Last month, we heard about some impressive bug moms – now it’s dad’s turn!
The giant water bug is an excellent example of high-quality parenting from an insect dad! The female water bugs lay their eggs on the males’ backs. These young dads-to-be are responsible for carrying the eggs until they hatch.
Interestingly enough, when female giant water bugs are looking for a back to carry their eggs, they prefer a male that has already proven himself. What that means is the females will show preference to male water bugs that are already carrying some eggs on their back. Male giant water bugs will continue on accepting more eggs to carry until they do not have any more space.
Quite the nifty set up they’ve got on communal child rearing!
When it comes to protecting their families, it’s tough to beat the Lethrus apterus beetle dad! These beetles are raised underground by the mother while the father stands guard against intruders. This is particularly useful when you consider how common it is for predators to target mothers alone with their brood because they are more vulnerable.
Interestingly, these beetle dads are a highly effective line of defense not only against intruders smaller than them, but larger ones as well! The working hypothesis is that because the defending dad has more at stake, there is greater urgency for him to do everything possible to protect his family. Meanwhile, the looming predators are less committed on their end and would rather move on to an easier target.
Fair warning: this one gets a little gross. This co-parenting species of beetles are certainly named correctly because they do a lot of burying. The burying beetle couples will work together to bury the corpse of a small vertebrate animal. But why? Well, they actually head on into the corpse-zone themselves to live their version of happily ever after. While it might not be our version of a fairy tale ending, this allows the new parents to raise their offspring inside the carcass which supplies the whole family with plenty of food.
Father burying beetles will also protect their family against any intruders. And similar to Lethrus apterus beetles, males that have proven their capability to protect their offspring are more attractive to other female beetles. With burying beetles, this can be seen in the elevated pheromone levels beetle dads emit compared to bachelor beetles.
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