All species are remarkable and unique, from capybaras, the cutest largest rodent in the world to alligator mamas who carry their babies in their mouths to protect them, every animal has something cool. This post focuses on some special mamas (part 2 will feature daddys who are amazing).
Mamas
COWS - Mama cows adore their calves. They teach them how to play, they defend them (if necessary) and protect them. Cows empathize with each other and respond to emotional cues. Mama cows groom and snuggle their babies and they are both so cute. To see more about cows, read this blog post from our friends at The Farm Sanctuary.
This video is from The Farm Sanctuary featuring two beautiful animals - Liberty and her baby, Indigo.
PIGS - Beyond being super cute, smart and ... well you can see the pig blog post. Here's something "aww" worthy about pigs and piglets. "Piglets learn to recognize their mothers’ voices after approximately two weeks. Like many human mothers, pigs build strong relationships with their babies and even get anxious when separated from them. When nursing, mother pigs have even been known to sing to their piglets. How sweet!" https://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/mothers-day-animals-best-moms-on-the-planet/
MAIASAURA - Okay, so you won't be able to see this, but you can take our word for it, or if you are a fan of Ms. Frizzle, take HER word for it. We first learned about this dinosaur from The Magic School Bus in the Time of Dinosaurs.
Maiasaura, supposedly, according to fossils, at least, protected their eggs and raised their young in groups. The name Maiasaura means, "good mother lizard".
CHICKENS - Thinking about Mama hens reminded us of this sweet Spanish song, "Los Pollitos Dicen". And then we found this real Mama protecting her babies under her wings.
PLUS, "While that’s impressive, mother hens use their vocalizations to do something sweeter; mother hens chirp to their chicks before they’re born. What’s more, the chicks chirp back inside the eggs." https://www.worldanimalprotection.org.nz/news/some-of-the-best-mums/
ELEPHANTS - Elephants have a matriarchal culture and Mamas are super important to their calves. This sweet picture book shows the relationship in all its sweetness.
Wherever You Go, I Go by Beth Shoshan, Illustrated by Petra Brown
Elephant mamas are caring, strong and brave and teach their babies everything they need to be an elephant.
ORANGUTAN - These mommies will do ANYTHING to protect their babies and their bond is one of the strongest in nature. Babies ride on their moms and even after they live on heir own, they sometimes visit! Orangutans are nurturing and amazing mothers who adore their offspring. Consider donating to this awesome organization to support Orangutans! https://www.theorangutanproject.org/
Loved reading about the Mother animals! So very interesting - I especially enjoyed learning about the fact that piglets start recognizing their mothers voices after 2 weeks!
Thank you for another wonderful post! Each mama animal you mention is incredible. In particular, I enjoyed reading about cow mamas and how they bond with and protect their calves--I had no idea about that. The Farm Sanctuary seems like an amazing place; it would be fun to visit there sometime. And that pig mamas sing to their babies--who knew! This whole post was very touching, thank you! Looking forward to reading about daddy animals in Part 2!