I wonder if orca females have any way of influencing the sex of the offspring they produce? Since essentially all females are guaranteed to reproduce, while males are going to have to compete for the chance, it would appear that the most beneficial strategy would be to have one or two female calves early in life, and then a male calf later in life. I think there are some species of deer which do appear to had increased odds of producing male fawns later in life. It would be interesting if this turns out to also be true for orcas.
I wonder if orca females have any way of influencing the sex of the offspring they produce? Since essentially all females are guaranteed to reproduce, while males are going to have to compete for the chance, it would appear that the most beneficial strategy would be to have one or two female calves early in life, and then a male calf later in life. I think there are some species of deer which do appear to had increased odds of producing male fawns later in life. It would be interesting if this turns out to also be true for orcas.
Interesting and educational as always! I always skip right to Beached when I see it in my inbox. Thank you Amie!
This is certainly information that doesn’t get put into the National Geographic specials. Thanks.
Fascinating, Amie. I love your newsletters ! Thank you.