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Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior pp 1–7Cite as

Alloparental Care

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Synonyms

Allocare; Allomother; Allomothering; Aunting; Auxiliary; Helper

Definition

“Alloparental care” is care that is directed by an individual (an alloparent) toward dependent young that are not their offspring (Wilson 1975). The act of providing alloparental care is referred to as “alloparenting.”

Types of Alloparental Care

Alloparental care has been reported widely across the animal kingdom, specifically in birds (Koenig and Dickinson 2004), fishes (Wisenden 1999), invertebrates (Wilson 1971), and mammals (Solomon and French 1997). Animals employ a variety of strategies to produce and rear their young, which influences the ways that alloparents can contribute care. Most birds, fishes, and invertebrates lay eggs, while all mammals (aside from monotremes) give birth to live young. In most mammals, milk is the sole medium of nutrient intake for young during the first stage of life. In other taxa, young immediately feed on similar materials to mature individuals, either with the...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

    S. Stead

  2. Department of Biology, Humboldt-Universität, Berlin, Germany

    S. Mucha

  3. Departement d’Anthropologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada

    I. Bădescu

Authors
  1. S. Stead
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  2. S. Mucha
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  3. I. Bădescu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to S. Stead .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University , Rochester, MI, USA

    Jennifer Vonk

  2. Department of Psychology, Oakland University Department of Psychology, Rochester, MI, USA

    Todd Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. University of Chicago, Chicago, USA

    Peggy Mason

  2. Neurobiology, University of Chicago, Chicago, USA

    Yuri Sugano

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Stead, S., Mucha, S., Bădescu, I. (2019). Alloparental Care. In: Vonk, J., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_1400-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_1400-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-47829-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-47829-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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