It may be no surprise to new fathers to know that they survive on an average 42 minutes' less sleep a night than other men.
This gem is among a raft of facts released today by Statistics New Zealand to mark Father's Day on Sunday. Other "father figures" include:
* In 2008, a new baby was a Father Day's present for 143 men.
* The average age of fathers of new babies is 33 years, but one in 100 babies has a father aged 50 years or over.
* Today's newborn babies have fathers who are, on average, four years older than their own fathers were when they were born.
* Over a lifetime, fathers have on average seven fewer Father's Days, than mothers have Mother's Days. This is because men generally start parenting later in life and women have a longer life span.
The first Father's Day is thought to have originated in Babylon over 4000 years ago.
The modern Father's Day celebration had its origins in the US at the turn of the 20th century.
A number of northern hemisphere countries celebrate Father's Day in June.
