The Creatures’ Guide to Caring: How Animal Parents Teach Us That Humans Were Born to Care

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. (May)