Do whales and dolphins have families?

Dolphins are very social creatures and live together in pods. Pod life provides individuals with the companionship which is so important to them. The pod members look after one another and cooperate to catch food, raise their young and defend each other from predators. They also play together. The strongest links are without any doubt between mothers and their babies. Most pods contain anywhere from 2 – 30 dolphins depending on the species and the situation. Bottlenose dolphin pod membership can be quite fluid as different dolphins from the bigger community leave or join the pod.

For the fish-eating orcas, family life is very stable. Both sons and daughters remain with their mothers throughout their lives. With sperm whales, the matrilineal society includes just the mothers and their calves and siblings. Older males form separate pods that only visit female-led groups for mating.

Some of the large whales spend time alone but eventually join up for group activities such as feeding migrating or breeding. Even when they are seemingly alone, they are likely to be in acoustic contact with others.