igS WHALES 



male (e.g. in some monkeys and llamas), when it may legitimately be 

 called a "harem'. Generally, however, the leader, too, is a female. 



'Harems' are common in Sperm Whales, where schools of cows and 

 calves are usually led by an old 'steer', as whalers call him. These schools 

 hardly ever leav^e tropical and sub-tropical waters, while bachelors of all 

 ages migrate In separate schools to the Arctic and Antarctic during the 

 summer. For this reason, the Antarctic catch consists exclusively of male 

 Sperm Whales, and that is why not a single cow has been discovered 

 among the forty-five Sperm Whales stranded on the Dutch coast since 

 1 53 1, In the mating season, bulls often have violent fights to secure a 

 harem. 



Sperm Whales, like elephants, have the occasional rogue male, i.e. a 

 solitary individual which obviously cannot fit into any school, and which 

 is therefore particularly aggressive. Such rogues were Moby Dick, New 

 Zealand Jack, and many other famous whales from the great days of 

 Sperm Wliale hunting, all of which tore up men and boats alike, as time 

 and again they eluded their would-be captors. 



Belugas, Narwhals and Killers are said to occvu- in separate schools of 

 males and females, though they generally live in mixed schools. Tomilin 

 reports that in the Barents Sea, Belugas can be found in mixed schools of 

 up to 10,000 animals, while Tarasevich (1958) states that Common 

 Dolphins live in mixed schools during the mating season and in separate 

 schools at other times. Mohl Hansen (1954) states that porpoises occur 

 both in mixed and in separate schools, so that some catches may consist 

 of bulls only. Grey Whales, too, seem to live in separate schools, at least 

 for part of the year, and female schools are often led by an older cow. 

 Hill (1957) thinks that there are clear signs of the existence of a 'harem' 

 type of school among the Bottlenose Dolphins of Marineland, but this 

 theory needs to be investigated further. 



Leaders are, however, definitely found in another two species, e.g. in 

 Pilot Whales and in Bottlenose Whales. Pilot Whales usually live in mixed 

 schools of hundreds and even thousands, and male leaders have frequently 

 been reported. No doubt, this is how these animals obtained their name. 



A similar situation is said to prevail in the Bottlenose Whales as well, 

 which, because bulls and cows difier in size and shape, and because of 

 their diet and deep diving, have much in common with Sperm Whales. 

 They combine into schools ranging from very small groups to associations 

 of thousands of animals, and they are said to be led by one or more old 

 steers. Here, too, there have been cases of rogue males attacking whalers, 

 particularly in olden times. Mixed herds led by an old male are also found 

 among such terrestrial mammals as wild sheep and wild goats. 



Mutual ties between individuals in Cetacean herds seem to be very 



