Reply #7: Part of the reason mammals parent in different ways than

[MineralMan]

birds is the feeding method. Both sexes participate in feeding the young in most birds. Since only the female mammal produces milk, early parenting is generally done by the female mammal. In mammals which stick together in pairs, the male does other things, such as hunting for food for itself and the female.

Among grazing animals, the pattern is usually different, since food cannot be brought to the nursing female. In most grazing species, the young are born well-developed enough to travel with the female as she grazes.

In carnivorous animals, pairs often do not bond in a way that keeps the male in proximity to its young. Bears, for example, mate, then the male goes on its way, leaving all parenting to the female Cats operate in the same way, except for pride-forming cats like lions.

Humans are mammals, but form more or less permanent pairs. They share parenting to some degree, based on cultural norms, but the female does all the early feeding and most care of infants until they are weaned. Biology trumps sentiment.