The Social Structure of Free-Ranging Bottlenose Dolphins

1987 ◽  
pp. 247-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randall S. Wells ◽  
Michael D. Scott ◽  
A. Blair Irvine
Keyword(s):  
Social Structure ◽  
Bottlenose Dolphins ◽  
The Social ◽  
Free Ranging

scholarly journals Genetic relatedness delineates the social structure of southern Australian bottlenose dolphins

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 948-959 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando Diaz-Aguirre ◽  
Guido J Parra ◽  
Cecilia Passadore ◽  
Luciana Möller
Keyword(s):  
Social Structure ◽  
Genetic Relatedness ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Bottlenose Dolphins ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Intrinsic Factors ◽  
Photo Identification ◽  
The Social ◽  
Modularity Analysis ◽  
Network Metrics

AbstractSocial relationships represent an adaptive behavioral strategy that can provide fitness benefits to individuals. Within mammalian societies, delphinids are known to form diverse grouping patterns and show a variety of social systems. However, how ecological and intrinsic factors have shaped the evolution of such diverse societies is still not well understood. In this study, we used photo-identification data and biopsy samples collected between March 2013 and October 2015 in Coffin Bay, a heterogeneous environment in South Australia, to investigate the social structure of southern Australian bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops cf. australis). Based on the data from 657 groups of dolphins, we used generalized affiliation indices, and applied social network and modularity methods to study affiliation patterns among individuals and investigate the potential presence of social communities within the population. In addition, we investigated genetic relatedness and kinship relationships within and between the communities identified. Modularity analysis revealed that the Coffin Bay population is structured into 2 similar sized, mixed-sex communities which differed in ranging patterns, affiliation levels and network metrics. Lagged association rates also indicated that nonrandom affiliations persisted over the study period. The genetic analyses suggested that there was higher relatedness, and a higher proportion of inferred full-sibs and half-sibs, within than between communities. We propose that differences in environmental conditions between the bays and kinship relationships are important factors contributing to the delineation and maintenance of this social structure.

scholarly journals The newly described Araguaian river dolphins, Inia araguaiaensis (Cetartyodactyla, Iniidae), produce a diverse repertoire of acoustic signals

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Melo-Santos ◽  
Angélica Lúcia Figueiredo Rodrigues ◽  
Rodrigo Hipólito Tardin ◽  
Israel de Sá Maciel ◽  
Miriam Marmontel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Structure ◽  
Acoustic Communication ◽  
Acoustic Signals ◽  
Acoustic Structure ◽  
River Dolphin ◽  
The Social ◽  
Two Component ◽  
Pilot Whales ◽  
Free Ranging

The recent discovery of the Araguaian river dolphin (Inia araguaiaensis) highlights how little we know about the diversity and biology of river dolphins. In this study, we described the acoustic repertoire of this newly discovered species in concert with their behaviour in free-ranging, human-habituated individuals. We analysed 393 signals that we classified into 13 types of tonal sounds (n=15) and 66 types of pulsed calls (n=378). The most common sounds were short two-component calls. Thirty-five percent (n=140) of these calls were emitted by calves as they reunited with their mothers suggesting a key role in mother-calf communication. Our findings show that the acoustic repertoire of river dolphins is far from simple. Furthermore, the calls described here are similar in acoustic structure to those produced by social delphinids, such as orcas and pilot whales. Uncovering the context in which these signals are produced may help understand the social structure of this species and contribute to our understanding of the evolution of acoustic communication in whales.

THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE OF BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS, TURSIOPS TRUNCATUS, IN THE BAHAMAS

2004 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 688-708 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cindy A. Rogers ◽  
Barbara J. Brunnick ◽  
Denise L. Herzing ◽  
John D. Baldwin
Keyword(s):  
Social Structure ◽  
Tursiops Truncatus ◽  
Bottlenose Dolphins ◽  
The Bahamas ◽  
The Social

scholarly journals Behaviourally specific preferred associations in bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops spp.

2005 ◽  
Vol 83 (12) ◽  
pp. 1566-1573 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Gero ◽  
L Bejder ◽  
H Whitehead ◽  
J Mann ◽  
R C Connor
Keyword(s):  
Social Relationships ◽  
Bottlenose Dolphins ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Shark Bay ◽  
Behavioural State ◽  
The Social ◽  
Association Group ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Free Ranging

We investigated association patterns of 52 photographically identified, free-ranging bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops spp. Gervais, 1855) across four behavioural states (rest, travel, social, and foraging/feeding) to investigate how behavioural state influences patterns of association. Group composition and behavioural data were extracted from 2178 encounter surveys collected over 3 years. Analyses revealed three general types of association: (1) affiliates, which consistently demonstrate preferred associations across all behavioural states; (2) acquaintances, which never form preferred associations but still associate in at least one behavioural state; and (3) behavioural associates, which form preferred associations in at least one, but not all behavioural states. The majority of associations in Shark Bay, Australia, are acquaintance type (38.2%), with affiliates (5.7%, principally between adult males) and behavioural associates (28.9%, principally between juveniles) being relatively rarer. Permutation tests identified behaviourally specific preferred associations during all behavioural states. Although behaviourally specific preferred associations appear to exist within the Shark Bay social structure, it seems that the social organization and mating system constrain the social relationships for the majority of males and females in differing ways which prevent them from having behavioural associates, leaving juveniles free to associate based on short-term expediency and behavioural specific needs.

scholarly journals The interplay between social networks and culture: theoretically and among whales and dolphins

2013 ◽  
Vol 368 (1618) ◽  
pp. 20120340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauricio Cantor ◽  
Hal Whitehead
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Social Structure ◽  
Network Topology ◽  
Foraging Behaviour ◽  
Bottlenose Dolphins ◽  
Social Structures ◽  
Cultural Symbols ◽  
Begging Behaviour ◽  
Specific Behaviour ◽  
The Social

Culture is increasingly being understood as a driver of mammalian phenotypes. Defined as group-specific behaviour transmitted by social learning, culture is shaped by social structure. However, culture can itself affect social structure if individuals preferentially interact with others whose behaviour is similar, or cultural symbols are used to mark groups. Using network formalism, this interplay can be depicted by the coevolution of nodes and edges together with the coevolution of network topology and transmission patterns. We review attempts to model the links between the spread, persistence and diversity of culture and the network topology of non-human societies. We illustrate these processes using cetaceans. The spread of socially learned begging behaviour within a population of bottlenose dolphins followed the topology of the social network, as did the evolution of the song of the humpback whale between breeding areas. In three bottlenose dolphin populations, individuals preferentially associated with animals using the same socially learned foraging behaviour. Homogeneous behaviour within the tight, nearly permanent social structures of the large matrilineal whales seems to result from transmission bias, with cultural symbols marking social structures. We recommend the integration of studies of culture and society in species for which social learning is an important determinant of behaviour.

scholarly journals The newly described Araguaian river dolphins, Inia araguaiaensis (Cetartyodactyla, Iniidae), produce a diverse repertoire of acoustic signals

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Melo-Santos ◽  
Angélica Lúcia Figueiredo Rodrigues ◽  
Rodrigo Hipólito Tardin ◽  
Israel de Sá Maciel ◽  
Miriam Marmontel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Structure ◽  
Acoustic Communication ◽  
Acoustic Signals ◽  
Acoustic Structure ◽  
River Dolphin ◽  
The Social ◽  
Two Component ◽  
Pilot Whales ◽  
Free Ranging

The recent discovery of the Araguaian river dolphin (Inia araguaiaensis) highlights how little we know about the diversity and biology of river dolphins. In this study, we described the acoustic repertoire of this newly discovered species in concert with their behaviour in free-ranging, human-habituated individuals. We analysed 393 signals that we classified into 13 types of tonal sounds (n=15) and 66 types of pulsed calls (n=378). The most common sounds were short two-component calls. Thirty-five percent (n=140) of these calls were emitted by calves as they reunited with their mothers suggesting a key role in mother-calf communication. Our findings show that the acoustic repertoire of river dolphins is far from simple. Furthermore, the calls described here are similar in acoustic structure to those produced by social delphinids, such as orcas and pilot whales. Uncovering the context in which these signals are produced may help understand the social structure of this species and contribute to our understanding of the evolution of acoustic communication in whales.

scholarly journals The social structure of Golfo Dulce bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) and the influence of behavioural state

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (8) ◽  
pp. 160010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelsey Moreno ◽  
Alejandro Acevedo-Gutiérrez
Keyword(s):  
Social Structure ◽  
Bottlenose Dolphins ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Mating Strategies ◽  
Behavioural Plasticity ◽  
Social Strategies ◽  
Behavioural State ◽  
The Social ◽  
Well Differentiated ◽  
Highly Correlated

Ecological factors such as habitat and food availability affect the social structure of bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops spp.). Here, we describe the social structure of bottlenose dolphins ( T. truncatus ) in Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica, a semi-enclosed, fjord-like tropical embayment resembling a pelagic system. We also examine behaviour-linked social strategies by comparing social structure relative to behavioural state: feeding versus non-feeding. We analysed 333 sightings over 210 days from boat-based surveys. Despite the uniqueness of the area, the 47 analysed adults had a social structure similar to other populations: a well-differentiated fission–fusion society with sex-specific patterns of associations and aggression. These results indicate that differences in social structure relative to other populations were a matter of degree. Association strength of dyads was highly correlated across behavioural states, indicating constraints on social fluidity. Males displayed a marked difference in lagged association rate and females displayed a small difference in association homogeneity between states. We suggest this difference in population-wide social connections between behavioural states, particularly for males, was due to mating strategies, a pressure which is strongest during non-feeding behaviour and relaxed during feeding. This finding highlights the importance of considering behavioural state when examining individual bonds and the behavioural plasticity for which the bottlenose dolphin is well known.

Social structure of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, in Panama City, Florida

2010 ◽  
Vol 90 (8) ◽  
pp. 1685-1692 ◽  
Author(s):  
Th. Bouveroux ◽  
J. Mallefet
Keyword(s):  
Social Structure ◽  
Social Organization ◽  
Bottlenose Dolphins ◽  
Mantel Test ◽  
Panama City ◽  
North West ◽  
Multiple Networks ◽  
The North ◽  
The Social ◽  
Dolphin Population

Social organization is an important attribute of the animal society. We describe the social structure of a bottlenose dolphins population living in Panama City, a seaside resort located on the north-west coast of Florida. Study was conducted with 46 individuals. Dolphins are associated on average half weight index of 0.11. Preferred long-term associations are observed. The proportion of the non-zero association indices suggests that some dolphins seem to avoid others. Associations between and within sex-classes were investigated using only dolphins of known sex and observed at least 4 times. Highly significant differences are found in associations between and within sex-classes (Mantel test, t = 3.7987; P = 1); indeed, male associations are stronger than between inter-sexual associations or between females only. Sociogram of males reveals a complex network with strong associations between pairs or trios that reach up to 0.97, whereas female associations are lower than males. The cluster analysis shows no clear division in the social organization of bottlenose dolphins in Panama City, except for dyads, triads and their multiple networks. The population structure seems to be temporally stable over the study and constant companionships are observed in the dolphin population in Panama City.

scholarly journals The newly described Araguaian river dolphins, Inia araguaiaensis (Cetartyodactyla, Iniidae), produce a diverse repertoire of acoustic signals

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Melo-Santos ◽  
Angélica Lúcia Figueiredo Rodrigues ◽  
Rodrigo Hipólito Tardin ◽  
Israel de Sá Maciel ◽  
Miriam Marmontel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Structure ◽  
Acoustic Communication ◽  
Acoustic Signals ◽  
Acoustic Structure ◽  
River Dolphin ◽  
The Social ◽  
Two Component ◽  
Pilot Whales ◽  
Free Ranging

The recent discovery of the Araguaian river dolphin (Inia araguaiaensis) highlights how little we know about the diversity and biology of river dolphins. In this study, we described the acoustic repertoire of this newly discovered species in concert with their behaviour in free-ranging, human-habituated individuals. We analysed 393 signals that we classified into 13 types of tonal sounds (n=15) and 66 types of pulsed calls (n=378). The most common sounds were short two-component calls. Thirty-five percent (n=140) of these calls were emitted by calves as they reunited with their mothers suggesting a key role in mother-calf communication. Our findings show that the acoustic repertoire of river dolphins is far from simple. Furthermore, the calls described here are similar in acoustic structure to those produced by social delphinids, such as orcas and pilot whales. Uncovering the context in which these signals are produced may help understand the social structure of this species and contribute to our understanding of the evolution of acoustic communication in whales.

Evaluating the influence of ecology, sex and kinship on the social structure of resident coastal bottlenose dolphins

2018 ◽  
Vol 165 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Louis ◽  
Benoit Simon-Bouhet ◽  
Amélia Viricel ◽  
Tamara Lucas ◽  
François Gally ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Structure ◽  
Bottlenose Dolphins ◽  
The Social
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