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Women may go through the menopause so they can settle into a ‘grandmother role’, according to research.
Last updated at 10:45 AM on 5th July 2010
Scientists have long been puzzled as to why only humans, killer whales and pilot whales stop breeding relatively early in their lifespan.
Researchers from the Universities of Exeter and Cambridge now believe it allows females to devote more time to teaching their daughters how to raise a family.
The study, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, is the first to provide a plausible explanation why these species in particular are the only ones in which females finish reproduction while they still have decades left to live.
Dr Michael Cant from the University of Exeter, said: ‘It’s always been puzzling as to why only humans and toothed whales have evolved menopause, while females in all other long-lived species continue breeding until late in life.
‘Although the social behaviours of the three menopausal species are very different, there is a common link: their social systems mean females become more related to those around them as they get older….Continue Reading
