Washington: The bigger the brain in relation to body size, the more intelligent a living organism is. However, mothers of many mammals cannot bear the energetic costs of developing a large brain on their own, they are reliant on additional help from fathers.
Mammalian species with large brains are smarter than small-brained mammals. However, developing a large brain comes at a price. An infant expends around two-thirds of its energy on supplying nourishment to its brain alone. That huge amount of energy must be continually available in the form of milk and, later on, through the intake of food.
Animal species with paternal care of offspring are particularly able to energetically afford bigger brains. Help from other group members is far less essential to the evolution of a large brain. “Fathers help consistently and dependable with the rearing of offspring, whereas assistance from other group members, such as elder siblings, for instance, is far less reliable. For example, in the case of wolves and African wild dogs — two mammal species with large brains, elder siblings often help out less, and they look out for themselves first when food is scarce. The father, in contrast, actually steps up his willingness to help his young offspring when environmental conditions worsen,” Sandra Heldstab, author of the study explained.