda cubs are incredibly vulnerable, needing their mother to hold and position them correctly when nursing. Sadly, mothers often fail to do this for one of the cubs. And if that weren’t enough, panda mothers are also known to accidentally crush their newborns while sleeping. (Talk about a wake-up call for weight loss!)
3. Barnacle Goose
Barnacle geese are native to the northern regions of Greenland, Norway, and Russia. To protect their eggs from predators such as arctic foxes and polar bears, these geese build their nests on steep mountain cliffs. While this makes it difficult for predators to reach the eggs, it creates another problem: the food that barnacle geese eat is found at the base of these cliffs. The parents don’t bring food to their chicks, so the baby goslings must make the dangerous descent to feed themselves.
But at just three days old, goslings are too young to fly, forcing them into what can only be described as 'controlled' falls. They leap out of their nests and tumble down cliffs that can rise more than 400 meters (1,400 ft). Many of these goslings don’t survive the descent, and even those who do still face the danger of predators lurking below.
2. Red Kangaroo
Mother red kangaroos typically care for three different joeys simultaneously, each at a different stage of development. One joey is old enough to leave the pouch but still requires milk from mom, another stays in the pouch for nourishment, and the third is still an embryo in the uterus. Talk about an expert multitasker!
Unfortunately, when droughts hit, mother kangaroos face an agonizing choice. Unable to produce enough milk for all three joeys, the mother stops feeding the oldest, effectively leaving it to fend for itself. In most cases, the oldest joey doesn't survive. Although this may seem harsh, this strategy allows kangaroos to raise a larger number of joeys more efficiently than humans (especially since most humans don’t raise joeys).
1. Moose
The mother moose is the epitome of a fierce protector. For the entire first year of a calf’s life, she will stand guard relentlessly. Anyone who dares to come between her and her calf is in for a painful encounter. But everything changes when she’s expecting a new calf. Once pregnant, the mother moose will aggressively chase away the very calf she’s been protecting all along.
Confused by this sudden rejection, the calf will try to rejoin its mother, only to be driven away once again. It will then follow at a distance. After days of being pushed away, the calf eventually gives up and leaves. While all animals eventually leave the nest, this young moose is especially vulnerable. Wandering alone, it might become prey to a wolf or bear. If it survives, however, it quickly learns how to fend for itself.
