COOPERATION IN MALE INDO-PACIFIC BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN ALLIANCES
The bottlenose dolphin is a social animal that exhibits fission-fusion grouping patterns in open social networks. The male Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) of Shark Bay, Western Australia are unique among cetaceans, as they form the most complex nested alliance system outside of humans. This nested system is comprised of first-, second-, and third-order alliances. The second-order alliance is the core social unit for these males and often consists of 4-14 individuals. Within the second-order alliance, first-order alliances (pairs and trios) will work together to cooperatively herd single estrous females (termed consortships) to obtain paternities.
Previous studies have shown that bottlenose dolphins are indeed capable of using vocal signals to facilitate dyadic coordination of a cooperative task and that they form a concept of cooperative alliance membership. However, the vocal mechanisms underlying polyadic coordination of a cooperative task in free ranging bottlenose dolphins are poorly understood. In my Ph.D. research, I will leverage acoustic data, behavioural observations, and life history data to examine how allied male dolphins facilitate the coordination of a polyadic cooperative task: herding females.
Previous studies have shown that bottlenose dolphins are indeed capable of using vocal signals to facilitate dyadic coordination of a cooperative task and that they form a concept of cooperative alliance membership. However, the vocal mechanisms underlying polyadic coordination of a cooperative task in free ranging bottlenose dolphins are poorly understood. In my Ph.D. research, I will leverage acoustic data, behavioural observations, and life history data to examine how allied male dolphins facilitate the coordination of a polyadic cooperative task: herding females.
Guiding Questions:
- How are polyadic cooperative acts facilitated in this population of free-ranging bottlenose dolphins?
- How does the use of vocal signals in a cooperative context develop over time?
- How do the cooperative skills demonstrated in T. aduncus compare to those in other taxa and what are the implications?
Chapter 1 of my thesis is currently in press! Please see Publications for more info
This project is being completed in Dr. Stephanie King's lab in partnership with the University of Bristol and Shark Bay Dolphin Research and is funded by the University of Bristol and the Society for Marine Mammalogy.
For more information on the Cetacean Communication and Cognition Group run by Dr. Stephanie King or Shark Bay Dolphin Research please check out: