【推荐2】Mother's Day is the occasion upon which children stop and say "thank you" to moms all over the world． Homemade cards express gratitude for countless meals cooked， wounds dressed and hugs given． Animal moms， on the other hand， never get any thanks． But animal moms are also great moms． You might be surprised at some of these moms．

Octopuses （章鱼）

The mother octopus lays about 50，000 eggs． For about 300 days， she stays with the eggs， cleans them and protects them． She does not leave to feed． However， this animal mom dies as soon as the eggs are hatched （孵化）．

Crocodiles （鳄鱼）

A crocodile mother puts a lot of time and effort into raising her babies． She starts by building a nest， which she guards for over two months! When the eggs are ready to hatch， the young crocodiles call out to their mother， who digs them out and helps them hatch． She then carries them in her mouth down to the water， where she will guard them for several more weeks or months until they learn to hunt on their own．

Bats

Bats become moms by hanging head up in a cave， giving birth． Catching the youngster before it can fall to the ground below， she puts it in a pouch （育儿袋）． Bat moms may carry babies with them when feeding for the first few days． As the little bats get bigger and heavier， moms help them hang on the wall of their caves and return often to feed them． It continues for about three weeks， until the babies are grown up and able to fly on their own．

Koalas （考拉）

The animal mom gives birth after a pregnancy （怀孕期） of only 35 days． The hairless baby climbs into its mother's pouch and lives there for another five months． When the little koala is between five and eight months old， it leaves the pouch for short periods of time but returns for safety． Once it is too big to return to the pouch， it will climb onto its mother's back and ride there until it is about 12 months old．

【推荐3】While orcas are known for their well-designed joint attacks on unsuspecting oceanic animals, they have never posed a threat to humans. However, since July 2020, the normally social animals have been intentionally attacking sailboats off the coasts of Spain. The unusual hostility is puzzling scientists worldwide.

The strange behavior first surfaced on July 29, when Victoria Morris, a biology graduate, noticed nine orcas circling the 46 foot boat she was crewing near the shores of the Strait of Gibraltar. She was initially cheerful to see the friendly animals, with which she had numerous encounters while teaching sailing in New Zealand. However, that changed when the orcas started striking the boat repeatedly for almost an hour. “They almost turned the boat over and the deafening noise was terrifying,” she said.

The continuous attacks broke the boat's automatic rudder, leaving the boat disabled. Spanish biologist Rocio Espada says, “It is crazy. I've seen these whales grow from babies. I know their life stories. I've never seen or heard of attacks.”

Since then, over 30 more similar incidents have been reported. Some researchers believe the orcas' unusual behavior could be a result of the overfishing of tuna—orcas' primary food source—which has left the area's orcas starving and unable to feed their babies. “I saw orcas look at boats carrying fish. The intelligent animals may know humans are somehow related to food shortages,” says Ken Balcomb, an American scientist.

However, Alfredo Lopez a Spanish biology professor, thinks the attacks were preventative measures the orcas adopted to protect themselves against boat injuries. The researcher came to this conclusion after looking at the footage of a few incidents filmed on the scene and noticing that two of the young orcas involved had serious injuries. The scientist wasn't sure if the orcas were hurt during or before the recent boat encounters. Lopez said, “Our interpretation is that they don't have the slightest intention of attacking people.” Hopefully, the experts will find a way to restore the harmony between the animals and humans soon.