Inside the killer whale matriarchy - Darren Croft

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Off the rugged coast of the Pacific Northwest, pods of killer whales inhabit the frigid waters. Each family is able to survive here thanks mainly to one member, its most knowledgeable hunter, the grandmother. These matriarchs can live 80 years or more, while most males die off in their 30s. Though killer whales inhabit every major ocean, until recently we knew very little about them. The details of their lives eluded scientists until an organization called the Center for Whale Research began studying a single population near Washington state and British Columbia in 1976. Thanks to their ongoing work, we've learned a great deal about these whales, known as the southern residents. And the more we learn, the more this population's elders' vital role comes into focus. Each grandmother starts her life as a calf born into her mother's family group, or matriline. The family does everything together, hunting and playing, even communicating through their own unique set of calls. Both sons and daughters spend their entire lives with their mother's families. That doesn't mean a young whale only interacts with her relatives. Besides their own special calls, her matriline shares a dialect with nearby families, and they socialize regularly. Once a female reaches age 15 or so, these meetings become opportunities to mate with males from other groups. The relationships don't go much beyond mating. She and her calves stay with her family, while the male returns to his own mother. Until approximately age 40, she gives birth every six years on average. Then, she goes through menopause, which is almost unheard of in the animal kingdom. In fact, humans, killer whales, and a few other whales are the only species whose females continue to live for years after they stop reproducing. After menopause, grandmothers take the lead hunting for salmon, the southern resident's main food source. Most of the winter, they forage offshore, supplementing salmon with other fish. But when the salmon head towards shore in droves to spawn, the killer whales follow. The matriarch shows the younger whales where to find the most fertile fishing grounds. She also shares up to 90% of the salmon she catches. With each passing year, her contributions become more vital. Overfishing and habitat destruction have