Killer whale 'grannies' coddle their baby boys well into adulthood: study

Source: The Canadian Press

VANCOUVER - Like some of their human counterparts, killer whale mothers continue to dote on their sons well into adulthood, says a new study based on two pods of resident killer whales off the coast of British Columbia.

That coddling appears to help the male orcas to mate and reproduce.

The study released Thursday by the University of Exeter, in the United Kingdom, looked at more than three decades of research by Fisheries and Oceans Canada in B.C. and the Center for Whale Research in Washington state, and found that orca females live many years after they are no longer capable of reproducing.

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