PARENTAL CARE

PARENTAL CARE

• It is refered to as any behavioural or evolutionary strategy adopted by some

animals to contribute non-genetically parental investment to Increase offspring
fitness
• Forms of care may include the preparing of physical rearing environment, the
provisioning of offspring or the defending of offspring fron predators
TYPES OF PARENTAL CARE

• Maternal
• Paternal
• Bipaternal
• Allopaternal
IN REPTILES

• When parental care occurs in reptiles it is ussually maternal care or biparental

care
• Though many species within this group produce offsprings which are self-
sufficient. (Able to regulate body temperature and forage for food). This thus
eliminates need for parental care
PARENTAL CARE IN SEA TURTLE

• Sea turtles, are hard-core free-range parents-leaving their offspring to fend for themselves
from the start. Sea turtles may lay a thousand eggs in one breeding season. The hatchling
babies that scurry into the ocean have just a week of food in what remains of their yolk sac.
The mom and dad are never around to teach them what it means to be turtle. All they have
is instinct. Without a grown-up around, the hatchling look elsewhere for role models. The
ecosystem or the climate is their parent. Without any parental investment, baby sea turtles
are at the mercy of the ocean. That includes the weather: temperatures, wind patterns,
ocean currents and precipitation on any given day. That’s where we come in. people are
affecting the earths climate by burning fossil fuels, which emit carbon dioxide and other
heat-trapping gases. That mean our daily decisions, like whether to drive or bike to work,
can make a surprising difference in the life of a sea turtle.
PARENTAL BEHAVIOR IN ROCK PYTHON.

• All species of python[almost 40 species] lay eggs and most of them could tightly
around them through out incubation. Some species live in cold climate such as asian
python[python molurus] and carpet python[morellia spilota] generate heat using
muscles contraction[shivering].
• Some pythons incubate the eggs but the mother will leave the clutch ten days or two
weeks before the eggs start to hatch, but the southern African python the mother
stays right to hatching time and remain with the young for about two weeks after they
hatch where she will protect the young from predator as well as modify thermos
regulation ability to the young.
CONTINUE…

• The southern African python do not have ability to raise their body temperature but
the breeding female darken their color which help in absorbing heat more quickly
• Mother leave the nest where it laid its brood and sun itself until its near the peak
temperature it can survive then return to the nest to transfer the warmth to the eggs
and warming process continue after the young have hatched
• The offspring move to within the mothers coil to take in heat helping them
nourishment they received while in the egg.
• Health python can only reproduce every two or three years
PARENTAL CARE IN PUFF ADDERS.

• Distinctive characteristics
they are about one meter long and stout
They show a distinctive v or u pattern on the back.
when disturbed they behave aggressively. And inflating their body.
It is a highly dangerous snake with large quantities of a patent venom and long
fangs.
CONTINUE…

Reproduction of puff adder.

Unlike most snake which lay egg, puff adder give birth to fully developed live
snakes. Eggs are actually produced, but are incubated inside the mother and the
young snakes hatch inside the mother before being delivered by the process know
as ovoviviparity
Puff adder mate in the spring and give birth to an average of 20 to 50 babies.
The gestation period last between seven and nine months.
PARENTAL CARE OF PUFF ADDER.

• There is no known parental care in puff adder immediately when they give birth
their young become independent themselves because when they are born they
suddenly become active this is termed as precocial animal
PARENTAL CARE IN CROCODILES.

• Female crocodiles and alligator's make very gentle parents, despite their
fearsome nature crocodiles burry their eggs in riverside nests. For up to three
months, the mother waits nearby protecting her eggs from predators or any other
danger as soon as the baby crocodiles are ready to hatch, they start to chirp. The
mother digs down to the nest and carries her babies to the water in her mouth.
• Instinct prevents the mother crocodile from loosing her jaws, so the young are
safe from her large, sharp teeth.
• A mother crocodile can carry as many as 15 babies in her mouth at once.
REFERENCES

• Clemmons, J.R. & Buchholz, R. (1997)Behavioural Approaches to Conservation in

the Wild. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
• Estes, R.D. (1991)The safari companion University of California Press.
• Krebs, J.R. & Davis, N.B. (1993)An Introduction to Behavioural Ecology Blackwell
Scientific Publications.
GROUP PARTICIPANTS

• Medoti Barare • Dannie Mariki

• Moses Busanya • Raphael Kimario
• Pamela Tito • Elisha Mbunda
• Diarness Kibiri • Iddy masoud
• Rose Rahman • Noely emmanuael
• Baraka Lymo • Safina ally
• Derick S Marandu