Killer whales explain the mystery of the menopause
by Robin McKie from on (#28YJB)
A study of the whales, one of only three species whose older females stop reproducing, claims competition between offspring may be the cause
Killer whales and humans would seem to have little in common. We inhabit very different ecosystems, after all. Yet the two species share one unexpected biological attribute. Females of Orcinus orca and Homo sapiens both go through the menopause.
It an extraordinary aspect of our development. In contrast to the vast majority of animals on our planet, women and female killer whales stop reproducing halfway through their lives. Only one other species - the short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) - behaves this way.
Continue reading...