Animals Going Through Menopause: What Are They?
We are becoming more and more aware of the similarities between humans and animals. An example is given by menopause, a period in which females do not reproduce and which affects various animal species. What is this physiological phenomenon for and which animals are going through menopause?
What is the function of this period in the life of some species?
One of the maxims of life on Earth is the survival of species through reproduction : the passage of genetic material from generation to generation is vital for understanding numerous behaviors and mysteries of the animal kingdom.
So why do animals go through menopause? According to some popular rumors, there is a mystery behind it: in this period the care of the older females would be directed to their puppies in adulthood, and even to the offspring of the latter.
Animals that go through menopause
Today we know that there are five species of animals that go through menopause. The human being is one of these, but several cetaceans are added: the orca, the pilot whale, the narwhal and the beluga also present this period in nature.
Until now, the importance of menopause in killer whales and pilot whales was known, but the fascinating narwhals and belugas have recently been included in the list in a study published in Scientific Reports .
The research in question suggests that both of these animals enter menopause because they share a common ancestor, although killer whales and pilot whales evolved independently. According to the researchers, the permanence of many of these animals in groups and the collaboration in the care of the puppies is the basis of this physiological mechanism.
There are numerous documents in this regard, especially on killer whales, but now we know that it also concerns narwhals and belugas. This discovery was possible thanks to the necropsies of several dead specimens, in which inactive ovaries were found in older females.
Odontocetes: animals with menopause
It is possible to note that all animals that go through menopause, with the exception of humans, are toothed cetaceans, also known as odontocetes. All these animals live in large groups and entertain very complex social relationships, still not fully understood by us today.
The pilot whale is a lesser known animal, although perhaps more familiar with the name of pilot whale. These Mediterranean cetaceans are habitual prey for some groups of killer whales and resemble dolphins, even if they have a rounded head, more similar to that of the beluga.
Belugas are known as white whales, although the term “whale” should be used for bearded cetaceans. They are cold water animals, whose social structure has not yet been fully studied, a characteristic they share with narwhals. Both of these marine mammals join the group of animals going through menopause, about which we still have interesting discoveries to be made.
