• In the sometimes emotionless world of animal biology, sticking around to father one's children doesn't make a lot of sense. After all, the number of offspring a male animal can produce increases substantially with the number of "wives" he takes, right? The proof is in the pudding, and most insect dads are kindly described as deadbeats in nearly all of the most successful species.
• As a rule I try to pattern my own behavior after that of insect's, but I have to admit on this Father's Day that not ALL insect behaviors translate perfectly to the human species. In times like these, I turn to the exceptions to the norm, and so point out that not every insect father runs away from child-rearing responsibility. Indeed, it is interesting to think about what biological scenarios generate good insect dads.
• Paternal care is the rarest form of parental care in

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