Amos B, Schlötterer C, Tautz D
Department of Genetics, Cambridge University, United Kingdom.
Science. 1993 Apr 30;260(5108):670-2. doi: 10.1126/science.8480176.
Long-finned pilot whales swim in large, extremely cohesive social groups known as pods. Molecular typing revealed that pod members form a single extended family. Mature males neither disperse from nor mate within their natal pods, a situation unusual for mammals. Such behavior could be explained in terms of inclusive fitness benefits gained by adult males helping the large number of female relatives with which they swim.
长鳍领航鲸以庞大且极具凝聚力的社会群体形式游动，这些群体被称为鲸群。分子分型显示，鲸群成员构成了一个单一的大家庭。成年雄性既不会离开其出生的鲸群，也不会在其中交配，这种情况在哺乳动物中并不常见。这种行为可以从成年雄性通过帮助与其一同游动的大量雌性亲属而获得的广义适合度益处来解释。
