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Zenger
Zenger
Stephen Beech

Female Killer Whales Protect Sons But Not Daughters, New Research Shows

An orca chases herrings on January 17, 2019, in the Reisafjorden fjord region, near the Norwegian northern city of Tromso in the Arctic Circle. Older female killer whales protect their sons - but not their daughters – from fights with other orcas, according to new research. PHOTO BY OLIVIER MORIN/GETTY IMAGES

Older female killer whales protect their sons – but not their daughters – from fights with other orcas, according to new research.

Scientists studying “tooth rake marks” – the scarring left when one whale scrapes their teeth across the skin of another – found males had fewer marks if their mother was present and had stopped breeding.

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