Whales don't need marriage counselling: study

Scientists have long known that some species, aside from humans, know how to reconcile their differences after an argument - such as bonobos that have sex to overcome aggression or chimpanzees that kiss and make-up.

Now a researcher from Canisius College in Buffalo has noticed similar patterns in the killer whale.

No need for mediation
Michael Noonan, a professor in animal behaviour at the College, studied killer whales at Marineland Amusement Park in Niagara Falls, Ontario, and noticed that pairs of whales would engage in "intimate swims" after a dispute.

Killer whales don't usually have aggressive behaviour, Noonan explains, but during his study he noticed about 21 arguments between the animals.

Eight of the disputes were between a mother and a father, for which the female would chase the male, who would be trying to evade her.

After several minutes of chasing, the two would split apart as to "cool down", and then reconcile by swimming side-by-side for about six to ten minutes, what Noonan calls an echelon - or synchronous - swim.

The study concluded that, like humans, whales also have a pro-social, affiliated behaviour to move past hostility and undergo a reconciliation process.

Noonan recorded about 2,800 hours of killer whale footage before arriving at these conclusions.

His findings were presented earlier this month at the Animal Behaviour Society conference in Salt Lake City.

Photography: Monterey Bay Whale Watch

Source: Discovery Channel Reports, August 25 edition