On March 31st, mothers, mother-figures and grandmas around the UK will be given a special day of recognition and celebration. Many of us use this day to be thankful for the maternal influence in our lives — the person who gave us shelter, who helped to feed and raise us, as well as provided the affection and support that helped us to become the people we are today.
But, humans are not the only animals known to have close mother-infant relationships. In all mammals, the motherinfant bond is known to be particularly strong, in fact, it gives mammals their name — the word ‘mammal’ originates from the Latin word mamma, which means breast. Author and historian, Yuval Noah Harari, discusses this relationship in Homo Deus: “Mammal mothers love their offspring so much, that they allow them to suckle from their body. Mammal youngsters, on their side, feel an overwhelming desire to bond with their mothers and stay near them. In the wild, piglets, calves and puppies that fail to bond with their mothers rarely survive for long. Until recently, that was true of human children too. Conversely, a sow, cow or bitch that due to some rare mutation does not care about her young may live a long and comfortable life, but her genes will not pass to the next generation. The same logic is true among giraffes, bats, whales and porcupines. Since mammal youngsters cannot survive without motherly care, it is evident that motherly love and a strong mother-infant bond characterise all mammals.” As the result of millions of years of evolution, a strong mother-infant bond has become beneficial for the survival of a species — humans and non-human animals alike — and it is a difficult bond to break.