The new research indicates that postmenopausal female killer whales protect their sons – but not their daughters – from fights with other whales.
“For males whose mother was still breeding, we found no evidence that her presence reduced tooth rake injuries.“We can’t say for sure why this changes after menopause, but one possibility is that ceasing breeding frees up time and energy for mothers to protect their sons.
The body of work indicates that female killer whales have evolved to pass on their genes by helping their children and grandchildren. “Also, males breed with females outside their social group – so the burden of raising the calf falls on another pod.”Southern resident killer whales, the types of whales studied in this work, have no natural predators apart from humans, so tooth marks on their skin can only be inflicted by other killer whales.
“They will have previous experience of individuals in other pods and knowledge of their behavior, and could therefore lead their sons away from potentially dangerous interactions."Professor Croft added: “The similarities with humans are intriguing. Just as in humans, it seems that older female whales play a vital role in their societies – using their knowledge and experience to provide benefits including finding food and resolving conflict.
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