00:00Despite their moniker, killer whales aren't actually whales at all.
00:03They're part of the dolphin family, though the killer part is spot on,
00:07as orcas are one of the ocean's apex predators.
00:09But now researchers say that elder females within pods will fight to protect the young in the crowd.
00:15But it turns out they're particular about which ones.
00:17According to new research, female orcas experience menopause just like female humans do.
00:22And if a mother orca has gone through the process, their male children have less signs of attack.
00:26Researchers say they've been trying to figure out why only six species in the world experience the menopause process.
00:32As after menopause, the creature is no longer reproductively viable.
00:35Now they might have a clue, as the mothers could be protecting their offspring,
00:39ensuring they may go on to survive and reproduce themselves.
00:42And the marine researchers found males with mothers still in the pod
00:45had 35% less signs of attack from other orcas than those without.
00:49However, they also discovered that the same was not true for their daughters.
00:53The study's lead author, Charlie Grimes, says,
00:55This isn't all that surprising, as, quote,
00:57Males can breed with multiple females, so they have more potential to pass on their mother's genes.
01:02Still, orcopods have a dynamic and complicated social structure
01:05that researchers are only just beginning to understand.
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