Only three known female species on the planet sustain healthy bodies and make large contributions to their social groups for years after they have passed the age of bearing children: humans, orcas, and pilot whales. A new in-depth study of the mighty black-and-white orcas now shows that many of the menopausal whales actually take on the role of leading their entire pod once they no longer have the responsibility of bearing children.

The study, led by researchers at the University of Exeter’s animal behavior center, found that older females help teach the younger generations how to hunt and survive, acting as important “repositories of ecological knowledge.” Researchers watched over 700 hours of video footage to analyze the whales’ complex social patterns.

“Our results show for the first time that one way post reproductive females may boost the survival of their kin is through the transfer of ecological knowledge. The value gained from the wisdom of elders can help explain why female killer whales and humans continue to live long after they have stopped reproducing,” said Laura Brent, one of the researchers.

The study, published in the journal Current Biology on Thursday, also found that post-reproductive female killer whales were more likely to become leaders of their pod during years that saw low salmon abundance, indicating that their years of knowledge and experience become specialized to help their communities survive.

Researcher Darren Croft said, “In humans, it has been suggested that menopause is simply an artifact of modern medicine and improved living conditions. However, mounting evidence suggests that menopause in humans is adaptive.”

Some hope that the study might shed some light on how menopause evolved in humans. “In hunter-gatherers, one way that menopausal women help their relatives, and thus increase the transmission of their own genes, is by sharing food. Menopausal women may have also shared another key commodity – information,” said Croft.