The family unit among the orca is a tight one. Mothers and sons share a bond that is unbreakable, even as the sons reach adulthood. Unfortunately, this bond comes at a steep cost for the orca mom as she must feed her son even after he is full grown.
Impact on the Mother
The challenges that orca moms face become increasingly difficult once her son reaches adulthood. The orca mom must share her food with her large adult sons, leading to competition over limited resources. This competition can greatly diminish the mother’s health, as she is not able to consume enough food to meet her own nutritional needs.
Compounding this issue is the fact that adult male orcas are incredibly large in size, consume large amounts of food, and require a lot of energy. As a result, the mother must expend extra energy in order to catch and share enough food with her sons, leaving her exhausted and unable to hunt and feed herself enough.
Effects of this Phenomenon
Unfortunately, this phenomenon has led to a decrease in orca pregnancies, as mothers are unable to produce enough of the nutrients needed for a healthy calf. This can lead to smaller litter sizes for orca mothers and further limit the population of orcas in the ocean.
Furthermore, this phenomenon also puts a strain on relationships between orca pods. As competition over food increases, pods may break apart as mothers take their sons with them in search of food sources.
Conclusion
Orca moms face a difficult role when it comes to their adult sons. With their larger size and high caloric needs, adult sons typically take a lot of food away from the mother. This competition over resources can lead to a decrease in orca pregnancies and competition between pods. Ultimately, this phenomenon highlights the important role of the orca mother and the price she must pay in order to nurture and feed her adult sons.
Key Points:
- The mother must share her food with her large adult sons, leading to competition over limited resources
- This can lead to a decrease in orca pregnancies and smaller litter sizes
- Competition over resources may cause pods to break apart
Orca moms often pay a heavy price when it comes to feeding their large adult sons. Unlike other species, the male orcas remain with their families of origin and benefit from the protection of their mothers. The downside to this is that the males sometimes become dependent on their mothers for food due to their size and strength.
The largest male in the population of southern residentkiller whales, which inhabit the waters off the west coast of North America, weighs more than 10,300 pounds. They are almost as large as their mothers, and eating enough food to sustain them can be a challenge – especially for a single mom.
Researchers from the University of Washington and their colleagues from Marine Conservation Research International recently reported in the journal Mammal Review that female orcas caring for large adult sons experience significant nutritional strains. They found these mothers skip meals, lose body mass and have lower levels of body fat compared to orcas who don’t care for dependent sons.
The researchers studied the behavior of 37 female killer whales and 23 of their dependent adult sons over a period of 10 years. They also looked at the amount of prey available in their ranges and the differences in the hunting success of sole and dependent son mothers.
The researchers found that the dependent mothers had an average of 20 percent fewer meals than the other moms. They also had 75 percent less body fat on average. In addition, they caught significantly fewer prey than their counterparts.
This research provides an important reminder of the lengths mothers will go through to provide for their sons. It seems that no matter the species, when it comes to a mother’s love and devotion, nothing can stop her from providing for her young.