The days are getting warmer, the sun is setting later,
and you know what that means…
Spring is almost here! With the arrival of the spring equinox comes anticipation for the 2024 whale watching season. Many of the humpbacks that we see between April-December have been spending their time on the breeding grounds in the warm waters of the Caribbean. Fin whales and minke whales move out of the area as well, although less in known where they spend their winter season. Gray seals and harbor seals are spotted more frequently and are likely enjoying quieter harbors as the humans have all hunkered down inside. Now is a great time to visit the shores of Massachusetts in hopes of catching a glimpse of the North Atlantic right whale- keep an eye out for the blow or the tips of their head as they skim feed around the coasts of Massachusetts and Cape Cod Bays! The time is now to book your whale watch! Our season kicks off on May 16th.
Why menopause keeps evolving in whales
Comparing data on toothed whale species that do, and do not, experience menopause suggests that prolonged female postreproductive life allows whales to improve their offsprings’ and grand-offsprings’ survival chances. Older female whales such as killer whales (Orcinus orca) share food and become “repositories of long-term ecological knowledge”, explains animal-behaviour researcher and study co-author Sam Ellis. Menopause also seems to reduce reproductive competition between mothers and daughters. The hormone changes killer whales go through are similar to those in menopausal humans, but “as to hot and cold flushes, we’ve got no way of telling yet”, Ellis says.
To listen to the full Nature Podcast click here.
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