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The male killer-whale is a 'mammy's boy' — he leaves her only for one-night-stands with females in other pods

An adult male travelling with his post-reproductive mother. Credit David Ellifrit / Center for Whale Research / University of Exeter

There’s a spot in my heart which no cailín may own...

Despite its name and fearsome reputation, the male killer-whale is a Mammy’s boy. He stays with mother throughout his life, making occasional excursions for one-night-stands with females in other pods. It’s a mean strategy: the seduced female’s pod must raise the resulting calf.