"Most likely, your mother nurtured you for years and you never worried that when you came home from kindergarten, she'd gobble you up. But many animals do occasionally eat their young, including many that are also attentive parents. New research indicates that, when it comes to deciding whether to chow down on junior, Ma and Pa may be motivated by more than hunger. For example, parents may selectively eat their weaker offspring [a phenomenon documented in mammals, insects, spiders and birds] to favour the stronger ones, an evolutional model predicts."