Killer whales and pilot whales are well known to go through menopause. One hypothesis is that the advanced-age mammals that go through menopause do so to help raise their grandchildren. Because the daughters will be in better shape to take care of the young than an older female having the grandmother help with raising the youth increases the survival of the species. This is especially true for humans who take a long time to reach adulthood.
Other primates are believed to go through menopause though further studies are needed. Animals like cats and dogs go through estrous periods rather than menstruation, so they do not go through menopause. They do become less fertile though.
Response last updated by BigTriviaDawg on Jan 03 2024.
Jan 03 2024, 9:14 PM
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