Speaking of killer whales, what are your first impressions?
Killer whales? Cute black and white like a giant panda? Are there great white sharks that are terrified of their fierceness? Cunning and clever...
However, even the killer whales, as the overlords of the sea, have a soft attribute, that is, their Oedipus complex, especially the male killer whales, are very dependent on the killer whale mother, which is a typical "mother treasure man." ”
According to research, adult male killer whales in their 30s still live with their mothers. Even if the male killer whale finds a mate to have a child, the killer whale mother will accompany her the whole time. As a human being, if a girl had met such a mother and baby man, she would have been scared away long ago.
What is more exaggerated is that if the mother killer whale dies, the probability of young male killer whales dying within one year will be 3 times that of normal, and if it is a tiger whale over 30 years old, it will reach 8 times.
It is really a super invincible "ma bao man" who can't live without a mother!
To distinguish this ultimate mother," one must first distinguish between male killer whales and female killer whales.
Male killer whales
Body size differences: Adult male killer whales are larger than females. Adult male killer whales have an average length of 8 meters and a maximum length of 9.75 meters, female killer whales have an average length of 7 meters and a maximum length of 8.5 meters, and male killer whales weigh an average of 5.5 tons, while female killer whales weigh an average of only 3.8 tons.
Dorsal fin differences: The male killer whale's dorsal fin is straight, 1-1.8 meters long, and looks like a small mountain, while the female killer whale's dorsal fin is short, curved, and does not exceed 1 meter in length, like a sickle. This point is more intuitive to judge the male and female killer whales.
Female killer whales
In terms of physical strength, there is no doubt that male killer whales have more advantages and have the momentum that the sea overlord should have. So, why is the male killer whale with more physical strength advantages reduced to a "mother treasure man"?
According to research, the main reason is that female killer whales are mostly group leaders and have a long lifespan, and can use experience and wisdom to guide male killer whales to hunt. Simply put, without the leadership of the mother killer whale, the male killer whale may starve to death.
Killer whales are social animals, with small groups of 2-3 animals and large groups of 40-50 animals. Populations generally consist of about 20 % mature males, 20% young whales, 60% females and immature males, and have similarities with the composition of human matrilineal clan societies. Studies have shown that about half of the cubs die before they are one year old. With such low newborn survival rates, the mother whale has to do her best to protect her children, teaching young and immature males hunting skills so that they can grow up safely.
Killer whale swarms
Killer whales are highly social animals with complex and varied language systems, and it takes at least 5 years for their cubs to fully master the adult "language", not to mention the hunting skills to survive.
Female killer whales have an average lifespan of 50 years, and a female killer whale with the official name J2 and nicknamed "Grandma" is the longest known killer whale, living for 105 years. The average lifespan of male killer whales is only 30 years. Perhaps the male killer whale has returned to the west before it has time to become independent, and the mother killer whale with a skill has raised a wave of offspring.
The killer whale mother also has the characteristic of "son preference", and the male killer whale will get more love from the mother.
During the breeding season, male killer whales mate with female killer whales from other groups and then return to live with their mothers. After the female killer whale and the male killer whales of other groups have a baby, they will return to their mothers to live, and at the same time, they will add ding to their own group, and with new resource competitors, the female killer whale will become more independent and powerful in order to raise her offspring. This is similar to the marriage of the matrilineal clan. Male killer whales in a group will appear lonely and less independent than females. Naturally, the mother killer whale will give the male killer whale more care.
From a certain point of view, it is also a lucky thing to be an invincible "mother treasure man" in the universe. In the sea of natural selection and survival of the fittest, there are few superwomen like killer whale mothers who shelter the baby killer whales.
In this way, because the female killer whales are mostly the leaders of the group and have a longer lifespan, they have to become stronger to raise their offspring, making the male killer whales appear weak and have to become "mother treasure men" who rely on their mothers.