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You are here: home → archives → May 2009 → article
By Jeff Ewelt
Who doesn't love their mother? Some may say they have had their troubles with dear 'ol mom, but when it comes down to it, remember what mom went through to get you here. I really came to appreciate what mom does when my little guy came into the world. I think I threw up more than my poor wife did throughout the pregnancy. In fact, I had the nerve to look at her during delivery and say "I don't think I can do this again." Not a good idea. I still have the fingerprint indentations on my wrist. I was blown away by the strength and will power that my wife, and all mothers, have during that time of labor.
In the animal world, motherhood is just as incredible and sacred. Let's start with the most obvious case of incredible mothering: the elephant. This is an animal that carries her baby for a whopping 22 months. After the two-year span, momma pushes out a 200 pound baby. Ugh. Luckily for mom, elephants live in a matriarchal society; meaning aunts, cousins, grandma and sisters all lend a helping hand, allowing mom time to rest.
The next mothering award has to go out the koala. This lovable creature?by the way, it is a marsupial, not a bear?eats only one thing its entire life, the eucalyptus leaf. Problem is, the leave is toxic, and the babies lack the bacteria in their bowels to detoxify the leaves. No worry though, mom to the rescue. In order for the babies to build up this toxin, mom will feed them her own feces. Oy! Now that's a mom.
Next on my list of favorite moms comes the menacing alligator. As the animal with the strongest bite in the world, about 3,000 pounds of pressure, this is an animal you want to steer clear from. However despite that incredible jaw, an alligator mom will delicately help her babies from the eggs, scoop them up in her mouth, and carry them to the river, where she will watch over them for the next several months. And believe my when I say, you do not want to mess with a mad mama alligator. I thought my mom was bad when she was upset.
And finally, my favorite animal mothering award goes to the octopus. This dedicated mom lays over 50,000 eggs. Octomom has nothing on this creature. After she lays the eggs, she fiercely protects them for 40 days, and frequently blows currents over them to provide them oxygen. During this protection phase, there isn't much time to find food, so she will eat one of her own arms. Hey, when you have eight, what's the harm?
When you learn about these incredible mothers, it's easy to be impressed. But when it comes to the most impressive, nothing beats my mom. Now that's impressive. Mom, this one is for you.
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Jeff Ewelt of the Beartooth Nature Center shares stories of amazing animals (and his son, too). And yes, that's a vulture on his head in that picture!
See more Jeff the Nature Guy columns.
