Believed to Be Solitary, Male Sperm Whales Actually Hang With the Boys–in Friendships That Can Last

Michie

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A Japanese biologist studying the social structure of sperm whales has discovered that the phrase “Saturday’s for the boys,” translates into echolocation.

His research reveals that male sperm whales form strong platonic social bonds among other, normally solitary males—shedding light on the mammalian evolution of bromance.

Famous for spending time hunting in the depths of the ocean, or roaming it lone-wolf style, male sperm whales are not easily researched. Their female halves normally live together in pods of matriarchal leadership, casting males out, much like elephants, when they reach sexual maturity.


It’s long been thought that this was the whole story for male sperm whales, but they actually maintain close male-to-male relationships that can stretch not only across years, but across meetings.

The first evidence that this was the case were mass stranding events that consisted only of males, which led whale biologist Hayao Kobayashi to spend thousands of hours aboard whale-watching vessels collecting observational data.

Continued below.
Believed to Be Solitary, Male Sperm Whales Actually Hang With the Boys–in Friendships That Can Last Years