🦊 Quick Reminder: What Is Kin?

Kin means family — people or animals who share some of the same genes.
You share genes with:

• Mom and Dad (about 50%)

• Brothers and Sisters (about 50%)

• Grandparents (about 25%)

• Cousins (about 12%)

So if your cousin does well in life — part of your shared genes do well too!

Now, let’s look at how animals act in strange but smart ways to help their kin.

🐜 Ants That Never Have Babies

Some ants never have babies.
They spend their lives:

• Cleaning

• Feeding the queen

• Fighting other insects

• Taking care of baby ants

Sounds strange, right?

Why work your whole life without having kids?

Here’s why:

The queen ant is their mother.
Her babies carry the same genes.

So when the worker ants help her have more babies, they are helping their own genes.

Even if they don’t have babies themselves.

🐦 Birds That Help Raise Their Siblings

Some birds grow up, but instead of flying away to make their own nest…

They stay behind and help feed their younger brothers and sisters.

These birds:

• Bring food to the nest

• Chase away danger

• Keep the babies warm

Why?

Because the baby birds are their kin — they share many genes.

By helping their parents raise more chicks, they help shared genes survive.

🐺 Wolves That Don’t Lead the Pack

In wolf packs, usually only one pair (mom and dad) has babies.

The rest of the pack:

• Helps hunt

• Brings food to the babies

• Guards the den

Many of these wolves are older brothers and sisters of the pups.

Instead of starting their own families, they help their parents’ new babies survive.

Again, this helps the same genes stay safe and strong.

🦍 Monkeys Who Scream Warnings

Some monkeys watch for danger.

If they see a lion or snake, they scream loudly — even if it puts them in danger.

That warning helps the group escape.

But why risk their own lives?

Because the group often includes brothers, sisters, and cousins.
Helping them helps the shared genes live on.

Even if the monkey who screamed gets caught, its genes still “win” if others escape.

🧠 Does This Mean Animals “Know” They’re Helping Their Genes?

No.

Animals don’t sit and think:

“Hmm, if I do this, my DNA has a better chance.”

Instead, over many, many years…

• The animals that helped family more often passed on their genes

• The ones that didn’t help didn’t pass on as many genes

So today, those helpful behaviors still happen.

They seem “crazy,” but they make sense when you understand kin and shared genes.

💡 Big Idea: Genes Can Shape Actions That Seem Selfless

Some animals risk their lives.

Some give up having babies.

Some spend their lives working for others.

But when you look deeper…

These actions often help the genes they share with family.

So they’re not really “crazy” — they’re part of a quiet, deep plan to keep genes going.

🧠 Recap

✅ Some animals act in ways that help their kin
✅ Helping kin helps shared genes survive
✅ Ants, birds, wolves, and monkeys show this
✅ These actions look “selfless,” but make gene sense
✅ Animals don’t know they’re helping their genes — they just do