Animals that grow up without parents

Megapodes These birds do not even directly incubate their eggs. Instead they build a large mound of decaying vegetation and lay their eggs in the mound.

Western Fence Lizards Most lizards, on the other hand, “deposit their eggs, cover them, immediately forget they did that and move along,” says Nassima Bouzid, a PhD candidate at the University of Washington.

Labord’s chameleon One lizard species goes a step farther; the young never see any adults of the same species, much alone their parents.

Butterflies utterflies do not get parental care, unlike many other insects. They deposit their eggs on hosts plants and then let their young survive on their own.

Moth Many insects receive parental care, but not moths. Some lay their eggs near ant nests and the ants take care of the caterpillars.