Animals Rule The World(they should). Post Menopausal Whale Mommies Protect Their Precious Sons

There is something afoot in the sea, and like we always knew, a good mother protects their young. Only in this case, it is the sons only. There is a reason for that. Killer whale males are needed to breed as often as possible, to pass on the mother's genes, and to go on hot dates with female whalettes, sometimes in other pods. Usually, that pod raises the calf, so he ventures out and needs some skills to stay safe. These moms are fierce, and they will fight a bitch if some belligerent whale wants to fight their boy or if rough play turns into actual aggression. Killer Whales are one of the six species of toothed whales, so when they play or fight, those teeth cause rake marks on the skin of their opponent, and these wounds can be deadly if pathogens enter the cuts. Scientists discovered in the case of Mamas' Boys, they have fewer of these rakes, and they get into less violent conflicts with other whales because she helps them navigate the social structure of their pod or kin group. Moms lead their sons to the best hunting grounds to feed and teach them all kinds of ways to defend themselves, but if the boy gets in trouble, watch out. This mother is prepared to whup ass and tag team if need be. If her son can't do that well, Mama is here for her dearest and can use her experience to overtake an aggressor and chase his sorry culo away. Interestingly the grandma whales don't have this instinct for grandchildren. Lovely, but not her problem. 

What many people don't know, but we know, is that human women after menopause can be tough  bitches with very few shits to give, and if they have babies, their children are always their children, even as adults. They never stop guiding them or trying to help them navigate to safer waters. Scientists have found a similarity between human behavior, elephant behavior, and whale behavior, and it is fascinating. Post-menopausal women are marvelous, strong, and powerful, no longer at the mercy of their reproductive organs; plenty are at their best. There is a reason single women live longer than anyone else. 

Killer whale females are the longest-living species in the wild, and they live many years after they stop reproducing, which is unique in the animal kingdom. Adult whale sons stay with their mothers well into their 40s and 50s when the extra protective gene kicks in for mothers. (They must study what their mates think of their temporary mothers-in-law. Maybe they leave because they think that fool is too damn old to swim with his Mommy.) At this stage, you can still see them swimming side by side, with her actually feeding her little baby boy. Post Reproductive mothers can live 22 to 23 years after menopause and usually live up to the age of 90 in the wild. 

They have one predator in the world, and guess who those assholes are? Humans.