In captivity foals are weaned anywhere from 3-6 months in the wild this lasts up to a year where the mother actually pushes the baby horse away until they keep their distance.

The most common type of foal rejection is where a mare will not allow her foal to nurse. This might be due to anxiety, nervousness, fear, or discomfort. First time foaling mares may have a very painful udder. These mares simply move away as the newborn foal stands and begins to approach the mare.

Sometimes it’s an act of survival for a mother to reject, abandon, and even cull their own offspring. Natural selection has favoured mothers that provide a great deal of care for their young because, in mammals, the cost of reproduction is relatively high.

Orangutans (Pongo genus) These highly intelligent apes, found in rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo, look after their young for eight years; longer than any other animal single parent.

Arguably one of the most altruistic animal species around, dolphins have been known to help out others in need, including possible predators and even humans. A few years ago, a bottle nosed dolphin heeded the SOS calls of two beached whales in New Zealand and led them into safe waters.

Numerous scientific studies have proven time and time again that animals remember their caregiver even years later. But do pets remember their own siblings and parents after long periods of separation? The answer is a very clear cut: Maybe for some species. Probably not for others.

So, yes, a puppy can definitely think of you as his “mother” — that is, his provider and protector — and develop as strong an emotional bond with you as if you were blood-related. Your puppy will also quickly learn to pick you out among strangers, both by sight and through his powerful sense of smell.

Dogs do not have the ability to recognize their own reflection in a mirror the way humans and some other animals are able to. They will always treat their reflection like another dog or just simply ignore it.

You’d think she’d look away in hopes of getting a little privacy, but she locks eyes with you instead. That’s because when your dog is in that pooping position, she’s vulnerable, and she’s looking to you to protect her.

Cats get a bad rap for being the most eager to eat their owners, and anecdotally, some emergency responders say it’s pretty common. When it happens, cats tend to go for the face, especially soft parts such as the nose and lips, says forensic anthropologist Carolyn Rando of University College London.

Ever hear of a “killer instinct?” Your cat has that. As members of the predator family, your cat possesses the innate desire to hunt and kill. While domesticated cats may act on these murderous urges less often, the trait is still present in their DNA no matter what their living situation.

If you ever thought your cat was anxious, insecure, tense, suspicious or aggressive toward you, you aren’t making it up, he said. If they were bigger, they probably would consider killing you. But the news isn’t all bad: Just like lions, house cats are also playful, excitable and impulsively hilarious.

A new study from researchers at the University of Edinburgh shows many parallels between domestic cats and their larger feline brethren, including aggression and neurotic behavior. …