Papa's Got a Brand New Belly

Future-father marmosets pack on the pounds

  • Hannah Schardt
  • Aug 01, 2006
ALL RIGHT, new dads, it turns out you may have an excuse for those pounds you packed on while your wife was pregnant. Endocrinologist Toni Ziegler of the University of Wisconsin-Madison has found that male cotton-top tamarins and common marmosets gain significant weight while their mates are pregnant. It's not because they're eating more, says Ziegler. Instead, the males undergo hormonal changes that Ziegler believes may allow them to stock up on energy for the months they spend as primary caregivers to their young. "The only other primate I've seen this discussed about is humans," she says.

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