[Animals] Albatross females 'divorce' males who violate them, study reveals

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Although albatrosses are monogamous animals, females will divorce if their partners' personalities make them uncomfortable.
Albatrosses are monogamous animals. In fact, they are among the few bird species that choose a mate for life. However, when the females perceive that the male's behavior is not appropriate, they do not skimp on separating from them. Divorces between albatrosses were documented in a wandering po[CENSORED]tion that scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) detected.

This was what they discovered.

Against violent males

The character of the male is decisive for a female to decide to separate from her partner. Although, historically, the species has opted for monogamy, even this evolutionary conditioning does not make them subordinate to the hostilities of the males.

In contrast, researchers from MIT and WHOI found that divorce among albatrosses is more common when the males are aggressive. As Stephanie Jenouvrier, associate scientist and seabird expert, explains:

"WE THINK THAT BOLD MALES, BY BEING MORE AGGRESSIVE, WOULD BE MORE LIKELY TO GET DIVORCE, BECAUSE THEY WOULD BE MORE LIKELY TO TAKE THE RISK OF CHANGING PARTNERS TO IMPROVE FUTURE REPRODUCTIVE OUTCOMES," SAYS THE STUDY'S LEAD AUTHOR IN A RELEASE.

However, the behavior is not limited to violence. It is common for females to lose interest in shy males, and look for other 'more daring' alternatives. For this reason, Jenouvrier points out, the study reveals that “personality can affect divorce rates” between albatrosses and other species.

Beyond monogamy: another consequence of the climate crisis?

On average, according to a team led by the University of Lisbon, divorce rates (the scientific term used by the authors to refer to a separation between a pair of albatrosses) between these birds are very low, ranging from 1% to 8%. %. In most cases, divorces usually occur due to reproductive failures, for example, the eggs do not hatch, the young die or are eaten by predators.

After analyzing data from albatross pairs from 2004 to 2019, the team discovered a relationship between higher divorce rates and periods when the ocean is warmer, called warm sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs). for its acronym in English) by the team.

Not only that: the climate crisis is also likely increasing levels of stress-related hormones in albatrosses, the same ones that peak when faced with food shortages; another factor that could as the temperature of the seas increases.

https://www.ngenespanol.com/animales/por-que-suceden-los-divorcios-entre-los-albatros/