Orca moms baby their adult sons. That favoritism pays off — eventually
Salmon-hunting Pacific females feed their sons for years, boosting chances of grandwhales
Exceptional family records on some Pacific killer whales (from the population where these two live) show that a young orca mother’s annual chance of weaning another calf drops by about half after she has a son. Yet there’s a big genetic bonanza.
David K. Ellifrit/©Center for Whale Research (research permit number: NMFS 21238)