Killer whales moms spend more time with sons than daughters. It may be threatening their survival. | Business Insider

David K. Ellifrit/Center for Whale Research, permit number: NMFS 21238.Scientists have observed them feeding their sons well into adulthood, an expert said. For more stories,Southern Resident killer whales look after their sons well into adulthood, and it may be threatening the population's ability to survive, according to a study published Wednesday.

While this behavior probably gave the moms an evolutionary advantage in the past, it's backfiring now that the whales have less food. Here's how. A Southern Resident killer whale and a calf.All killer whales work in a matrilineal society, which means families tend to stick with the mother.killer whales — a small population that spend the summer and fall off the coast of Washington state — daughters will learn pretty quickly how to fend for themselves.

"There's just a really strong social bond between the mom and the kid. They spend a lot of time floating at the surface together, rubbing on each other, and swimming in tandem and in synchrony," he said.David K. Ellifrit/Center for Whale Research, permit number: NMFS 21238. A 21-year-old female has a one in five chance of having a calf in the coming year. If she has a son, that drops to one in ten, the study found. "They actually don't have enough resources to take on that extra burden of gestating and nursing a calf," said Weiss. A Southern Resident killer whales.It may come down to the size of the males. They are enormous, about 50% bigger than their moms, which means they need more food than females.

It may be that when food was plentiful, this was a great strategy, which is why moms hardwired to care for their sons were selected by evolution.Resident Southern killer whales are now critically. There are only three family pods known in the world J, K, and L, for a total of 73 individuals.

United Kingdom United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom United Kingdom Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Scientists are modifying catfish with alligator DNA to create hybrids for humans to eat | Business InsiderAlthough the project is still in its early stages, the scientists hope to bring the catfish-alligator hybrids to supermarkets.
Source: BISouthAfrica - 🏆 34. / 51 Read more »

Google just introduced Bard, its new rival and competition for ChatBot GPT | Business InsiderBard is a new Google AI creation that creates a direct rival to ChatBot GPT. These two systems will go head-to-head to fight for market share.
Source: BISouthAfrica - 🏆 34. / 51 Read more »

4 white-collar jobs most at risk of getting replaced by AI like ChatGPT | Business InsiderComputer programmers and financial workers are just two kinds of white-collar jobs that may have to worry about artificial intelligence and chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT.
Source: BISouthAfrica - 🏆 34. / 51 Read more »

Microsoft announces its new search engine with OpenAI that is 'more powerful than ChatGPT' | Business InsiderMicrosoft executives announced the 'new Bing' on Tuesday, a very different kind of search engine created with ChatGPT creator OpenAI.
Source: BISouthAfrica - 🏆 34. / 51 Read more »

Microsoft is giving Google the kick in the butt it's needed for years | Business InsiderGoogle has been stagnant for a long time. Win or lose, Microsoft's new and improved Bing is the first push toward innovation in search in a while.
Source: BISouthAfrica - 🏆 34. / 51 Read more »

3 ways Bill Gates thinks ChatGPT and AI will be helpful to people | Business InsiderBill Gates said he's 'excited' by AI because it can be helpful for 'worthy causes' like giving people medical advice if they can't see a doctor.
Source: BISouthAfrica - 🏆 34. / 51 Read more »