On: Humpback Whale Baby Boom Near Antarctica

[awakeasleep]

I wonder about the social impact of the whaling century. We see now see all sorts of antisocial behavior in elephants raised without their pack's 'teaching'- they are more violent, they rape rhinoceroses, etc.

I imagine whales and elephants have similar intelligence, and would have as many 'cultural' forces shaping their behavior.

[runarberg → awakeasleep]

Indeed. Both elephants and humpback whales have been proven to possess cultures that passes down the generations in certain populations. I wonder what cultures were lost, and what the social impacts of loosing these cultures are.