Lodi Pertovt, Fathers (ANIMAL & NATURE 2024)

A collection photos of male Barbary Macaques in Morocco's Middle Atlas Mountains taking care of young babies. Barbary Macaques practice alloparenting, in which parental care is provided for an infant regardless of its parentage, resulting in both males and females providing care for the entire community's children. However, rather interestingly, it is primarily the males that provide care for the young, with males often using the care of an infant as a means to initiate social interaction with other males, often sandwiching the child between them so that they may better care for it together. These beautiful practice, along with the Barbary Macaque's incredibly human eyes and expressions, a beautiful reminder of how diverse and wonderful the animal kingdom can be.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.