Big = Sexy in Humpback Whales
New insight into humpback whale society shows, that during mating, males prefer larger females. This is very different from our society where men are attracted to slimmer women. There seems to be a specific reason why male humpbacks choose there mate. During breeding season males are observed fighting over certain females.
During mating season competition can get intense, male humpback whales either blow bubbles to threaten other males, lunges through water, chases or engages in a fight with another male. Is all this trouble just to win the escort spot next to the biggest humpback whales? The longer the female the more men attempts to court her. It is recorded that the larger females produce larger calves. They also store more fat so they are able to support their calves better than smaller mothers.
The survival rate of an offspring increases as its size increases. The males have a big incentive to fight over the biggest females because it gives them bigger and stronger offspring, thus increasing their reproductive success. An individuals own fitness seems to be fueling the desire for larger females.
Understanding what attracts male humpback whales to female whales greatly increases the chances of conservation. They now know one thing that these whales need to continue mating, however they are still a long way away from figuring out this mammals entire mating system.
UPDATE:
I think its very interesting that women with larger hips were compared to larger whales. Its true tho because its all about the male passing on his genes. The male whale wants a female that he can guarantee can support and produce a healthy offspring. Since females only produce one to two calves every two years, the males all line up to mate with them. They show off that they are the best choice by lunging, blowing bubbles, and these escalate to physical fights between males. I think females basically pick the male that wins because he has proven himself to be the strongest.
I know the males sometimes get hurt when fighting for the females attention, but its very possible that the females of calves get hurt during the process as well.
Posted by Willow Alves (4)
posted by PWH @ 11:02 PM
6 comments
6 Comments:
Interesting, I had no idea male whales fought over the females. It's sort of hard to imagine. Do they ever actually injure each other, or is it more about displays of strength and dominance?
(Jane de Verges)
I've seen information that calves in particular can be injured if they inadvertantly get in the way.
Interesting topic. There are some typos and grammatical errors in this blog however. I would like to note that there is also the fact that human males tend to like women with larger hips, not necessarily skinnier. The media portrays skinny is sexy for the most part. I think it's more about proportion than weight. It's makes sense in both species. Humans are attracted to larger hips because the woman will be able to give birth more easily and to a larger baby, just like the whales want a mother who can give birth to a larger calf.
-Katie Cyr
this makes sense that males choose larger women to have larger babies that are more likely to survive and they are more likely to select them for that reason. A long time ago humans used to like larger women because it meant that they were wealthier and had food more readily available to them.
Samantha DeBiasio
Do the females choose the males once they see what male is better? The males must know that the females will give birth to a calf that has a much better chance of surviving, or else it is instinct. What do you think? The behavior of fighting over a female (or trying to impress a female) in different species is not rare, but I wonder if you found that other whales do this.
-Alyson Paige
Cool article. This makes me think of a National Geographic episode I saw where some African women were being fattened up before their weddings by their families. They were doing this because just like the male whales they thought that bigger women would be better at raising healthy children.
-Calin Darabus
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