March of the Penguins-> Why does the mother Penguin pass the egg to the dad and then go hunting for food?

[JEDI]

the penguins are in an isolated area. there's no food anywhere nearby.

the dad stays with the mom till the egg is produced. during this time, neither has eaten. then the mom passes the egg to the dad. the mom then goes off to hunt for food to bring back to the dad.

it just seems so inefficient that the dad waits around till the egg is produced. during that time, he could have gone and gotten food and bought it back.

by the time dad gets back, the egg would have been produced. then xfer the egg. or heck, why not just let the mom incubate the egg, and let the dad go back and forth for food?

any reason why nature does it like this?

 

[Rip the Jacker]

cuz man is lazy

 

[DaShen]

Women sometimes are the hunters in other species.

Even in mammalian order. Lions are a perfect example.

 

[YetioDoom]

The woman would starve while waiting for the man to go hunt.

 

[jjones]

Go make me a sammich.

 

[PaNsyBoy8]

i believe its because there are more females than males, so its important to keep the males safe.

 

[PaNsyBoy8]

oh yeah, and since there are fewer males, making the males take care of the children makes it so they can't go finding other mates, kinda like a female ownage.

 

[Poulsonator]

It's because the mom has burnt up all of her food actually producing the egg. If she were to stay, she'd die waiting for the father to come back with the food. She has enough time to head back to the food supply to eat. The father, meanwhile, doesn't burn up his stored food as fast 'cause he's just hanging out. He can go the four months since his job is less strenuous.

 

[YetioDoom]

Originally posted by: Poulsonator
It's because the mom has burnt up all of her food actually producing the egg. If she were to stay, she'd die waiting for the father to come back with the food. She has enough time to head back to the food supply to eat. The father, meanwhile, doesn't burn up his stored food as fast 'cause he's just hanging out. He can go the four months since his job is less strenuous.

This is what I was trying to say

Call in the efficiency experts!!!

 

[Poulsonator]

D'oh!

 

[sixone]

Originally posted by: JEDI
the penguins are in an isolated area. there's no food anywhere nearby.

the dad stays with the mom till the egg is produced. during this time, neither has eaten. then the mom passes the egg to the dad. the mom then goes off to hunt for food to bring back to the dad.

it just seems so inefficient that the dad waits around till the egg is produced. during that time, he could have gone and gotten food and bought it back.

by the time dad gets back, the egg would have been produced. then xfer the egg. or heck, why not just let the mom incubate the egg, and let the dad go back and forth for food?

any reason why nature does it like this?

It's because neither one has had sex for that period either. Safer to let her go hunting - SHE won't get distracted by other needs.

 

[SuperFreaky]

Interesting. Maybe they are mating everyday during this time because they don't know if they have succeeded in creating a fertilized egg until appears?

 

[Ktulu]

Originally posted by: jjones
Go make me a sammich.

 

[DaShen]

I want the Linux Penguin as my avatar now

"Woman, where my dinner..."

 

[BD2003]

Originally posted by: Poulsonator
It's because the mom has burnt up all of her food actually producing the egg. If she were to stay, she'd die waiting for the father to come back with the food. She has enough time to head back to the food supply to eat. The father, meanwhile, doesn't burn up his stored food as fast 'cause he's just hanging out. He can go the four months since his job is less strenuous.

Bingo.

 

[desteffy]

Originally posted by: Poulsonator
It's because the mom has burnt up all of her food actually producing the egg. If she were to stay, she'd die waiting for the father to come back with the food. She has enough time to head back to the food supply to eat. The father, meanwhile, doesn't burn up his stored food as fast 'cause he's just hanging out. He can go the four months since his job is less strenuous.

QFT. Remember how the males had all this food stored up in them and were feeding the babies.

 

[JEDI]

Originally posted by: Poulsonator
It's because the mom has burnt up all of her food actually producing the egg. If she were to stay, she'd die waiting for the father to come back with the food. She has enough time to head back to the food supply to eat. The father, meanwhile, doesn't burn up his stored food as fast 'cause he's just hanging out. He can go the four months since his job is less strenuous.

but while the egg is being produced by the mom, the dad just stands around. he could have went out and at least brought back the 1st meal.

 

[DaShen]

Originally posted by: JEDI

Originally posted by: Poulsonator
It's because the mom has burnt up all of her food actually producing the egg. If she were to stay, she'd die waiting for the father to come back with the food. She has enough time to head back to the food supply to eat. The father, meanwhile, doesn't burn up his stored food as fast 'cause he's just hanging out. He can go the four months since his job is less strenuous.

but while the egg is being produced by the mom, the dad just stands around. he could have went out and at least brought back the 1st meal.

Ehhhh.. penguins are just trying to copy human society

 

[MartyMcFly3]

Originally posted by: Ktulu

Originally posted by: jjones
Go make me a sammich.

 

[GreenGhost]

If the society knows agriculture, men hunt, women cultivate.
If there's a grocery store, women in the kitchen, men barbecue (no hunt, but meat, still).

 

[tk149]

Maybe they keep having sex until the egg is produced? That's one way to make sure that each couple definitely has an egg.

The father only has a very limited food supply for the newborn - enough for the first meal. I took this to mean that the mother is the only one capable of producing whatever it is that penguins eat.

It's not like the penguins can go load up a cart with fish and drag it back.