"Didn't Go All-In on One Partner"... The Secret of Belugas' Diversified Love Life [Experiment Note]

13 Years of DNA Tracking: Analyzing Beluga Breeding Patterns

Both Males and Females Switch Partners Throughout Life

Reducing Inbreeding and Preserving Population Health

Editor's NoteOne now, two if you wait. Do you remember the marshmallow experiment that observed children's choices? Sometimes, simple research changes the way we see life. Let's look at our daily lives in a new light through experimental data.

Dating reality shows are booming these days. As programs like "I Am SOLO," "Heart Signal," and "Transit Love" gain popularity, similar shows are flooding the market. The main attraction lies in the subtle relationships and emotional dynamics created by the contestants.

Mina Choi, a contestant on the Netflix program Solo Hell, drew attention for openly expressing her interest in multiple people. However, she also became the center of debate on social networking services (SNS), being nicknamed the "fishing villain" for allegedly leading others on, a term used to describe ambiguous relationship management.

Interestingly, there are animals in nature that form relationships with multiple partners as a survival strategy. One such animal is the beluga whale, which lives in the Arctic Ocean. Unlike species that maintain lifelong pair bonds, belugas have been found to breed with multiple partners.

Mina Soo Choi, who appeared on the Netflix program Solo Hell. Netflix

Recently, researchers at Florida Atlantic University analyzed the DNA of 623 belugas living in Bristol Bay, Alaska, over a 13-year period. Their findings showed that both male and female belugas bred with multiple partners throughout their lives. What's even more fascinating is that this "mate switching" is not just a breeding habit, but may also reduce inbreeding and help preserve genetic diversity.

Private Lives Unveiled: Tracking with DNA

Belugas are white whales inhabiting Arctic and sub-Arctic waters. Until now, the private lives of belugas have remained largely mysterious. With a lifespan of about 90 years—most of it spent in the icy Arctic seas—it's not easy to observe their behavior in the wild.

Initially, the researchers expected belugas to follow a pattern seen in some other mammals, where a few strong males mate with many females. This assumption was based on the fact that male belugas are larger than females and that females only give birth every few years.

Beluga. Unsplash

Unexpected Results: Both Males and Females "Switch Partners"

However, the DNA data told a different story. The research revealed that not only males, but also females, bred with multiple partners over their lifetimes. When examining sibling relationships among calves, it was far more common for them to share only one parent—either the mother or the father—rather than both.

There were differences in breeding success among the males: some fathered more calves than others. Still, unlike the researchers’ initial expectations, it was not the case that a tiny handful of males monopolized the majority of breeding.

The behavior of the females was especially intriguing. Observations showed that females gave birth to calves by different males across several breeding seasons. Researchers interpreted this as a "bet-hedging" strategy—a way to reduce the genetic risks of relying on a single male for breeding.

Only 2,000 Individuals... Yet Little Inbreeding

One of the most surprising findings for the researchers was elsewhere. The Bristol Bay beluga population consists of only about 2,000 individuals. Typically, small populations have reduced genetic diversity and a higher risk of inbreeding.

Yet, belugas maintained high genetic diversity, and evidence of inbreeding was relatively rare. The researchers pointed to the "mate switching" behavior as the reason.

By breeding with multiple partners, belugas can avoid concentrating genes within specific lineages. This decreases the likelihood of close relatives mating again and helps maintain genetic diversity across the entire population.

Beluga. Pixabay

The Survival Strategy of "Highly Intelligent" Belugas

Of course, not all beluga populations behave the same way. The researchers explained that differences in body size between males and females and social structures may vary by region, suggesting that breeding strategies could also differ.

In fact, belugas are renowned for their intelligence, roughly equal to that of a 7- to 8-year-old child (IQ 70–80). Recent studies have even shown that belugas can recognize themselves in mirrors—a trait known as mirror self-recognition, which is a highly advanced ability shared by only a few animal species, including humans.

This study highlights the clever survival tactics of belugas, who have preserved genetic diversity through flexible breeding strategies. It brings to mind the old investment adage: "Don't put all your eggs in one basket." Diversification seems to be a wise approach, whether for investing or for survival.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.