The presence of female elders in a family of giraffes helps the family survive. This may have to do with why giraffes evolved menopause.

The reason this concerns grandmothers and not grandfathers is that adult male giraffes do not stay in families with their offspring. They form separate groups consisting of adult males only. The only elders that can help lead the family are female.

Elephants are similar, except that the adult males are generally solitary.

Orca pods include male and female adults, but the males may have grown up in other pods.