Pipefish with Sand Dollars

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Male pipefishes and their seahorse cousins are the only males that actually become pregnant and give birth, but pipefishes likely will never win any Father of The Year awards – their attitude towards their offspring can range from total love to total neglect, according to new findings from Texas A&M University researchers.

Kim Paczolt and Adam Jones, researchers in the Department of Biology, found that the male pipefish can be a nurturing father as it tends its young before giving birth, but later it may not choose to make the effort. The key factor for this attitude: How the male feels about the mother.

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