@natgeo
National GeographicHappy Mother's Day, and happy Allomother's Day, too. What's an allomother? It's a common elephant practice where females help care for younger elephants who aren't their children. When a 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit Southern California in April, a group of older female elephants at the San Diego Zoo formed an "alert circle" to protect the calves in the group. Sometimes these allomothers spring into action to protect youngsters from threats, like during the earthquake, but they also take care of the calves just so the moms get a break. Learn more about allomothering and elephant society at the 🔗 in bio.
On the profile · May 11, 2025