Many of us have been asked to babysit in one capacity or another. We are often motivated to do this, whether it be as a favour for a relative or friend, or because we are being paid to do so. Humans are not alone in this endeavour. Animals can actually babysit too; this behaviour is called allocare. Yet, an animal’s motivation to babysit is often more ambiguous than that of a human!
Allocare is seen in many animals, particularly in toothed whales such as dolphins, orcas, and sperm whales. Scientists are becoming increasingly interested in understanding why this behaviour happens in animals. Jaclyn Aubin, Ph. D candidate from the University of Windsor, and her colleagues sought to better understand this behaviour in beluga whales.
“[Belugas] seemed very socially complex and mysterious to me,” said Aubin. This interest in beluga whales inspired Aubin to pursue a Master’s project investigating wild St. Lawrence Estuary belugas and their allocare behaviour.
One way that many whales exhibit allocare is by swimming in an ‘escort’ formation around a calf. This formation involves the escort swimming either above or below the calf, depending on the desired outcome. This escorting behaviour is costly for the escorting babysitter, as it slows them down substantially. However, it is extremely beneficial for the calf, as it can help them swim faster, keep them hidden from predators, and provide comfort to them.
For many animals, evolutionary drivers for allocare have been hypothesized and observed. “It’s very natural in the human world to care for other people’s young,” said Emily Brown, a third year health studies student at Mt. A. “There is a natural instinct to care for those who are vulnerable and rely on you to look out for them,” Brown continued. Up until now, we did not know the evolutionary drivers for why belugas are exhibiting this behaviour. According to Aubin, “It seemed so odd that some animals would expend so much time and energy caring for young that weren’t theirs.”
Aubin and her colleagues sought to explore two main hypotheses: (1) The idea that alloparents are drawn to calves due to an innate interest in infants, or (2) The idea that alloparents can benefit from this behaviour by gaining parenting skills that they will eventually use to better parent their own offspring. To test these competing ideas they set about observing belugas in the St. Lawrence Estuary using footage from uncrewed aerial vehicles. They measured the presence of adult escorts, and sub adult escorts (individuals between six and 12 years old), and determined whether escorting was initiated by the calf or the escort.
The researchers found that the number of subadult escorts observed was not elevated above the expected frequency, suggesting little support for the learning-to-parent hypothesis, as younger adults would be the escorts benefitting from alloparenting under this hypothesis. The researchers also found that the calves seemed to initiate interactions with the allocare escort, rather than the adult initiating it, suggesting little support for the interest in infants hypothesis. It became apparent that both hypotheses lacked support.
According to Aubin, this was one of the most surprising discoveries in this research. “It wasn’t the case that mothers dropped off their calves, or ‘aunts’ scooped them up,” said Aubin, “instead calves were the ones deciding who they would swim with. This seems almost comically different from human experiences of babysitting!”
So, what can we learn from these iconic white whales? It may come down to simple appreciation of similarity. “Even belugas, so different from us in so many ways, help each other out and care for their young in ways that feel tenderly familiar,” explained Aubin. This growing understanding may well be timely, as belugas in the St. Lawrence Estuary are at risk of endangerment from human activity. Aubin suggested that, “If we can look at these animals and recognize their inherent value, maybe we can do a better job of protecting them.”
Countless animals exhibit affectionate behaviours like allocare, and these animals deserve to be protected through conservation initiatives. Without realizing it, we have much in common with belugas. The next time you find yourself in a caregiving, or babysitting role, think about what is motivating you to do it!
