The Creatures' Guide to Caring
How Animal Parents Teach Us That Humans Were Born to Care
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $18.99
Publisher Description
A lively and revelatory journey through the evolution of caretaking on Earth, from animal parents to modern-day humans, making the case that caring for children and one another made us who we are
Poison frog fathers carry tadpoles on their backs. Killer whale grandmothers hunt to feed their adult sons. Tropical birds incubate their friends' eggs. Spider moms let their hatchlings eat them alive. Around the world, animals from the exotic to the familiar go to astonishing lengths to keep their young alive. Their biology, brains and behaviors show us what we have in common with other creatures, as well as what's unique about Homo sapiens.
With warmth, humor, and occasional run-ins with bodily fluids, science journalist Elizabeth Preston leads a highly accessible tour of cutting-edge research into how and why we and other animals care for young. She discovers that humans evolved to raise our kids in cooperative groups, and that the tools we've inherited for caretaking aren't only for moms or parents in general—they're the basis for our human society.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Science journalist Preston debuts with an engrossing and accessible account of the evolution of caretaking, in which she demonstrates that the need for humans and animals to raise their young led to the creation of social structures. Humans are not the only caretakers, explains Preston, who shows how creatures from bromeliad crabs and clownfish to elephants and killer whales nurture and protect their young. Moms, dads, or both parents together may serve as primary caretakers, or an entire community may pitch in to lend a hand. Eusocial creatures, such as ants, honeybees, and naked mole rats, live in multigenerational communal groups in which adults who aren't parents themselves help care for offspring. Some species go to extraordinary lengths to make sure their babies survive: black lace-weaver spiderlings, for example, eat their mothers shortly after hatching. Cuckoos invade the nests of other birds to eliminate the competition. In mammals, parenting changes the makeup of caretakers' brains; according to scientists, such adaptations may have led to altruism, empathy, and an impetus to care for all. Preston stocks the account with astonishing examples of creatures caring for their offspring, proving herself an entertaining guide through the latest research on the subject. Readers will find this revelatory.
