Click here to read “Orca Mothers Coddle Adult Sons, Study Finds” by Sindya N. Bhanoo from The New York Times on September 17, 2012.
Humans, pilot whales and killer whales are the only known species in which females have a prolonged period of menopause — a time of life when they cannot reproduce. Now, a study in the journal Science reports the purpose that menopause serves in orcas: for females to care for their sons and make sure their genes are passed on to future generations.