Maternity den
A maternity den, in the animal kingdom, is a lair where the mother gives birth and nurtures the young, when they are in a vulnerable life stage. While such dens are typically subterranean, they may also be snow caves or simply beneath rock ledges. Characteristically there is an entrance, and optionally an exit corridor, in addition to a principal chamber.[1]
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[edit] Examples
The Polar Bear. Ursus maritimus, creates a maternity den either in an earthen subterranean or in a snow cave. On the Hudson Bay Plain in Manitoba, Canada, many of these subterranean dens are situated in the Wapusk National Park, from which bears migrate to the Hudson Bay when the ice pack forms.[2] The maternity den is the organism's shelter for most of the winter.
Pack members may guard the maternity den used by the alpha female; such is the case with the African Wild Dog, Lycaon pictus.[3]
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[edit] References
- Claudio Sillero-Zubiri, Michael Hoffmann and David Whyte Macdonald (2004) Canids: Foxes, Wolves, Jackals, and Dogs : Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan, IUCN/SSC Canid Specialist Group, 430 pages ISBN 2831707862
- C. Michael Hogan (2008) Polar Bear: Ursus maritimus, Globaltwitcher.com, ed. Nicklas Stromberg
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