Acevedo Gutierrez, A. (2002). Interactions between marine predators: dolphin food intake is related to number of sharks. Marine Ecology Progress Series 240: 267-271. ISSN: 0171-8630.
NAL Call Number: QH541.5.S3M32
Descriptors: pisces, mammalian predators, Tursiops truncatus, piscean predators, Carcharhinus falciformis, feeding competition between predators, east Pacific, Cocos Island, feeding competition between mammalian and piscean predators.
Acevedo Gutierrez, A. and S.C. Stienessen (2004). Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) increase number of whistles when feeding. Aquatic Mammals 30(3): 357-362. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Descriptors: Tursiops truncatus, echolocation, sound production rate, relationships, feeding behavior, cooperative behavior, North Pacific, Costa Rica, Isla del Coco, recruitment to feeding events, sound production rate relationships.
Akamatsu, T., Y. Hatakeyama, and K. Ishii (1991). Process of harbor porpoise's entanglement in the gill net. Technical Report of National Research Institute of Fisheries Engineering. Fishing Gear and Methods (5): 25-36. ISSN: 0289-5153.
Abstract: In the Bering sea and Northern Pacific Ocean, Dall's porpoises Phocoenoides dalli get entangled in gill nets. To reduce the number of entangled porpoises, we researched the mechanism of porpoise's entanglements. We used Harbor porpoises Phocoena phocoena in the coastal area of Hokkaido, Japan. Harbor porpoises are of the same family as Dall's porpoises. We observed the porpoise's behavior in the net enclosure in which we set the gill net, the float line, as well as the rope. The results may be summarized as follows: Harbor porpoises can recognize the gill net at daytime, if they are aware of it. At night, porpoises can also recognize the gill net, if they have already know the existence of it. Porpoises can easier recognize a line than a netting. The fin of porpoises get entangled in the gill net. When they obliquely thrust into the gill net, they get entangled in it. The food causes reduction of porpoises' cautiousness. The source level of porpoise's clicks is in the range 125 to 150dB.
Descriptors: Phocoena, gillnets, experimentation, behavior, animal resources, equipment, fishing gear, fishing nets, natural resources.
Akamatsu, T., Y. Hatakeyama, and N. Takatsu (1993). Effects of pulse sounds on escape behavior of false killer whales. Bulletin of the Japanese Society of Scientific Fisheries 59(8): 1297-1303. ISSN: 0021-5392.
Descriptors: dolphins, noise, behavior, accident prevention, equipment, sound, Cetacea, mammals, pollutants, radiations, safety.
Language of Text: English and Japanese summaries.
Akamatsu, T., D. Wang, K. Wang, Z. Wei, Q. Zhao, and Y. Naito (2002). Diving behaviour of freshwater finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides) in an oxbow of the Yangtze River, China. ICES Journal of Marine Science 59(2): 438-443. ISSN: 1054-3139.
Descriptors: behavior, freshwater ecology, bottom time, dive depth, diving behavior, horizontal travel distance, swimming speed, finless porpoise, Yangtze River, China.
Amano, M. and N. Miyazaki (2004). Composition of a school of Risso's dolphins, Grampus griseus. Marine Mammal Science 20(1): 152-160. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Descriptors: Grampus griseus, schooling, population structure, north Pacific, Japan, Honshu, Wakayama, school composition.
Amano, M. and M. Yoshioka (2003). Sperm whale diving behavior monitored using a suction-cup-attached TDR tag. Marine Ecology Progress Series 258: 291-295. ISSN: 0171-8630.
NAL Call Number: QH541.5.S3M32
Descriptors: Physeter macrocephalus, activity recording, telemetry techniques, foraging, aquatic diving, north Pacific, Japan, Kumano coast, diving behavior monitoring using suction cup attached tdr tag.
Amano, M., M. Yoshioka, and K. Mori (2003). Study on diving behavior of sperm whales using suction cup attached TDR tag: an overview. Otsuchi Marine Science 28: 1-5. ISSN: 1344-8420.
Descriptors: Physeter macrocephalus, behavioral techniques, west Pacific, Japan and Ogasawara Islands, diving behavior analysis using suction cap attached time depth recorder tag, overview.
Anderson, J.R. (1995). Self-recognition in dolphins: credible cetaceans; compromised criteria, controls, and conclusions. Consciousness and Cognition 4(2): 239-43. ISSN: 1053-8100.
Descriptors: awareness, dolphins psychology, self concept, television, visual perception, animal communication, discrimination learning, orientation, social behavior.
Baird, R.W. and P.J. Stacey (1988). Foraging and feeding behavior of transient killer whales. Whalewatcher 22(1): 11-15. ISSN: 0273-4419.
Descriptors: Orcinus orca, foraging, transients comparison with residents, British Columbia, north Pacific, foraging behavior of transients, comparison with residents.
Baird, R.W. and P.J. Stacey (1987). Foraging behavior of transient killer whales. Cetus 7(1): 33. ISSN: 0736-542X.
Descriptors: Orcinus orca, foraging, coordinating behavior within transient pods, British Columbia, north Pacific, foraging behavior within transient pods.
Baird, R.W., J.F. Borsani, M.B. Hanson, and P.L. Tyack (2002). Diving and night-time behavior of long-finned pilot whales in the Ligurian Sea. Marine Ecology Progress Series 237: 301-305. ISSN: 0171-8630.
NAL Call Number: QH541.5.S3M32
Descriptors: behavior, dive depths, diving, foraging, night time behavior, social behaviors, pilot whales, Ligurian Sea, deep dives, radio tags, foraging.
Baird, R.W. and L.M. Dill (1995). Occurrence and behaviour of transient killer whales: seasonal and pod-specific variability, foraging behaviour, and prey handling. Canadian Journal of Zoology 73(7): 1300-1311. ISSN: 0008-4301.
NAL Call Number: 470 C16D
Abstract: We studied the occurrence and behaviour of so-called transient killer whales (Orcinus orca) around southern Vancouver Island from 1986 to 1993. Occurrence and behaviour varied seasonally and among pods; some pods foraged almost entirely in open water and were recorded in the study area throughout the year, while others spent much of their time foraging around pinniped haulouts and other nearshore sites, and used the study area primarily during the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) weaning-postweaning period. Overall use of the area was greatest during that period, and energy intake at that time was significantly greater than at other times of the year, probably because of the high encounter rates and ease of capture of harbour seal pups. Multipod groups of transients were frequently observed, as has been reported for "residents", but associations were biased towards those between pods that exhibited similar foraging tactics. Despite the occurrence of transients and residents within several kilometres of each other on nine occasions, mixed groups were never observed and transients appeared to avoid residents. Combined with previous studies on behavioural, ecological, and morphological differences, such avoidance behaviour supports the supposition that these populations are reproductively isolated.
Descriptors: behavior, ecology, environmental sciences, genetics, nutrition, population genetics, population studies, reproductive system, reproduction, avoidance behavior, reproductive isolation.
Barber, D.G., E. Saczuk, and P.R. Richard (2001). Examination of beluga-habitat relationships through the use of telemetry and a geographic information system. Arctic 54(3): 305-316. ISSN: 0004-0843.
Descriptors: marine ecology, kolmogorov smirnoff statistical test, beluga whale, geographic information system, field techniques, bathymetry, climate change, habitat, spatial relationship, temporal relationship, telemetry.
Barrett, L.L.G., T.G. Smith, and G.M. Ellis (1996). A cetacean biopsy system using lightweight pneumatic darts, and its effect on the behavior of killer whales. Marine Mammal Science 12(1): 14-27. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Abstract: Lightweight untethered pneumatic darts were used to biopsy killer whales, Orcinus orca, for genetic and toxicological analysis. Samples of epidermal, dermal, and hypodermal tissue weighing approximately 0.5 g were obtained by 65% of the 91 darts fired during the study. Sufficient DNA for multiple analyses was extracted from the biopsies, which were also used for fatty acid and toxic contaminant analyses. Reactions such as momentary shakes or accelerations were observed after 81% of the dart hits and 53% of the misses. Aversion to the research vessel was assessed by reapproaching target whales after the sampling attempts. In 6% of the hits and 8% of the misses aversion to the research boat increased immediately following the attempt. No similar increases in aversion were seen when killer whales were reapproached one day to one year after being hit. The darts were also tested successfully on humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae. In view of the simplicity of the system, its effectiveness in acquiring multipurpose samples, and the apparently short-term disturbance it caused, it is recommended for future cetacean biopsy studies.
Descriptors: behavior, biochemistry and molecular biophysics, equipment, apparatus, devices and instrumentation, genetics, methods and techniques, population genetics, population studies, systematics and taxonomy, toxicology, DNA, field apparatus, field method, population genetics, toxicology.
Barros, N.B., T.A. Jefferson, and E.C.M. Parsons (2004). Feeding habits of indo-pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) stranded in Hong Kong. Aquatic Mammals 30(1): 179-188. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Abstract: Dietary information derived from the examination of stomach contents of 29 Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) stranded in Hong Kong waters is presented in this study. Humpback dolphins in this area have a diet comprised nearly exclusively of fish. Prey spectrum from the 15 dolphins with contents includes a minimum of 24 species of fish, and one species of cephalopod. The croaker (Johnius sp.) was the most frequent and numerically most important prey, followed by the lionhead (Collichthys lucida) and anchovies (Thryssa spp.). The fish families Sciaenidae, Engraulidae, Trichiuridae, and Clupeidae accounted for over 93% of all prey consumed. Most of these prey are common in murky, brackish waters of estuaries and often occur in large shoals. There is some dietary overlap with finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides); the two species share some 13 fish species, but only anchovies figure among the top five prey for both species. In addition, finless porpoises rely more heavily on cephalopods (squids, cuttlefishes, and octopus) and may venture into deeper, clearer waters during foraging, whereas humpback dolphins seem to exploit demersal and shoaling fish of productive estuaries. The stocks of some fish species important in the diet of humpback dolphins may have been subjected to heavy exploitation by the fisheries in Hong Kong waters. Behavioral observations of dolphins feeding in association with pair trawlers suggest a somewhat different prey preference for some dolphins from the results of this study.
Descriptors: behavior, estuarine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, marine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, estuaries, feeding behavior, feeding ecology, fish stocks, fisheries exploitation, prey preference, prey spectrum, trawler association feeding.
Bauer, G.B. and C.M. Johnson (1994). Trained motor imitation by bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Perceptual and Motor Skills 79(3 Pt. 1): 1307-15. ISSN: 0031-5125.
Abstract: Each of two bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, was trained to mimic a set of behaviors on command. They were tested on transfer of the mimic command to a set of familiar behaviors which they had not previously been commended to mimic. They were similarly tested on two novel behaviors. One dolphin demonstrated complete mimicry of 5 of 11 familiar behaviors; the other dolphin mimicked 1 of 9 behaviors. None of the mimicked behaviors was exhibited to an inappropriate model, suggesting that performance was not due to chance. Neither dolphin imitated the novel behaviors.
Descriptors: dolphins psychology, imitative behavior, motor skills, mental recall, transfer psychology.
Baumgartner, M.F. and B.R. Mate (2003). Summertime foraging ecology of North Atlantic right whales. Marine Ecology Progress Series 264: 123-135. ISSN: 0171-8630.
NAL Call Number: QH541.5.S3M32
Descriptors: Eubalaena glacialis, food availability, feeding rate, foraging, aquatic diving, ecology, salinity, temperature, north Atlantic, Canada, lower Bay of Fundy and southwestern Scotian Shelf, summer foraging ecology and influences.
Beasley, I. and T.A. Jefferson (2002). Surface and dive times of finless porpoises in Hong Kong's coastal waters. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 10: 125-129.
Descriptors: behavior, finless porpoise, ecology, helicopter survey, land based survey, line transect method, coastal waters, dive times, surfacing behavior, trackline detection probability, Hong Kong.
Belikov, R.A. and V.M. Bel'kovich (2003). Underwater vocalization of the beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in a reproductive gathering during different behavioral situations. Okeanologiya 43(1): 118-126. ISSN: 0030-1574.
Descriptors: communication, disturbance, reproductive gathering, sexual behavior, social interactions, swimming, underwater acoustical communication, underwater vocalization, vocalization rate, beluga whales.
Benoit, B.K.J. (2004). Prey caloric value and predator energy needs: foraging predictions for wild spinner dolphins. Marine Biology (Berlin) 145(3): 435-444. ISSN: 0025-3162.
NAL Call Number: QH91.A1M35
Abstract: Spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) feed on individual small (2-10 cm long) prey that undergo diel vertical migrations, presumably making them inaccessible to dolphins during the day. To examine how time, prey behavior, prey distribution, and energy needs constrain dolphin foraging, a calorimeter was used to measure the caloric content of prey items. These data were combined with information on prey distribution in the field and the energetic needs of dolphins to construct basic bioenergetic models predicting the total prey consumption and mean feeding rates of wild dolphins as well as potential prey preferences. The mean caloric density of mesopelagic animals from Hawaii was high (2,837 cal/g wet weight for shrimps, squids, and myctophid fishes). Their total caloric content, however, was low because of their small size. Energy value of prey and energetic needs of spinner dolphins were used to examine the effect of time and energy constraints on dolphin foraging. The results predict that spinner dolphins need to consume an estimated minimum of 1.25 large prey items per minute to meet their maintenance energy needs. If the additional energy costs of foraging are considered, the estimated necessary foraging rate is predicted to increase only slightly when large prey are consumed. If smaller prey are consumed, the total energy demand may be twice the basic maintenance value. Prey density and size are predicted to be important in determining if dolphins can forage successfully, meeting their energetic needs. The prey size predictions compare well with results from previous gut content studies and from stomach contents of a recently stranded spinner dolphin that had enough prey in its stomach to meet its estimated basic maintenance energy needs for a day. Finally, the results suggest that spinner dolphins are time and therefore efficiency limited rather than being limited by the total amount of available prey. This may explain the diel migration exhibited by spinner dolphins that allows them to follow the movements of their prey and presumably maximizes their foraging time.
Descriptors: behavior, marine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, bioenergetic model, mathematical and computer techniques, foraging prediction, prey caloric value, predator energy needs.
Benoit Bird, K.J., B. Wuersig, and C.J. McFadden (2004). Dusky dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obscurus) foraging in two different habitats: active acoustic detection of dolphins and their prey. Marine Mammal Science 20(2): 215-231. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Abstract: Active-acoustic surveys were used to determine the distribution of dusky dolphins and potential prey in two different New Zealand locations. During seven survey days off Kaikoura Canyon, dusky dolphins were found within the Deep-Scattering Layer (DSL) at 2000 when it rose to within 125 m of the surface. As the DSL rose to 30 m at 0100, the observed depth of dolphins decreased, presumably as the dolphins followed the vertical migration of their prey. acoustically identified subgroups of coordinated animals ranged from one to five dolphins. Time, depth of layer, and layer variance contributed significantly to predicting foraging dusky dolphin subgroup size. In the much shallower and more enclosed Admiralty Bay, dolphins noted at the surface as foraging were always detected with the sonar, but were never observed in coordinated subgroups during the brief (two-day) study there. In Admiralty Bay dolphin abundance was correlated with mean volume scattering from potential prey in the water column; and when volume scattering, an index of prey density, was low, dolphins were rarely present. Ecological differences between the deep waters of Kaikoura Canyon and the shallow nearshore waters of Admiralty Bay may result in differences in how, when, and in what social groupings dusky dolphins forage.
Descriptors: Lagenorhynchus obscurus, foraging, deep and shallow waters, social behavior, ecology, South Pacific, New Zealand, Admiralty Bay and Kaikoura Canyon, foraging strategy, active acoustic analysis.
Benyus, J.M. and J.C. Barberis (1992). Beastly Behaviors: a Zoo Lover's Companion: What Makes Whales Whistle, Cranes Dance, Pandas Turn Somersaults, and Crocodiles Roar: a Watcher's Guide to How Animals Act and Why, Addison-Wesley: Reading, Massachusetts, 366 p. ISBN: 02-015-70084.
NAL Call Number: QL751.B368 1992
Descriptors: behavior, zoo animals, useful animals, wildlife watching.
Bhaagat, H.B. (1999). Introduction, distribution, conservation and behavioral ecology of Indus blind dolphin (Platanista indi) in River Indus (Dolphin reserve), Sindh-Pakistan. Tigerpaper 26(1): 11-16. ISSN: 1014-2789.
NAL Call Number: QL84.5.A1T53
Descriptors: dolphins, geographical distribution, nature conservation, behavior, ecology, nature reserves, biogeography, Cetacea, mammals, resource conservation, resource management.
Bisther, A. and D. Vongraven (1993). Presence of "baby-sitting" males among Norwegian killer whales (Orcinus orca): alloparenting behaviour as an indicator of social complexity. European Research on Cetaceans 7: 24-25. ISSN: 1028-3412.
Descriptors: Orcinus orca, parental care, alloparenting by males indication of social complexity, social organization, social complexity indication from male alloparenting, Norway, Arctic Ocean, male alloparenting indication of social complexity.
Bjorge, A. (2003). The harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) in the North Atlantic: variability in habitat use, trophic ecology and contaminant exposure. North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (NAMMCO) Scientific Publications 5: 223-228. ISSN: 1560-2206.
Abstract: Harbour porpoises inhabit coastal waters, in habitats that are characterized by high diversity and complexity in terms of their bathymetry, substrate, fish communities and point sources of contaminants. The complexity in these habitats influences both the habitat use and feeding ecology of porpoises. Congregations of porpoises feeding primarily on one species are observed in some areas and seasons, while wide movements and diets composed of several species are observed in other areas. Due to these observations, this paper suggests that caution is needed when extrapolating knowledge from one area to another with regard to porpoise habitat use, exposure to contaminants, and interactions with fisheries. Management plans should be site specific and based on local knowledge incorporating porpoise population structure, habitat use, and multiple environmental factors in order to ensure appropriate conservation of this abundant but still vulnerable small cetacean species.
Descriptors: Phocoena, conservation measures, pollutants, diet, feeding behavior, trophic ecology, habitat utilization, chemical pollution, north atlantic, habitat use, trophic ecology and contaminant exposure, conservation implications, review.
Blomqvist, C. and M. Amundin (2003). High-frequency burst-pulse sounds in agonistic/aggressive interactions in bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus. In: J.A. Thomas, C.F. Moss and M. Vater (Editors), Echolocation in Bats and Dolphins, University of Chicago Press: Chicago & London, p. 425-431. ISBN: 0226795993.
NAL Call Number: QL737.C5E28 2004
Descriptors: Tursiops truncatus, echolocation, agonistic behavior, acoustic signals, high frequency burst pulse sounds characterization during agonistic interactions.
Bloom, P.R.S., A.D. Goodson, M. Klinowska, and C.R. Sturtivant (1995). The activities of a wild, solitary bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Aquatic Mammals 21(1): 19-42. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Abstract: The movements and activities of a wild, solitary bottlenose dolphin with a small home range have been studied through six 24 hour watches, conducted between June 1989 and January 1992. Possible relationships with environmental factors were investigated. The opportunity was also taken to compare these results with patterns indicated by reports from informal watches. Foraging activity accounted for more than half the dolphin's time budget. The proportion of foraging noted during daylight hours alone differed significantly from records for entire 24 hour periods. Tidal rhythms appeared to be the major influence on the dolphin's position, showing a strong preference for the harbour mouth during ebb tide, where he was generally found foraging. The dolphin spent a considerable part of his time associating with boats and swimmers (averaging 34% during daylight), which was termed,recreational' activity. However, the number of recreational opportunities accepted by the dolphin varied considerably from watch to watch (27% to 83%), and had no apparent pattern. This suggests that the animal was able to prevent visitors from dictating his entire pattern of behaviour. Data from informal watches indicated a higher incidence of recreational activity, lower resting, and lower foraging than from the formal watches. These results were to be expected, since the informal data was often gathered by people involved in recreation activity with the dolphin. Acoustic monitoring of foraging greatly aided determination of this activity at night, and throughout the entire watch provided a more accurate method of detecting hunting events than purely visual observation. A regular patrol pattern and steady echolocation were common features during foraging, whereas travel from one area to another within the dolphin's home range was observed with no discernible echolocation activity. Resting behaviour was also acoustically monitored and proved to be essentially silent.
Descriptors: behavior, ecology, environmental sciences, systematics and taxonomy, acoustic monitoring, behavior.
Boily, P. (1995). Theoretical heat flux in water and habitat selection of phocid seals and beluga whales during the annual molt. Journal of Theoretical Biology 172(3): 235-244. ISSN: 0022-5193.
NAL Call Number: 442.8 J8223
Abstract: The heat flux of marine mammals in water during the annual molt is estimated with theoretical calculations. The model is applied to typical small (the harbor seal, Phoca vitulina) and large (the southern elephant seal, Mirounga leonina) phocid seal and to the only cetacean known to molt annually, the beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas). The results suggest that phocid seals could tolerate the heat flux associated with molting in water, but at a high energetic cost and only in relatively warm water temperatures, which are unlikely to be encountered. This agrees with the view that phocid seals must become terrestrial during the molt to satisfy the thermal requirements of their epidermis. The results also suggest that belugas would be able to molt in water, and would be thermoneutral while molting in water temperatures of 5 degree C or higher. Movement into warm water estuaries during the molt would, however, allow them either to save energy or to molt more rapidly than if they stayed in colder open waters. While there is apparently some thermal benefit associated with fresh water compared to salt water, this would occur only under conditions that are unlikely to be encountered by belugas in the wild.
Descriptors: estuarine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, integumentary system, chemical coordination and homeostasis, physiology, epidermis, thermoregulation.
Boran, J.R., P.G.H. Evans and M.J. Rosen (2001). Behavioural ecology of cetaceans. In: P.G.H. Evans and J.A. Raga (Editors), Marine Mammals: Biology and Conservation, Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers: New York, p. 197-242. ISBN: 0306465736.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M354 2001
Descriptors: Cetacea, literature review, behavior, ecology.
Bouetel, V. (2005). Phylogenetic implications of skull structure and feeding behavior in balaenopterids (Cetacea, Mysticeti). Journal of Mammalogy 86(1): 139-146. ISSN: 0022-2372.
NAL Call Number: 410 J823
Abstract: Balaenopteridae actively feed by engulfment. They swim rapidly at their prey (40-50 km/h), with their mouth open and their lower jaw pulled wide open at a 90[degree] angle. Their mouth and ventral pouch engulf up to 60 m3 of water, then the mouth closes and food is swallowed after the expulsion of water through the baleen. These highly specialized feeding mechanisms are associated with a developed ascending process of the maxilla and a hooklike and outwardly bent coronoid process of the dentary. These features participate in the strengthening of the architecture of the skull and jaw. Although all fossil baleen mysticetes bear a developed coronoid process, only 6 taxa (Piscobalaena nana. Cetotherium rathkei, Herpetocetus sendaicus, Metopocetus durinasus, Mixocetus elysius, and Nannocetus eremus) have a posteromedially expanded ascending process of the maxilla. Feeding strategies and mechanisms of each extant family of baleen whales are compared and correlated with the associated skull and dentary features. This correlation suggests a preliminary phylogeny of the mysticetes and a new definition of the Cetotheriidae sensu stricto (Piscobalaena nana, Cetotherium rathkei, Herpetocetus sendaicus, Metopocetus durinasus, Mixocetus elysius, and Nannocetus eremus).
Descriptors: balaenopteridae, skull, skull structure, feeding behavior, phylogeny, relationships among higher taxa inferred from skull structure and feeding behavior.
Brown, M.R., P.J. Corkeron, P.T. Hale, K.W. Schultz, and M.M. Bryden (1994). Behavioral responses of east Australian humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae to biopsy sampling. Marine Mammal Science 10(4): 391-400. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Abstract: The response of migrating humpback whales to biopsy sampling was investigated off North Stradbroke Island, South East Queensland. Whales were allocated a behavioral category prior to biopsy sampling according to the general behavior of their pod. Behavioral reactions were recorded after each attempt. Sex was determined using a molecular genetic technique. Detectable reactions occurred in 41.6% of successful biopsy attempts, a significantly lower response rate than that reported by two studies carried out on the feeding and breeding grounds of the North Atlantic. There was no difference in the response rate of whales on their northward or southward migration. Pod size was not an important factor in predicting the response of an individual. Females responded to biopsy sampling at a significantly higher rate than males. Our results indicate that a substantial difference in response rate can occur between studies. Factors such as the type of boat used and the prior exposure of whales to human impact may be of importance. Our study suggests that female humpback whales may be particularly responsive to human disturbances. Overall, however, biopsy sampling has minimal impact on humpback whales.
Descriptors: behavior, biochemistry and molecular biophysics, ecology, environmental sciences, genetics, marine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, population genetics, population studies, gender differences, migration, molecular genetics, sex determination.
Browne, D. (2004). Do dolphins know their own minds? Biology and Philosophy 19(4): 633-653. ISSN: 0169-3867.
Abstract: Knowledge of one's own states of mind is one of the varieties of self-knowledge. Do any nonhuman animals have the capacity for this variety of self-knowledge? The question is open to empirical inquiry, which is most often conducted with primate subjects. Research with a bottlenose dolphin gives some evidence for the capacity in a nonprimate taxon. I describe the research and evaluate the metacognitive interpretation of the dolphin's behaviour. The research exhibits some of the difficulties attached to the task of eliciting behaviour that both attracts a higher-order interpretation while also resisting deflationary, lower-order interpretations. Lloyd Morgan's Canon, which prohibits inflationary interpretations of animal behaviour, has influenced many animal psychologists. There is one defensible version of the Canon, the version that warns specifically against unnecessary intentional ascent. The Canon on this interpretation seems at first to tell against a metacognitive interpretation of the data collected in the dolphin study. However, the model of metacognition that is in play in the dolphin studies is a functional model, one that does not implicate intentional ascents I explore some interpretations of the dolphin's behaviour as metacognitive, in this sense. While this species of metacognitive interpretation breaks the connection with the more familiar theory of mind research using animal subjects, the interpretation also points in an interesting way towards issues concerning consciousness in dolphins.
Descriptors: Tursiops truncatus, philosophy and ethics, behavior, self knowledge, states of mind, discussion.
Buckstaff, K.C. (2004). Effects of watercraft noise on the acoustic behavior of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, in Sarasota Bay, Florida. Marine Mammal Science 20(4): 709-725. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Abstract: Watercraft may provide the greatest source of arithropogenic noise for bottlenose dolphins living in coastal waters. A resident community of about 140 individuals near Sarasota, Florida, are exposed to a vessel passing within 100 m approximately every six minutes during daylight hours. I investigated the circumstances under which watercraft traffic may impact the acoustic behavior of this community, specifically looking for short-term changes in whistle frequency range, duration, and rate of production. To analyze whistles and received watercraft noise levels, acoustic recordings were made using two hydrophones towed from an observation vessel during focal animal follows of 14 individual dolphins. The duration and frequency range of signature whistles did not change significantly relative to vessel approaches. However, dolphins whistled significantly more often at the onset of approaches compared to during and after vessel approaches. Whistle rate was also significantly greater at the onset of a vessel approach than when no vessels were present. Increased whistle repetition as watercraft approach may simply reflect heightened arousal, an increased motivation for animals to come closer together, with whistles functioning to promote reunions. It may also be an effective way to compensate for signal masking, maintaining communication in a noisy environment.
Descriptors: Tursiops truncatus, disturbance by man, acoustic signals, whistles, physical pollution, effect on acoustic behavior, sound, watercraft noise, Gulf of Mexico, USA, Florida, Sarasota Bay, watercraft noise effect on acoustic behavior.
Calambokidis, J., Francis, J., Marshall, G., Croll, D., McDonald, M., & Williams, T. (2002). Underwater Behavior of Blue Whales Using a Suction-Cup Attached CRITTERCAM. Final Technical Report. Cascadia Research, Olympia:
Descriptors: Balaenoptera musculus, foraging, underwater behavior, diving, depth records, north Pacific, Mexico, USA, California, underwater foraging behavior and dive depths.
Notes: Report to Office of Naval Research under Grant Number: N00014-00-1-0942.
Carter, N. (1982). Effects of psycho-physiological stress on captive dolphins. International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems 3(3): 193-198. ISSN: 0195-7554.
Descriptors: dolphins, stress, handling, animal welfare, effects, captivity.
Chilvers, B.L. and P.J. Corkeron (2001). Trawling and bottlenose dolphins' social structure. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences 268(1479): 1901-5. ISSN: 0962-8452.
Abstract: Human activities can affect the behaviour of mammals through the modification of habitats, changes in predation pressure or alterations in food distribution and availability. We analysed the association and ranging patterns of 242 individually identified bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) in eastern Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia, and distinguished two separate communities of dolphins. Unlike bottlenose dolphins elsewhere, the communities' core areas overlapped substantially. There was a correlation between the dolphins' responses to fishing activities and community membership-members of one community feed in association with trawlers and members of the other do not. Apart from feeding mode, the communities differed in habitat preference and group sizes. Inadvertent anthropogenic impacts on animals' societies are likely to be far more widespread than just this study and can increase conservation challenges. In this instance, managers need to consider the two communities' differing habitat requirements and their behavioural traditions in conservation planning.
Descriptors: behavior, animal, dolphins, social isolation, feeding behavior.
Chilvers, B.L., P.J. Corkeron, and M.L. Puotinen (2003). Influence of trawling on the behaviour and spatial distribution of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) in Moreton Bay, Australia. Canadian Journal of Zoology 81(12): 1947-1955. ISSN: 0008-4301.
NAL Call Number: 470 C16D
Descriptors: Tursiops aduncus, fishing and fisheries, trawling, effects on behavior and spatial distribution, foraging, social behavior, segregation of sympatric communities, habitat utilization, south Pacific, Australia, Queensland, Moreton Bay, behavior and spatial distribution, trawling effects, sympatric communities.
Ciaramitaro, S., M. Azzali, S. Catacchio, M. Jones, R. Simoni, and A. Ruggeri (2000). The evolution of the acoustic and social behaviour in an artificial community of dolphins. European Research on Cetaceans 14: 81-85. ISSN: 1028-3412.
Descriptors: Tursiops truncatus, acoustic signals, social behavior, evolution in artificial community.
Clapham, P.J., E. Leimkuhler, B.K. Gray, and D.K. Mattila (1995). Do humpback whales exhibit lateralized behaviour? Animal Behaviour 50(1): 73-82. ISSN: 0003-3472.
NAL Call Number: 410 B77
Abstract: Lateralized behaviour has been documented in non-human species, although many observers believe that it occurs at the individual rather than the population level. Its occurrence in humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, in Massachusetts Bay was investigated by examining active behaviour types in which preference could be given to one direction or side. These included head breaching (direction of spin), flippering (right or left) and tail breaching (direction of movement). In addition, persistent abrasions on the right or left jaw resulting from turns to one side during bottom feeding were noted. Of 75 individuals with jaw abrasions, 60 (80%) showed abrasions on only the right jaw, while 15 (20%) had abrasions on only the left. No whales had abrasions on both jaws. Location of abrasions was consistent in all resighted individuals for up to 12 years. Two of the three active behaviour types were not strongly lateralized: directional bias was seen in only five of 21 bouts (23.8%) of breaching, and in three of 11 bouts (27.3%) of tail breaching. However, 22 of 34 bouts (64-7%) of flippering showed a bias towards one direction (generally the right). Furthermore, direction of bias in all behaviour types was individually consistent between bouts and was strongly correlated with abrasions on the corresponding jaw (P=0.0032). The sex ratio of individuals with jaw abrasions, and of those showing directional bias in active behaviour, did not differ significantly from that of the overall population. Overall, these data suggest that humpback whales exhibit some behavioural asymmetries, at least one of which is at the population level. This result suggests asymmetry of function in motor or somatosensory representations, although too little is known about the brain of this species to permit definitive conclusions.
Descriptors: behavior, dental and oral system, ingestion and assimilation, ecology, environmental sciences, estuarine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, nutrition, bottom feeding, directional bias, flippering, head breaching, jaw abrasion, lateralized behavior, Massachusetts Bay, tail breaching.
Clark, S.T. and D.K. Odell (1999). Nursing parameters in captive killer whales (Orcinus orca). Zoo Biology 18(5): 373-384. ISSN: 0733-3188.
Online: http://www.interscience.wiley.com/jpages/0733-3188/
NAL Call Number: QL77.5.Z6
Descriptors: whales, lactating females, suckling, lactation stage, feeding frequency, sex differences, lactation number.
Coakes, A.K. and H. Whitehead (2004). Social structure and mating system of sperm whales off northern Chile. Canadian Journal of Zoology 82(8): 1360-1369. ISSN: 0008-4301.
NAL Call Number: 470 C16D
Abstract: We studied the social structure and mating system of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus L., 1758) off northern Chile over 10 months in 2000, photographically identifying 898 individuals. The mean size of encountered groups of females with immatures was about 23 animals, while the estimated mean size of units (sets of females and immatures with permanent relationships) was 11 animals. About 4% of the population consisted of large mature males, although this varied seasonally. Groups of females and immatures, as well as large males, spent only a matter of days within the study area at a time. There was no evidence for preferred ranges for the males, for males consistently accompanying particular groups, or for males forming coalitions. Males roved between the groups of females and immatures. Both mature males and females or immatures appeared to take the initiative in maintaining or breaking close associations. These results are similar to those from studies off the Galapagos Islands, even though the habitat, nonsocial behaviour, and relative abundance of mature males were quite different in the two areas.
Descriptors: Physeter macrocephalus, reproductive behavior, social behavior, population density, north Pacific and south Pacific, north Pacific, Galapagos Islands, south Pacific, Chile and Galapagos Islands, population densities, reproductive and social behavior.
Connor, R.C., M.R. Heithaus, and L.M. Barre (2001). Complex social structure, alliance stability and mating access in a bottlenose dolphin 'super-alliance'. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences 268(1464): 263-7. ISSN: 0962-8452.
Abstract: Large brain size in mammals has been related to the number and complexity of social relationships, particularly social alliances within groups. The largest within-group male alliance known outside of humans is found in a social network (> 400) of Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) in Shark Bay Western Australia. Members of this dolphin 'super-alliance' cooperate against other alliances over access to females. Males within the super-alliance form temporary trios and occasionally pairs in order to consort with individual females. The frequent switching of alliance partners suggests that social relationships among males within the super-alliance might be relatively simple and based on an equivalence rule', thereby allowing dolphins to form large alliances without taxing their 'social intelligence'. The equivalence model predicts that the 14 males in the super-alliance should not exhibit differences in alliance stability or partner preferences. However, data from 100 consortships do not support the equivalence hypothesis. The 14 males exhibited striking differences in alliance stability and partner preferences suggesting that the super-alliance has a complex internal structure. Further, within the super-alliance, alliance stability correlates with consortship rate, suggesting that differentiated relationships within the super-alliance are based on competition for access to females.
Descriptors: cooperative behavior, dolphins physiology, sexual behavior physiology, social behavior, brain anatomy and histology, dolphins anatomy and histology, hierarchy, social.
Connor, R.C. (2001). Bottlenose dolphins: social relationships in a big-brained aquatic mammal. In: L.A. Dugatkin (Editor), Model Systems in Behavioral Ecology: Integrating Conceptual, Theoretical, and Empirical Approaches, Princeton University Press: Princeton & Oxford, p. 408-432. ISBN: 0691006520.
Descriptors: Tursiops aduncus, social behavior, behavioral ecology model system, autobiographical essay.
Connor, R.C. (2000). Group living in whales and dolphins. In: J. Mann, R.C. Connor, P.L. Tyack and H. Whitehead (Editors), Cetacean Societies: Field Studies of Dolphins and Whales, Chicago University Press: Chicago & London, p. 199-218. ISBN: 0226503410.
NAL Call Number: QL737.C4C39 2000
Descriptors: Cetacea, literature review, social behavior, group living, review.
Connor, R.C. and M. Kruetzen (2003). Levels and patterns in dolphin alliance formation. In: F.B.M. de Waal and P.L. Tyack (Editors), Animal Social Complexity: Intelligence, Culture, and Individualized Societies, Harvard University Press: Cambridge & London, p. 115-120. ISBN: 0674009290.
Descriptors: Tursiops aduncus, social behavior, alliance formation, overview.
Connor, R.C. and D.M. Peterson (1994). The Lives of Whales and Dolphins, 1st edition, Holt: New York, 233 p. ISBN: 0805019502.
NAL Call Number: QL737.C4C595 1994
Descriptors: Cetacea behavior, whales, dolphins, lives.
Connor, R.C., A.J. Read and R. Wrangham (2000). Male reproductive strategies and social bonds. In: J. Mann, R.C. Connor, P.L. Tyack and H. Whitehead (Editors), Cetacean Societies: Field Studies of Dolphins and Whales, Chicago University Press: Chicago & London, p. 247-269. ISBN: 0226503410.
NAL Call Number: QL737.C4C39 2000
Descriptors: Cetacea, literature review, reproduction, male strategies, social behavior, male social bonds, review.
Constantine, R., D.H. Brunton, and T. Dennis (2004). Dolphin-watching tour boats change bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) behaviour. Biological Conservation 117(3): 299-307. ISSN: 0006-3207.
NAL Call Number: S900.B5
Descriptors: Tursiops truncatus, leisure and sport, dolphin watching tour boats, effect on behavior, behavior, south Pacific, New Zealand, Bay of Islands, dolphin watching tour boats effect on behavior.
Corkeron, P.J. (1995). Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Hervey Bay, Queensland: behaviour and responses to whale-watching vessels. Canadian Journal of Zoology 73(7): 1290-1299. ISSN: 0008-4301.
NAL Call Number: 470 C16D
Abstract: The effects of the presence of vessels on the behaviour of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) was studied in Hervey Bay, Queensland, where southward-migrating whales are the focus of a commercial whale-watching industry. The behaviour of whales was observed from a small yacht under sail. Rates of occurrence of units of behaviour for entire pods were obtained from continuous sampling of pods. Pods without calves showed lower rates of behaviour generally when vessels were within 300 m of them. Pods both with and without calves were more likely to dive rather than slip under when vessels were within 300 m. Hybrid multidimensional scaling of rates of behaviours of pods indicated differences between suites of behaviours exhibited by pods when vessels were within 300 m of them and when they were not. Classification of the patterns of occurrence of behaviours demonstrated that for pods both with and without calves, different units of behaviour tended to occur together when vessels were within 300 m and when they were not. Whale watching offers a nonlethal commercial use of whales, but in Hervey Bay, whale watching affects the behaviour of whales, which, although migrating, can be involved in breeding ground activities. Whether the short-term behavioural changes described here are accompanied by longer term avoidance of Hervey Bay by humpback whales as they migrate south remains to be determined.
Descriptors: reproductive system, reproduction, systematics and taxonomy, wildlife management, conservation, breeding, migration.
Croll, D.A., C.W. Clark, J. Calambokidis, W.T. Ellison, and B.R. Tershy (2001). Effect of anthropogenic low-frequency noise on the foraging ecology of balaenoptera whales. Animal Conservation 4(1): 13-27. ISSN: 1367-9430.
NAL Call Number: QH75.A1A54
Descriptors: Balaenoptera, low frequency noise, diving behavior, foraging ecology, spatial scale, vocal behavior, whale encounter rate, effect.
Czech, N. and D.M. Jedlicka (2002). Harmful effects on whales and dolphins by ultra low frequency waves. Transactions of the Illinois State Academy of Science 95 (Suppl.): 89. ISSN: 0019-2252.
Descriptors: pollution assessment, control, management, radiation biology, beaching, naval ships, submarines, ultra low frequency sound waves, ulf sound waves, harmful effects, whales, dolphins, meeting abstract.
Notes: Meeting Information: 94th Annual Meeting of the Illinois State Academy of Science, Edwardsville, Illinois, USA, 2002.
Dawson, S.M. and D. Lusseau (2005). Pseudoreplication problems in studies of dolphin and porpoise reactions to pingers. Marine Mammal Science 21(1): 175-176. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Descriptors: Odontoceti, mathematical techniques, statistical analysis, reactions to pingers on gill nets, pseudoreplication problems, avoidance behavior.
De Master, D.P. and J.K. Drevenak (1988). Survivorship patterns in three species of captive cetaceans. Marine Mammal Science 4(4): 297-311. ISSN: 0824-0469.
Descriptors: Orcinus orca, Tursiops truncatus, Delphinapterus leucas, survival in captivity.
Deecke, V.B., J.K.B. Ford, and P.J.B. Slater (2005). The vocal behaviour of mammal-eating killer whales: communicating with costly calls. Animal Behaviour 69(2): 395-405. ISSN: 0003-3472.
NAL Call Number: 410 B77
Abstract: The cost of vocal behaviour is usually expressed in energetic terms; however, many animals may pay additional costs when predators or potential prey eavesdrop on their vocal communication. The northeastern Pacific is home to two distinct ecotypes of killer whales, Orcinus orca, called residents and transients. Resident killer whales feed on fish, a prey with poor hearing abilities, whereas transient killer whales hunt marine mammals, which have sensitive underwater hearing within the frequency range of killer whale vocal communication. In this study, we investigated how the superior hearing ability of mammalian prey has shaped the vocal behaviour of the transient killer whale ecotype. We recorded pulsed calls and the associated behavioural context of groups of transient and resident killer whales in British Columbia and southeastern Alaska. Transient killer whales produced pulsed calls significantly less frequently than residents. Transient killer whales only showed significant amounts of vocal behaviour after a marine mammal kill or when the whales were displaying surface-active behaviour. Vocal activity of transients increased after a successful attack on a marine mammal. Since marine mammals are able to detect killer whale pulsed calls and respond with antipredator behaviour, the reduced vocal activity of transients is probably due to a greater cost for calling in this ecotype resulting from eavesdropping by potential prey. The increase in vocal behaviour after a successful attack may represent food calling (informing other animals in the area about the presence of food), but is more likely to reflect an increase in social interactions during feeding and/or the fact that the cost for vocal behaviour is comparatively low after a successful attack.
Descriptors: Orcinus orca, acoustic signals, vocal behavior, transient and resident individuals, north Pacific, USA, Alaska and Canada, British Columbia, vocal behavior of transient and resident individuals.
Delfour, F. (2000). Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus, T. gilli) using an underwater touchscreen in a cognitive task: role of social constraints on the learning process. European Research on Cetaceans 14: 122-124. ISSN: 1028-3412.
Descriptors: Tursiops gilli, Tursiops truncatus, learning, social constraints, captive study, social behavior.
Delfour, F. and K. Marten (2001). Mirror image processing in three marine mammal species: Killer whales (Orcinus orca), false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) and California sea lions (Zalophus californianus). Behavioural Processes 53(3): 181-190. ISSN: 0376-6357.
Descriptors: Zalophus californianus, Orcinus orca, Pseudorca crassidens, intelligence, cognitive abilities, species recognition, self recognition, mirror image processing, behavior.
Desportes, G., J.H. Kristensen, D. Benham, S. Wilson, T. Jepson, U. Siebert, B. Korsgaard, J. Driver, M. Amundin, K. Hansen, and G. Shephard (2003). Multiple insights into the reproductive function of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena): an ongoing study. North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (NAMMCO) Scientific Publications 5: 91-106. ISSN: 1560-2206.
Abstract: The harbour porpoises kept at the Fjord & Baelt since April 1997 offer a unique opportunity to gain a better understanding of the reproductive function in harbour porpoises, especially in terms of physiological cycle and concomitant behavioural traits. A study was initiated in 1997 with the following aims: 1) characterising the annual reproductive cycle in terms of behaviour and endocrine activity; 2) finding the most suitable techniques for a longitudinal investigation of the reproductive function, in particular with respect of the small size of the species; 3) ensuring a precise monitoring of the reproductive state of the Fjord & Bµlt porpoises; 4) evaluating the best techniques for a vertical assessment of the reproductive state in wild harbour porpoises; 5) providing comparative basis for toxicological studies. Three harbour porpoises have participated in the study: a male and a female estimated 2-3 old years at their arrival at the Centre in 1997, and a one-year old female. The different methods for investigating their reproductive function include techniques not previously used with harbour porpoises, such as behavioural observation, measurement of sexual hormones in blood and other matrices, vaginal cytology, body temperature, and ultrasound scanning of testes and ovaries. These methods are discussed in terms of practicality and invasiveness. Selected examples of the preliminary results obtained are reported. Projects have concentrated on the sexual behaviour of the adult male and female (frequency, initiative, courtship behaviours) and their hormonal correlates, as well as on the interaction of the juvenile with the 2 adult animals. Behavioural sexual activity is very seasonal (peaking at the end of July and August), as is the testosterone cycle (levels increasing from less than 1ng/ml to 30ng/ml in May) and the development of the testis (peaking in July-August). Progesterone and oestrogen levels vary between less than 1 to 17ng/ml and less than 0.1 to 1.8 ng/ml respectively, but infrequent blood sampling precluded obtaining a detailed picture of the ovarian cycle. We are attempting to measure sexual hormones in saliva and eye secretion. Successful matings have been confirmed by the presence of sperm on vaginal smears in 4 consecutive summers, but no pregnancy has occurred yet.
Descriptors: Phocoena phocoena, hormones, sex steroids, reproduction, annual reproductive cycle, physiological and behavioral functions, captive study.
Domenici, P., R.S. Batty, T. Simila, and E. Ogam (2000). Killer whales (Orcinus orca) feeding on schooling herring (Clupea harengus) using underwater tail-slaps: kinematic analyses of field observations. Journal of Experimental Biology 203(2): 283-94. ISSN: 0022-0949.
NAL Call Number: 442.8 B77
Abstract: Killer whales (Orcinus orca) feeding on herring (Clupea harengus) in a fjord in northern Norway were observed using underwater video. The whales cooperatively herded herring into tight schools close to the surface. During herding and feeding, killer whales swam around and under a school of herring, periodically lunging at it and stunning the herring by slapping them with the underside of their flukes while completely submerged. The kinematics of tail-slapping were analysed in detail. Tail-slaps were made up of a biphasic behaviour consisting of two phases with opposite angles of attack, a preparatory phase (negative angles of attack) and a slap phase (positive angles of attack). During the slap phase, the mean maximum angle of attack of the flukes was 47 degrees. The maximum speed of the flukes, measured at the notch, increased with whale length (L(w)) and was 2.2 L(w )s(-)(1), while the maximum acceleration of the flukes was size-independent and was 48 m s(-)(2). When killer whales slapped the herring successfully, disoriented herring appeared on the video at approximately the time of maximum fluke velocity, in synchrony with a loud noise. This noise was not heard when the tail-slaps 'missed' the target, suggesting that the herring were stunned by physical contact. Killer whales then ate the stunned herring one by one. Of the tail-slaps observed, 61 % were preceded by lunges into the school. We suggest that lunging was aimed at directing the school rather than at capturing the herring, since it occurred at a relatively low speed and there were no observations of the killer whales attempting to capture the herring during lunging behaviour. Given the high performance of the tail-slaps in terms of speed and acceleration, we suggest that tail-slapping by killer whales is a more efficient strategy of prey capture than whole-body attacks, since acceleration and manoeuvrability are likely to be poor in such large vertebrates.
Descriptors: dolphins physiology, feeding behavior physiology, tail physiology, biomechanics, fishes, water.
Drouot, V., A. Gannier, and J.C. Goold (2004). Diving and feeding behaviour of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea. Aquatic Mammals 30(3): 419-426. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Abstract: Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) is one of the common cetacean species inhabiting the western Mediterranean Sea. The aim of this study was to describe the dive cycle of sperm whales in this region and gain insight into their foraging activity. Dedicated summer field seasons were conducted from 2001-2003. Visual and acoustic measures were undertaken and their relationships analyzed. The measures included surface/dive periods, blow rate, distance travelled, timing of clicks & creak activity, and inter-pulse interval measurements of sperm whale clicks. The whales exhibited dive cycle parameters consistent with those measured in other parts of the world: approximately 45 min dive duration, 9 min surface period (i.e., inter-dive interval), with 5 blows/min, and 1.3 nmi horizontal displacement between dives. An average of 25 creaks per dive were registered. Whale body size appeared to be significantly related with both the number of creaks per dive and the dive time at which the first creak occurred, suggesting that larger whales may increase their prey intake and use deeper water layers than smaller whales. The timing of the first creak and the last click of the dive (around 6 min after fluke-up, and just before the surfacing, respectively) suggest a foraging depth of between 500 and 800 m, based on known descent and ascent rates.
Descriptors: Physeter macrocephalus, echolocation, creak and click phenology, foraging, aquatic diving, foraging relationships, activity patterns, dive cycle, vertical distribution, depth, foraging depth, Mediterranean Sea, France, provence, dive cycle and foraging relationships.
Drouot, V., J.C. Goold, and A. Gannier (2004). Regional diversity in the social vocalizations of sperm whale in the Mediterranean Sea. Revue D'Ecologie 59(4): 545-558. ISSN: 0249-7395.
Abstract: Passive acoustic techniques combined with visual survey have been used to study Sperm Whale ecology in the Mediterranean Sea. Among Sperm Whale vocalizations, the "codas" consist of series of 3 to 20 clicks emitted in a distinctive temporal pattern and believed to have a communication function. It has been reported that coda repertoire of Mediterranean Sperm Whales was restricted to a "3 + I" coda pattern. Results obtained during extensive acoustic surveys between 1997 and 2001 in different regions of the Mediterranean Sea let to rule out that assumption. 751 codas were analysed from 13 groups of Sperm Whales from the south-western basin, the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Ionian Sea. The temporal patterns of these codas were analysed by measuring the inter-click intervals, and codas were sorted into different pre-defined pattern categories. The codas ranged from 3 to I I clicks, with the 4-click codas being the most common. The majority of codas embedded a "root" of 3 rapid and consistent clicks. Codas sharing this common root seemed to conserve a consistent click timing and differed only by the number of final clicks. These results evidence a more extensive coda repertoire than previously reported, and suggest some regional variations between different basins of the Mediterranean Sea. Although some similarities in the coda structure were observed with other parts of the world, in term of frequency of occurrence, the Mediterranean coda repertoire described here appears distinct from those reported from other oceans, suggesting limited exchange between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
Descriptors: Physeter macrocephalus, behavioral variation, acoustic signals, codas, social behavior, social vocalizations, Mediterranean sea, social vocalization codas, regional diversity.
Dudzinski, K.M., M. Sakai, K. Masaki, K. Kogi, T. Hishii, and M. Kurimoto (2003). Behavioural observations of bottlenose dolphins towards two dead conspecifics. Aquatic Mammals 29(1): 108-116. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Descriptors: Tursiops aduncus, behavior, response to dead conspecifics, west Pacific, Japan, Honshu, Mikura, behavioral response to dead conspecifics, observations and analysis.
Dudzinski, K.M., T.G. Frohoff, and N.L. Crane (1995). Behavior of a lone female bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) with humans off the coast of Belize. Aquatic Mammals 21(2): 149-153. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Abstract: For at least eight years, a lone female bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), named 'Pita', has frequented the waters surrounding Northern Two Cay, Lighthouse Reef Atoll, in Belize. She has actively sought human contact for the past four to five years. This study investigated the history of her interactions with humans and documented her behavior nearby humans. There are some concerns for the well-being of both the dolphin and the people with whom she interacts. Specific concerns include an increase in the number of people seeking interaction with this dolphin, and a need for official guidelines or regulations governing these encounters. We have analyzed both underwater and surface video recordings and conducted interviews with people who have interacted with this dolphin. Pita exhibited sexual behavior towards objects, such as anchor lines, and occasionally towards swimmers. She sometimes touched swimmers or postured near swimmers. Pita has directed aggression towards people, especially those attempting to leave the water. Several people have been injured when Pita blocked them or hit them with her rostrum as they attempted to leave the water. Many human visitors remain naive, and somewhat over-zealous, and continue with attempts to ride her, touch her body in sensitive areas (including the genitals and blowhole), and generally appear to excite her into potentially aggressive and harmful behavior. Pita is unusual in that the majority of lone dolphins that interact with humans world-wide have been male.
Descriptors: behavior, conservation, marine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, systematics and taxonomy, wildlife management, conservation, aggression, wildlife management.
Ersts, P.J. and H.C. Rosenbaum (2003). Habitat preference reflects social organization of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) on a wintering ground. Journal of Zoology (London) 260(4): 337-345. ISSN: 0952-8369.
Descriptors: Megaptera novaeangliae, social organization, distribution within habitat and habitat preference relations, distribution within habitat, habitat preference, south west Indian Ocean, Madagascar, Antongil Bay, distribution within habitat and habitat preference, social organization relations, winter.
Fedorowicz, S.M., D.A. Beard, and R.C. Connor (2003). Food sharing in wild bottlenose dolphins. Aquatic Mammals 29(3): 355-359. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Descriptors: Tursiops, piscean prey, food sharing, piscean prey interchange between male and female, new record and observations, north Pacific, Costa Rica, Golfo Dulce, food sharing between male and female, observations with piscean prey, new record.
Felix, F. (2001). Escorting behaviour: a territorial manifestation in wild bottlenose dolphins? Estudios Oceanologicos 20: 67-70. ISSN: 0071-173X.
Descriptors: Tursiops truncatus, behavior, territoriality, east Pacific, Ecuador, Gulf of Guayaquil, escorting behavior, possible territorial function.
Ferrey, M., A. Collet, and C. Guinet (1993). Statut et comportement social du grand dauphin Tursiops truncatus Mont. 1821 dans le bassin d' Arcachon. [Status and social behaviour of the bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus (Mont. 1821) in the Bassin d'Arcachon, south-western France]. Revue D'Ecologie 48(3): 257-278. ISSN: 0249-7395.
Descriptors: Tursiops, social behavior, adaptation, inland lagoons, aquitaine, behavior, Cetacea, dolphins, Europe, France, lagoons, mammals, Mediterranean countries, physiographic features, Western Europe.
Language of Text: English summary.
Finneran, J.J., C.E. Schlundt, D.A. Carder, J.A. Clark, J.A. Young, J.B. Gaspin, and S.H. Ridgway (2000). Auditory and behavioral responses of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and a beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) to impulsive sounds resembling distant signatures of underwater explosions. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 108(1): 417-31. ISSN: 0001-4966.
Abstract: A behavioral response paradigm was used to measure masked underwater hearing thresholds in two bottlenose dolphins and one beluga whale before and after exposure to impulsive underwater sounds with waveforms resembling distant signatures of underwater explosions. An array of piezoelectric transducers was used to generate impulsive sounds with waveforms approximating those predicted from 5 or 500 kg HBX-1 charges at ranges from 1.5 to 55.6 km. At the conclusion of the study, no temporary shifts in masked-hearing thresholds (MTTSs), defined as a 6-dB or larger increase in threshold over pre-exposure levels, had been observed at the highest impulse level generated (500 kg at 1.7 km, peak pressure 70 kPa); however, disruptions of the animals' trained behaviors began to occur at exposures corresponding to 5 kg at 9.3 km and 5 kg at 1.5 km for the dolphins and 500 kg at 1.9 km for the beluga whale. These data are the first direct information regarding the effects of distant underwater explosion signatures on the hearing abilities of odontocetes.
Descriptors: auditory perception physiology, behavior, animal physiology, sound, vocalization, animal physiology, dolphins physiology, water, whales physiology.
Fognani, P., P.G. Bracchi, and G. Gnone (1998). Osservazione di delfinidi (Tursiops truncatus) in cattivita' e variazioni del comportamento successive all'introduzione di stimoli ambientali. [Observations on dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in captivity and changes in their behaviour after the introduction of stimulants into their environment]. Annali Della Facolta Di Medicina Veterinaria, Universita Di Parma 18: 233-254. ISSN: 0393-4802.
Descriptors: zoo animals, animal behavior, animal welfare, dolphins, Tursiops, stimulants, environment.
Language of Text: English and French.
Frankel, A.S. and C.W. Clark (2000). Behavioral responses of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) to full-scale ATOC signals. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 108(4): 1930-7. ISSN: 0001-4966.
Abstract: Loud (195 dB re 1 microPa at 1 m) 75-Hz signals were broadcast with an ATOC projector to measure ocean temperature. Respiratory and movement behaviors of humpback whales off North Kauai, Hawaii, were examined for potential changes in response to these transmissions and to vessels. Few vessel effects were observed, but there were fewer vessels operating during this study than in previous years. No overt responses to ATOC were observed for received levels of 98-109 dB re 1 microPa. An analysis of covariance, using the no-sound behavioral rate as a covariate to control for interpod variation, found that the distance and time between successive surfacings of humpbacks increased slightly with an increase in estimated received ATOC sound level. These responses are very similar to those observed in response to scaled-amplitude playbacks of ATOC signals [Frankel and Clark, Canadian Journal of Zoology 76, 521-535 (1998)]. These similar results were obtained with different sound projectors, in different years and locations, and at different ranges creating a different sound field. The repeatability of the findings for these two different studies indicates that these effects, while small, are robust. This suggests that at least for the ATOC signal, the received sound level is a good predictor of response.
Descriptors: arousal, auditory perception, behavior, animal, whales, sound spectrography.
Fripp, D., C. Owen, E. Quintana Rizzo, A. Shapiro, K. Buckstaff, K. Jankowski, R. Wells, and P. Tyack (2005). Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) calves appear to model their signature whistles on the signature whistles of community members. Animal Cognition 8(1): 17-26. ISSN: 1435-9448.
Abstract: Bottlenose dolphins are unusual among non-human mammals in their ability to learn new sounds. This study investigates the importance of vocal teaming in the development of dolphin signature whistles and the influence of social interactions on that process. We used focal animal behavioral follows to observe six calves in Sarasota Bay, Fla., recording their social associations during their first summer. and their signature whistles during their second. The signature whistles of five calves were determined. Using dynamic time warping (DTW) of frequency contours, the calves' signature whistles were compared to the signature whistles of several sets of dolphins: their own associates, the other calves' associates, Tampa Bay dolphins, and captive dolphins. Whistles were considered similar if their DTW similarity score was greater than those of 95% of the whistle comparisons. Association was defined primarily in terms of time within 50 in of the mother/calf pair. On average, there were six dolphins with signature whistles similar to the signature whistles of each of the calves. These were significantly more likely to be Sarasota Bay resident dolphins than non-Sarasota dolphins, and (though not significantly) more likely to be dolphins that were within 50 in of the mother and calf less than 5% of the time. These results suggest that calves may model their signature whistles on the signature whistles of members of their community, possibly community members with whom they associate only rarely.
Descriptors: Tursiops truncatus, learning, acoustic signals, social behavior, Gulf of Mexico, USA, Florida, Sarasota Bay, signature whistles, learning in young, influence of social interactions.
Fujii, F. (1978). Keeping of bottle-nosed dolphin, Trusiops gilli, in closed circumstance. Journal of Japanese Association of Zoological Gardens and Aquariums 19(3-4): 63-67.
Descriptors: bottlenose dolphin, keeping, closed circumstance, Tursiops gilli, Japan.
Galhardo, L., M.C. Appleby, N.K. Waran, and M.E. Santos dos (1996). Spontaneous activities of captive performing bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Animal Welfare 5(4): 373-389. ISSN: 0962-7286.
NAL Call Number: HV4701.A557
Descriptors: dolphins, aquaria, animal behavior, behavior patterns, social behavior, enrichment, diurnal variation, individual characteristics, animal welfare, captivity, environmental enrichment, individuality.
Gallup Jr., G.G. (1995). Mirrors, minds, and cetaceans. Consciousness and Cognition 4(2): 226-8. ISSN: 1053-8100.
Descriptors: awareness, dolphins psychology, self concept, television, visual perception, discrimination learning, social behavior.
Gannon, D.P., N.B. Barros, D.P. Nowacek, A.J. Read, D.M. Waples, and R.S. Wells (2005). Prey detection by bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus: an experimental test of the passive listening hypothesis. Animal Behaviour 69: 709-720. ISSN: 0003-3472.
NAL Call Number: 410 B77
Descriptors: behavior, sense organs, sensory reception, evolution and adaptation, predation, foraging, echolocation, prey detection, passive listening hypothesis, fish sound.
Gazda, S.K., R.C. Connor, R.K. Edgar, and F. Cox (2005). A division of labour with role specialization in group-hunting bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) off Cedar Key, Florida. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences 272(1559): 135-140. ISSN: 0962-8452.
Abstract: Individual role specialization during group hunting is extremely rare in mammals. Observations on two groups of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Cedar Key, Florida revealed distinctive behavioural roles during group feeding. In each group, one individual was consistently the 'driver', herding the fishes in a circle toward the remaining 'barrier' dolphins. Aerial fish-capture rates differed between groups, as well as between the driver and barrier dolphins, in one group but not in the other. These differences between the two groups may reflect differences in group stability or in prey school size.
Descriptors: Tursiops truncatus, piscean prey, feeding rate, piscean prey capture rate, foraging, cooperative behavior, group foraging with division of labour and individual role specialization, Gulf of Mexico, USA, Florida, Florida Keys, Cedar Key, division of labour with individual role specialization during group hunting.
Geertsen, B.M., J. Teilmann, R. Kastelein, H.N.J. Vlemmix, and L.A. Miller (2004). Behaviour and physiological effects of transmitter attachments on a captive harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena). Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 6(2): 139-146. ISSN: 1561-0713.
Abstract: A captive harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) was monitored for 80 consecutive days, 10 days before attachment of a satellite dive recorder and a VHF-radio tag, 30 days during attachment and 40 days after removal of the transmitters. Dive data recorded by the satellite transmitter was collected during the attachment. Daily food intake was measured and each week the porpoise was taken out of the water for a physical examination. Behavioural observations logged on the handheld computer showed an immediate effect of the tagging in time spent resting at the surface (logging), which was four to six times higher on the day of attachment. Digital video recordings showed a significant increase in the mean duration of rolls at the surface immediately after attachment. The mean duration of dives was shorter before attachment than both after the tagging and after removal of the transmitters. Furthermore the frequency of surfacings farthest away from where the porpoise was taken out of the pool for tagging, was highest the first five days following the tagging. Dive data from the satellite tag showed a semidiurnal diving pattern, with increased mean dive depth in the first 24 hours after attachment. The heart rate was fairly constant during the tagging. but the mean heart rate increased significantly from 161 beats per minute (bpm) to 180 bpm after the first hole in the dorsal fin was made. The body weight of the porpoise increased up to the time of tagging (16 May 2000), after which it decreased until six days prior to release (28 July 2000) this was probably due to the seasonal trend in blubber thickness of harbour porpoises rather than an effect from the tagging. After one month of attachment, a reaction occurred around the frontal pinhole and the transmitters were removed. This reaction was probably due to drag from two tags and seaweed attached to the tags during the last part of the attachment period. After the tags were removed epithelia closed the pinholes after two days.
Descriptors: Phocoena phocoena, tracking techniques, satellite dive recorder and vhf radio tag, behavioral and physiological effects, weight, body weight, feeding rate, heart beat, swimming, aquatic diving, behavior.
Gladstone, W. (1988). Killer whale feeding observed underwater. Journal of Mammalogy 69(3): 629-630. ISSN: 0022-2372.
NAL Call Number: 410 J823
Descriptors: Mola mola, predators, Orcinus orca, first underwater observation of predator feeding, west Pacific, Raine Island, first underwater observation of mammalian predator feeding.
Gnone, G., C. Benoldi, B. Bonsignori, and P. Fognani (2001). Observations of rest behaviours in captive bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Aquatic Mammals 27(1): 29-33. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Descriptors: Tursiops truncatus, resting, captive observations.
Goodwin, L. and P.A. Cotton (2004). Effects of boat traffic on the behaviour of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Aquatic Mammals 30(2): 279-283. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Abstract: Boat traffic is widely believed to cause disturbance and physical injury to cetaceans and is frequently cited as an important threat to their welfare and conservation. As a result, numerous codes of practice have been proposed which restrict the movement of boats in the vicinity of cetaceans. There are, however, relatively few quantitative studies on the behaviour of cetaceans in the presence of boats. Here, we report on a study of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Teignmouth Bay, UK. We show that the presence of dolphins in the study area was unrelated to the number of boats present. When boats were stationary, the behaviour of dolphins did not differ significantly between boat classes; however, there was a highly significant difference in the response of dolphins to different classes of boats in motion. Speedboats and jet skis were associated with aversive behaviours, even when boats were not directly approaching the dolphins.
Descriptors: Tursiops truncatus, disturbance by man, boat traffic, behavioral responses, avoidance behavior, north Atlantic, United Kingdom, England, Devon, Teignmouth Bay, behavioral responses to boat traffic.
Gormley, G. (1990). Orcas of the Gulf: a Natural History, Sierra Club Books: San Francisco, 205 p. ISBN: 087156601X.
NAL Call Number: QL737.C432G68
Descriptors: killer whale behavior, Orca, history.
Grellier, K., P.S. Hammond, B. Wilson, C.A. Sanders Reed, and P.M. Thompson (2003). Use of photo-identification data to quantify mother-calf association patterns in bottlenose dolphins. Canadian Journal of Zoology 81(8): 1421-1427. ISSN: 0008-4301.
NAL Call Number: 470 C16D
Descriptors: Tursiops truncatus, behavioral techniques, parental care, social behavior, North Sea, United Kingdom, Scotland, mother calf association patterns quantification using photo identification data.
Griffin, D.R. (1992). Animal Minds, University of Chicago Press: Chicago, 310 p. ISBN: 0226308634.
NAL Call Number: QL785.G715 1992
Descriptors: cognition in animals, animal behavior, animal psychology.
Guinet, C., L.G. Barrett Lennard, and B. Loyer (2000). Co-ordinated attack behavior and prey sharing by killer whales at Crozet Archipelago: strategies for feeding on negatively-buoyant prey. Marine Mammal Science 16(4): 829-834. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Descriptors: Mirounga leonina, mammalian predators, Orcinus orca, prey sharing recorded, south west Indian Ocean, Crozet Islands, prey sharing by mammalian predator recorded.
Gygax, L. (1993). Spatial movement patterns and behaviour of two captive bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus): absence of stereotyped behaviour or lack of definition. Applied Animal Behavior Science 38(3-4): 337-344. ISSN: 0168-1591.
NAL Call Number: QL750.A6
Descriptors: dolphins, behavior patterns, movement, abnormal behavior, zoo animals.
Haenel, N.J. (1986). General notes on the behavioral ontogeny of Puget Sound killer whales and the occurrence of allomaternal behavior. Zoo Biology Monographs 1: 285-300.
Descriptors: Orcinus orca, care of young, allomaternal behavior, ontogenesis, behavioral development, behavior, Washington, north Pacific, Puget Sound, behavioral ontogeny and occurrence of allomaternal behavior.
Hain, J.H.W., G.R. Carter, S.C. Kraus, C.A. Mayo, and H.E. Winn (1982). Feeding behavior of the humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae, in the western North Atlantic. U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service Marine Fishery Bulletin 80(2): 259-268.
NAL Call Number: 157.5 B87
Descriptors: North Eastern States USA, humpback whale, behavior, feeding.
Hart, D. and J.W. Whitlow Jr. (1995). The experience of self in the bottlenose dolphin. Consciousness and Cognition 4(2): 244-7. ISSN: 1053-8100.
Abstract: Marten and Psarakos have presented some evidence which suggests that objective self-awareness and possibly representations of self may characterize the dolphins' experience of self. Their research demonstrates the possibility of similarities in the sense of self between primate species and dolphins, although whether dolphins have subjective self-awareness, personal memories, and theories of self--all important facets of the sense of self in humans--was not examined. Clearly, even this limited evidence was difficult to achieve; the difficulties in adapting methods and coding behavior are quite apparent in their report. Future progress, however, may depend upon clarification of what are the necessary components for a sense of self and an explication of how these might be reflected in dolphin behavior. We are mindful of the authors' point (pp. 219 and 220) that the dolphin lives more in an acoustic than a visual environment. Thus, while tasks relying upon vision may reveal the presence or absence of the sense of self in primates, it might well be the case that in dolphins self-related experiences might be better revealed in auditory tasks. But then, what is the nature of human self-awareness in terms of audition? While both conceptual and methodological hurdles remain, Marten and Psarakos have demonstrated that important questions can be asked about the minds and phenomenal worlds of nonanthropoid species.
Descriptors: awareness, dolphins psychology, self concept, television, visual perception, animal communication, body image, social behavior, species specificity.
Harvey, J., J. Hurley, and S. Skrovan (2001). Training California sea lions to record whale behavior using a rehabilitating California gray whale calf. Aquatic Mammals 27(3): 289-293. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Descriptors: behavior, marine ecology, sea lions, animal training, swimming behavior, transport distance, underwater behavior, underwater movements, verbal commands, visual contact, whale behavior, recording, wildlife rehabilitation, Seaworld, grey whale.
Hawue, A.K.M.A., M. Nishiwaki, T. Kasuya, and T. Tobayama (1977). Observations on the behaviour and other biological aspects of the Ganges susu, Platanista gangetica. Scientific Reports of the Whales Research Institute (29): 87-94.
Descriptors: Ganges susu, behavior, observations, biological aspects.
Language of Text: English summary.
Heide, J.M.P., D. Bloch, E. Stefansson, B. Mikkelsen, L.H. Ofstad, and R. Dietz (2002). Diving behaviour of long-finned pilot whales Globicephala melas around the Faroe Islands. Wildlife Biology 8(4): 307-313. ISSN: 0909-6396.
NAL Call Number: SK351.W663
Descriptors: behavior, marine ecology, satellite tracking, applied and field techniques, body size, continental slopes, diving behavior, habitat use, niche utilization, offshore areas, swimming speed, water columns, water depth, long finned pilot whales, Faroe Islands.
Heide Jorgensen, M.P., R. Dietz, K.L. Laidre, P. Richard, J. Orr, and H.C. Schmidt (2003). The migratory behaviour of narwhals (Monodon monoceros). Canadian Journal of Zoology 81(8): 1298-1305. ISSN: 0008-4301.
NAL Call Number: 470 C16D
Descriptors: Monodon monoceros, navigation, homing, migration, climate and weather, sea ice dynamics, Arctic Ocean, Canada, wintering and summering grounds localization and migratory routes.
Heimlich Boran, J.R. (1988). Behavioral ecology of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in the Pacific northwest. Canadian Journal of Zoology 66(3): 565-578. ISSN: 0008-4301.
NAL Call Number: 470 C16D
Descriptors: Orcinus orca, food availability, habitat use relationship, habitat exploitation, British Columbia, Washington, north Pacific, habitat use patterns, resident vs transient communities.
Heithaus, M.R. (2001). Predator-prey and competitive interactions between sharks (order Selachii) and dolphins (suborder Odontoceti): a review. Journal of Zoology (London) 253(1): 53-68. ISSN: 0952-8369.
Descriptors: animal behavior, predation, predator prey relationships, predators, dolphins, sharks.
Herman, L.M. (2002). Exploring the cognitive world of the bottlenosed dolphin. In: M. Bekoff, C. Allen and G.M. Burghardt (Editors), The Cognitive Animal: Empirical and Theoretical Perspectives on Animal Cognition, Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Cambridge, Massachusetts & London, UK, p. 275-283. ISBN: 0262523221.
NAL Call Number: QL785.C485 2002
Descriptors: Tursiops truncatus, learning, intelligence, cognitivie characteristics review.
Herman, L.M. (1980). Cetacean Behavior: Mechanisms and Processes, Wiley: New York, 463 p. ISBN: 047137315X.
NAL Call Number: QL737.C4C37
Descriptors: Cetacea behavior, mammals behavior.
Herman, L.M., D.S. Matus, E.Y.K. Herman, M. Ivancic, and A.A. Pack (2001). The bottlenosed dolphin's (Tursiops truncatus) understanding of gestures as symbolic representations of its body parts. Animal Learning and Behavior 29(3): 250-264. ISSN: 0090-4996.
NAL Call Number: QL785.A725
Descriptors: Tursiops truncatus, intelligence, semantic processing evidence, visual signals, gestural symbol understanding.
Herzing, D.L. (2000). Acoustics and social behavior of wild dolphins: implications for a sound society. In: W.W.L. Au, A.N. Popper and R.R. Fay (Editors), Hearing by Whales and Dolphins, Springer Handbook of Auditory Research, p. 225-272. ISBN: 0387949062.
NAL Call Number: QL737.C432H43 2000
Descriptors: Delphinidae, literature review, acoustic signals, role in social behavior, review, social behavior.
Hoelzel, A.R. (1991). Killer whale predation on marine mammals at Punta Norte, Argentina; food sharing, provisioning and foraging strategy. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 29(3): 197-204. ISSN: 0340-5443.
NAL Call Number: QL751.B4
Descriptors: Otaria flavescens, Mirounga leonina, mammalian predators, Orcinus orca, predator pod feeding behavior, Argentina.
Hoese, H.D. (1971). Dolphin feeding out of water in a salt marsh. Journal of Mammalogy 52(1): 222-3. ISSN: 0022-2372.
Descriptors: appetitive behavior, dolphins.
Hofmann, B., M. Scheer, and I.P. Behr (2004). Underwater behaviors of short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) off Tenerife. Mammalia 68(2-3): 221-224. ISSN: 0025-1461.
NAL Call Number: 410 M31
Descriptors: Globicephala macrorhynchus, behavior, underwater observations, north Atlantic, Canary Islands, Tenerife, underwater behavior observations.
Hooker, S.K. and R.W. Baird (2001). Diving and ranging behaviour of odontocetes: a methodological review and critique. Mammal Review 31(1): 81-105. ISSN: 0305-1838.
NAL Call Number: QL700.M24
Descriptors: odontoceti, behavioral techniques, diving and ranging, methodological review and critique, swimming, diving.
Hooker, S.K., R.W. Baird, S. Al Omari, S. Gowans, and H. Whitehead (2001). Behavioral reactions of northern bottlenose whales (Hyperoodon ampullatus) to biopsy darting and tag attachment procedures. U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service Marine Fishery Bulletin 99(2): 303-308. ISSN: 0090-0656.
NAL Call Number: 157.5 B87
Descriptors: Hyperoodon ampullatus, tagging, tag attachment, diagnostic techniques, biopsy darting, behavioral reactions.
Hua Yuanyu and Xiang Chengsheng (1993). Observation on group behavior of black finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides) near the beach using net-surroundings in the Yangtze River [China]. Journal of Fisheries of China 17(2): 120-125. ISSN: 1000-0615.
NAL Call Number: QH90.A1S53
Descriptors: Phocoena, porpoises, net fishing, behavior, China, Asia, Cetacea, East Asia, fishing methods, mammals.
Language of Text: Chinese and English summaries.
Hua Yuanyu and Zhang Jian (1995). Study on feeding and copulating behavior of black finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides). Journal of Aquaculture (1): 19-21. ISSN: 1004-2091.
NAL Call Number: SH1.S68
Descriptors: porpoises, feed intake, copulation, survival, anhui, Asia, behavior, Cetacea, China, East Asia, feeding habits, fertilization, mammals, physiological functions, reproduction, sexual reproduction.
Language of Text: English and Italian summaries.
Jacobsen, T.B., M. Mayntz, and M. Amundin (2003). Splitting suckling data of bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) neonates in human care into suckling bouts. Zoo Biology 22(5): 477-488. ISSN: 0733-3188.
NAL Call Number: QL77.5.Z6
Descriptors: Tursiops truncatus, behavioral techniques, suckling bout criterion interval calculation method, mathematical techniques, feeding rate, feeding behavior, suckling behavior.
Janik, V.M. (2000). Food-related bray calls in wild bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences 267(1446): 923-7. ISSN: 0962-8452.
Abstract: Because cetaceans are difficult to study in the wild, little is known about how they use their sounds in their natural environment. Only the recent development of passive acoustic localization systems has enabled observations of the communication behaviour of individuals for correlation with their surface behaviour. Using such a system, I show that bottlenose dolphins in the Moray Firth, Scotland, produce low-frequency bray calls which are clearly correlated with feeding on salmonids. The production of these calls is followed by fast approaches by conspecifics in the area. In animals which use sound as a foraging tool, it is difficult to distinguish between food calls which have evolved because of their role in attracting conspecifics, and food manipulation or searching calls which may attract conspecifics as a by-product. However, the low-frequency structure of the bottlenose dolphin bray suggests that it evolved because of a role in manipulating prey rather than in attracting conspecifics. This conclusion suggests that dolphins exploit the perceptual systems of their prey to facilitate capture.
Descriptors: dolphins physiology, feeding behavior, Salmonidae, Scotland, vocalization, animal.
Jaquet, N., D. Gendron, and A. Coakes (2003). Sperm whales in the Gulf of California: Residency, movements, behavior, and the possible influence of variation in food supply. Marine Mammal Science 19(3): 545-562. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Descriptors: Dosidicus gigas, population density, population abundance, mammalian predators, Physeter macrocephalus, prey supply variation effects on residency, movements and behavior in predator, north Pacific, Mexico, Gulf of California, abundance variation effects on residency, movements and behavior in mammalian predator.
Jepson, P.D. and J.R. Baker (1998). Bottlenosed dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) as a possible cause of acute traumatic injuries in porpoises (Phocoena phocoena). Veterinary Record 143(22): 614-615. ISSN: 0042-4900.
NAL Call Number: 41.8 V641
Descriptors: Tursiops truncatus, trauma, Phocoena, lesions, Wales, England.
Johnson, K.R. and C.H. Nelson (1984). Side-scan assessment of gray whale feeding in the Bering Sea [Eschrichtius robustus]. Science 225(4667): 1150-1152. ISSN: 0036-8075.
NAL Call Number: 470 Sci2
Descriptors: feeding, gray whale, side scan, Bearing Sea, Eschrichtius robustus.
Kastelein, R.A., W.W. Au, and D. de Haan (2000). Detection distances of bottom-set gillnets by harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) and bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Marine Environmental Research 49(4): 359-75. ISSN: 0141-1136.
NAL Call Number: QH545.W3M36
Abstract: Many odontocetes die annually in gillnet fisheries. Why they become entangled is not yet clear. Maybe some species detect the nets too late to avoid collision. Therefore, the target strength of 11 types of bottom-set gillnets was measured under 0 and 45 degrees angles of incidence. From these target strengths and from knowledge on the echolocation abilities of two odontocete species (harbour porpoises, bottlenose dolphins), the detection ranges of the nets by these small cetaceans could be estimated. The 90% detection range by echolocating harbour porpoises, approaching the nets at right (perpendicular) angles under low noise level conditions, varied between 3 and 6 m depending on the net type. For bottlenose dolphins, under high noise conditions, the 90% detection range varied between 25 and 55 m. At other angles of approach, the estimated detection ranges are shorter. The study suggests that echolocating bottlenose dolphins can detect nets in time to avoid collision, whereas echolocating harbour porpoises cannot in most cases. Suggestions for future research to reduce small cetacean bycatch by improving the nets' detectability by echolocation are given.
Descriptors: dolphins physiology, echolocation physiology, fisheries instrumentation, porpoises physiology, avoidance learning physiology.
Kastelein, R.A., D. de Haan, N. Vaughan, C. Staal, and N.M. Schooneman (2001). The influence of three acoustic alarms on the behaviour of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in a floating pen. Marine Environmental Research 52(4): 351-71. ISSN: 0141-1136.
NAL Call Number: QH545.W3M36
Abstract: Harbour porpoise bycatch may be reduced by deterring porpoises from nets acoustically. In this study, two harbour porpoises were subjected to three acoustic alarms. The effect of each alarm was judged by comparing the animals' position and respiration rate during a test period with that during a baseline period. The XP-10 alarm produced 0.3 s tonal signals randomly selected from a set of 16 with fundamental frequencies between 9 and 15 kHz, with a constant pulse interval of 4.8 s (duty cycle 6%). The 2MP alarm produced 0.3 s tonal signals randomly selected from a set of 16 with similar fundamental frequencies but with random pulse intervals of between 2 and 5 s (duty cycle 8%). The frequency spectra and source levels of the 2MP and XP-10 alarms varied depending on the signal selected. The HS20-80 alarm produced a constant, but asymmetrical frequency modulated sinewave between 20 and 80 kHz with total pulse duration of 0.3 s. with random pulse intervals of between 2 and 5 s (duty cycle 4.6%). The porpoises reacted to all three alarms by swimming away from them and by increasing their respiration rate. The XP-10, which on average had the highest source level, had the strongest effect.
Descriptors: acoustics, avoidance learning, porpoises psychology, respiration.
Kastelein, R.A., W.C. Verboom, M. Muijsers, N.V. Jennings, and S. van der Heul (2005). The influence of acoustic emissions for underwater data transmission on the behaviour of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in a floating pen. Marine Environmental Research 59(4): 287-307. ISSN: 0141-1136.
Descriptors: Phocoena phocoena, conservation measures, sound reception, underwater communication system for shipping, behavioral response to sound and conservation relations, avoidance behavior, physical pollution, sound pollution, sound, acoustic emissions for underwater data transmission.
Kilborn, S.S. (1994). Object carrying in a captive beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) as possible surrogate behavior. Marine Mammal Science 10(4): 496-501. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Descriptors: behavior, development, ecology, environmental sciences, reproductive system, reproduction, calf mortality, parental behavior.
Kilian, A., L. von Fersen, and O. Gunturkun (2005). Left hemispheric advantage for numerical abilities in the bottlenose dolphin. Behavioural Processes 68(2): 179-84. ISSN: 0376-6357.
Descriptors: cognition, discrimination learning, dolphins psychology, mathematics, laterality, optic nerve, task performance and analysis, visual perception.
Kilian, A., S. Yaman, L. von Fersen, and O. Gunturkun (2003). A bottlenose dolphin discriminates visual stimuli differing in numerosity. Learning and Behavior 31(2): 133-42. ISSN: 1543-4494.
Abstract: A bottlenose dolphin was trained to discriminate two simultaneously presented stimuli differing in numerosity (defined by the number of constituent elements). After responding correctly to stimuli consisting of three-dimensional objects, the dolphin transferred to two-dimensional stimuli. Initially, a variety of stimulus parameters covaried with the numerosity feature. By systematically controlling for these stimulus parameters, it was demonstrated that some of these attributes, such as element configuration and overall brightness, affected the animal's discrimination performance. However, after all the confounding parameters were under control, the dolphin was able to discriminate the stimuli exclusively on the basis of the numerosity feature. The animal then achieved a successful transfer to novel numerosities, both intervening numerosities and numerosities outside the former range. These findings provide substantial evidence that the dolphin could base his behavior on the numerosity of a set independently of its other attributes and that he represented ordinal relations among numerosities.
Descriptors: discrimination learning, dolphins psychology, pattern recognition, visual, cognition, mathematics, mental processes, problem solving, transfer psychology.
Kingsley, M.C.S., S. Gosselin, and G.A. Sleno (2001). Movements and dive behaviour of belugas in northern Quebec. Arctic 54(3): 262-275. ISSN: 0004-0843.
Abstract: Three adult and three juvenile belugas were fitted with satellite-linked radio tags in eastern Hudson Bay in mid-August 1993, and one adult was tagged in mid-October 1995 in extreme northeastern Hudson Bay. The tags transmitted data on dive behaviour, and the receiving satellite calculated positions by Doppler-shift triangulation. The belugas tagged in summer in eastern Hudson Bay made no directed or long-distance movements while the tags were attached. Their range did not include the Belcher Islands, and belugas observed in aerial surveys of those islands do not appear to belong to the eastern coastal stock. The single beluga tagged in northern Quebec in October moved into the deep water of western Hudson Strait and travelled east along the southern coast of Hudson Strait, slowing up on reaching shallower water off Salluit and near Charles Island. This whale was still off Salluit when the tag stopped transmitting. All the tagged belugas dived intensively while the tags were attached, although there were individual differences, some belugas diving noticeably less than others. Dive behaviour varied over time, with periods lasting several days of concentrated diving interspersed with periods of less intense diving. 'Intense' periods entailed diving for up to 80% of the time. All belugas, even the one that was in deep water in Hudson Strait, showed dive depth characteristics that were consistent with diving usually to the bottom. However, all belugas always - even in deep water - made dives that usually lasted less than 10 min and very seldom lasted more than 12 min. Belugas tagged as pairs of adults and young showed striking correlations of dive behaviour. The data obtained indicate that it would be appropriate to correct aerial surveys by adding 85% to aerial counts.
Descriptors: Delphinapterus leucas, aquatic diving, behavior, distribution within habitat, north Atlantic, Canada, Quebec, Hudson Bay and Hudson Strait, distribution within habitat and diving behavior.
Kopelman, A.H. and S.S. Sadove (1995). Ventilatory rate differences between surface-feeding and non-surface-feeding fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) in the waters off eastern Long Island, New York, USA 1981-1987. Marine Mammal Science 11(2): 200-208. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Abstract: Observations of feeding and ventilatory behavior of individual fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) were made from various vessels during the months of May-September, 1981-1987, in the waters off eastern Long Island, N.Y., U.S.A. Intervals between blows were measured and recorded to the nearest second. Information about behavior was recorded, as were location, depth, and surface temperature at sounding dives. Animals observed feeding at the surface were noted as such, all others were considered non-surface-feeding animals. Data were compiled by individual, month, year, and analyzed for mean interblow interval during surface activity bouts; mean dive duration; and overall mean blow interval. Overall mean blow intervals (+- SE) of 47.89 +- 0.81 sec for surface-feeding (n = 10,411), and 57.92 +- 0.97 sec for non-surface-feeding animals (n = 11,024), differed significantly (Mann-Whitney U, P lt 0.001). Interblow intervals for surface activity bouts (+-SE) of 12.29 +- 0.05 sec for surface-feeding (n = 7,894), and 13.58 +- 0.06 sec, for non-surface-feeding animals (n = 8,187), also differed significantly (Mann-Whitney U, P lt 0.001), as did mean dive duration (159.53 +- 2.16 sec, n = 2,517, for surface-feeding animals; 185.86 +- 2.53 sec, n = 2,837, for non-surface-feeding animals). Yearly comparisons of blow intervals between surface-feeding and non-surface-feeding animals during surface activity bouts yielded significant differences for each year except 1981, while comparisons of dive durations yielded significant differences for all years except 1981, 1982, and 1985.
Descriptors: behavior, ecology, environmental sciences, marine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, nutrition, respiratory system, respiration, behavior, dive duration.
Koschinski, S., B.M. Culik, O.D. Henriksen, N. Tregenza, G. Ellis, C. Jansen, and G. Kathe (2003). Behavioural reactions of free-ranging porpoises and seals to the noise of a simulated 2 MW windpower generator. Marine Ecology Progress Series 265: 263-273. ISSN: 0171-8630.
NAL Call Number: QH541.5.S3M32
Abstract: Operational underwater noise emitted at 8 m s-1 by a 550 kW WindWorld wind-turbine was recorded from the sea and modified to simulate a 2 MW wind-turbine. The sound was replayed from an audio CD through a car CD-player and a J-13 transducer. The maximum sound energy was emitted between 30 and 800 Hz with peak source levels of 128 dB (re 1 [mu]Pa2 Hz-1 at 1 m) at 80 and 160 Hz (1/3-octave centre frequencies). This simulated 2 MW wind-turbine noise was played back on calm days (<1 Beaufort) to free-ranging harbour porpoises Phocoena phocoena and harbour seals Phoca vitulina in Fortune Channel, Vancouver Island, Canada. Swimming tracks of porpoises and surfacings of seals were recorded with an electronic theodolite situated on a clifftop 14 m above sea level. Echolocation activity of harbour porpoises close to the sound source was recorded simultaneously via an electronic click detector placed below the transducer. In total we tracked 375 porpoise groups and 157 seals during play-back experiments, and 380 porpoise groups and 141 surfacing seals during controls. Both species showed a distinct reaction to wind-turbine noise. Surfacings in harbour seals were recorded at larger distances from the sound source (median = 284 vs 239 m during controls; p = 0.008, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test) and closest approaches increased from a median of 120 to 182 m (p < 0.001) in harbour porpoises. Furthermore, the number of time intervals during which porpoise echolocation clicks were detected increased by a factor of 2 when the sound source was active (19.6 % of all 1 min intervals as opposed to 8.4% of all intervals during controls; p < 0.001).These results show that harbour porpoises and harbour seals are able to detect the low-frequency sound generated by offshore wind-turbines. Controlled exposure experiments such as the one described here are a first step to assess the impact on marine mammals of the new offshore wind-turbine industry.
Descriptors: Phoca vitulina industry, distribution within habitat, sound, wind turbine noise, north Pacific, Canada, British Columbia, Vancouver Island, wind turbine noise effects.
Kraus, S.D. and J.J. Hatch (2001). Mating strategies in the north Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis). Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 2(Special Issue): 237-244. ISSN: 1561-073X.
Descriptors: behavior, communication, reproduction, wildlife management, conservation, photo identification, identification method, underwater recordings, recording method, videotaping, imaging method, courtship behavior, male competition, mating calls, mating strategies, sperm competition.
Kreb, D. and K.D. Rahadi (2004). Living under an aquatic freeway: effects of boats on Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) in a coastal and riverine environment in Indonesia. Aquatic Mammals 30(3): 363-375. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Abstract: Interactions between boats, and coastal and freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris), were studied in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, during 2001. The goal was to determine the conditions under which dolphins reacted to boats and to recommend conservation actions. Both coastal and freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins surfaced less in the presence of boats, but the avoidance reaction lasted longer for the river dolphins. River dolphins surfaced significantly less often in the presence of motorized canoes (<40 hp), speedboats (40-200 hp), and container tugboats (> 1,000 hp). Coastal dolphins only reacted to speedboats, and only when they approached at a 50-m distance. River dolphins reacted within a maximum distance of 250 m before and 300 m after a speedboat passed. Besides surfacing changes, river dolphins actively avoided container tugboats. The strength of reactions did not depend on the dolphins' behavior, group size, or age. Hypersensitivity by river dolphins to intensive boat traffic could explain the different responses between coastal and river dolphins. To prevent dolphin displacement from their core areas, an action plan currently is being developed by a nongovernmental organization in cooperation with Indonesian governmental institutions and residents. Speedboat owners will be urged to reduce boat speed in areas indicated on sign boards.
Descriptors: Orcaella brevirostris, disturbance by man, boat disturbance, conservation measures, voluntary boat speed restrictions, activity patterns, surfacing activity, effects of boat disturbance and conservation implications, Indonesia and south Pacific, Indonesia, Mahakam River, south Pacific, Kalimantan, Balikpapan Bay, boat disturbance effects on surfacing activity, conservation relaitonships.
Krushinskiy, L.V. (1972). A study of the complex form of behavior of dolphins Tursiops truncatus (Montagu). Zhurnal Vysshey Nervnoy Deyatel'Nosti 22(4): 718-725.
NAL Call Number: TRANSL 20073
Descriptors: dolphins, behavior, study, Tursiops truncatus.
Notes: Translated by the Joint Publications Research Service, 1973. JPRS:57293; CSO:0731/73/W.
Krutzen, M., J. Mann, M.R. Heithaus, R.C. Connor, L. Bejder, and W.B. Sherwin (2005). Cultural transmission of tool use in bottlenose dolphins. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 102(25): 8939-8943. ISSN: 0027-8424.
NAL Call Number: 500 N21P
Abstract: In Shark Bay, wild bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.) apparently use marine sponges as foraging tools. We demonstrate that genetic and ecological explanations for this behavior are inadequate; thus, "sponging" classifies as the first case of an existing material culture in a marine mammal species. Using mitochondrial DNA analyses, we show that sponging shows an almost exclusive vertical social transmission within a single matriline from mother to female offspring. Moreover, significant genetic relatedness among all adult spongers at the nuclear level indicates very recent coancestry, suggesting that all spongers are descendents of one recent "Sponging Eve." Unlike in apes, tool use in this population is almost exclusively limited to a single matriline that is part of a large albeit open social network of frequently interacting individuals, adding a new dimension to charting cultural phenomena among animals.
Descriptors: bottlenose dolphins, sponges, foraging tools, behavior, tool use.
Krutzen, M., W.B. Sherwin, R.C. Connor, L.M. Barre, T. Van de Casteele, J. Mann, and R. Brooks (2003). Contrasting relatedness patterns in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.) with different alliance strategies. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences 270(1514): 497-502. ISSN: 0962-8452.
Abstract: Male bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.) in Shark Bay have one of the most complex male societies outside humans. Two broad mating strategies have been identified in males. In the first strategy, there are two types of alliances: stable 'first-order' pairs and trios that herd individual females in reproductive condition, and 'second-order' teams of two first-order alliances (five or six individuals) that join forces against rivals in contests for females. In the alternative strategy, a 'super-alliance' of ca. 14 individuals, males form pairs or trios to herd females, but in contrast to the stable alliances, these pairs and trios are highly labile. Here, we show that males in stable first-order alliances and the derived second-order alliances are often strongly related, so that they may gain inclusive fitness benefits from alliance membership. By contrast, members of the super-alliance are no more closely related than expected by chance. Further, the strength of the association of alliance partners within the super-alliance, as measured by an index of joint participation in consorting a female, was not correlated with their genetic relatedness. Thus, within one population and one sex, it appears that there may be simultaneous operation of more than one mode of group formation.
Descriptors: cooperative behavior, dolphins genetics, dolphins physiology, sex behavior, animal, evolution.
Kuczaj, S., K. Tranel, M. Trone, and H. Hill. (2001). Are animals capable of deception or empathy? Implications for animal consciouness and animal welfare. Proceedings of the UFAW Symposium on Consciousness, Cognition and Animal Welfare, May 11, 2000-May 11, 2000, London, Vol. 10 (Suppl.), p. S161-S173.
NAL Call Number: HV4701.A557
Descriptors: awareness, species differences, dolphins, whales, mental ability, animal welfare.
Kuczaj, S.A.I., C.T. Lacinak and T.N. Turner (1998). Environmental enrichment for marine mammals at Sea World. In: D.J. Shepherdson, J.D. Mellen and M. Hutchins (Editors), Second Nature: Environmental Enrichment for Captive Animals, Smithsonian Institution Press: Washington & London, p. 314-328. ISBN: 1560987456.
NAL Call Number: SF408.S435 1998
Descriptors: Orcinus orca, zoos and wildlife parks, marine park environmental enrichment programme, design and evaluation, care in captivity, environmental enrichment, behavior, environmental enrichment significance, marine park programme design and evaluation, review.
Kyngdon, D.J., E.O. Minot, and K.J. Stafford (2003). Behavioural responses of captive common dolphins Delphinus delphis to a 'Swim-with-Dolphin' programme. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 81(2): 163-170. ISSN: 0168-1591.
NAL Call Number: QL750.A6
Descriptors: Delphinus, animal behavior, females, animal well being, animal stress, social behavior, human animal relations, adaptation, New Zealand.
Laidre, K.L., M.P. Heide Jorgensen, M.L. Logsdon, R.C. Hobbs, R. Dietz, and G.R. Van Blaricom (2004). Fractal analysis of narwhal space use patterns. Zoology (Jena) 107(1): 3-11. ISSN: 0944-2006.
NAL Call Number: QL1.Z769
Descriptors: Monodon monoceros, foraging, territoriality, home range, migration, distribution within habitat, habitat utilization, physical factors, season, Arctic Ocean, Greenland and Canada, space use patterns, fractal analysis.
Laidre, K.L., M.P. Heide Jorgensen, R. Dietz, R.C. Hobbs, and O.A. Jorgensen (2003). Deep-diving by narwhals Monodon monoceros: Differences in foraging behavior between wintering areas? Marine Ecology Progress Series 261: 269-281. ISSN: 0171-8630.
NAL Call Number: QH541.5.S3M32
Descriptors: Monodon monoceros, foraging, behavioral variation, habitat preference, habitat selection, Arctic Ocean, Canada, Nnavut, Greenland, diving behavior and habitat selection, differences between subpopulations.
Lammers, M.O. (2004). Occurrence and behavior of Hawaiian spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) along Oahu's leeward and south shores. Aquatic Mammals 30(2): 237-250. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Abstract: The spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris) is a delphinid that occurs in both pelagic and coastal tropical and subtropical habitats worldwide. A model of the behavior and ecology of this species was described for a resident population along the Kona coast of the island of Hawaii by Norris et al. (1994). To assess the applicability and variability of this model in divergent coastal habitats, the occurrence and behavior of spinner dolphins resident along the southern and western shores of the island of Oahu, Hawaii, was studied over a five-year period. The findings reveal that spinner dolphins off Oahu carry out their daily cycle in a manner similar to those off Kona, but that some noteworthy differences exist in the manner in which dolphins off Oahu use the nearshore habitat. Spinner dolphins exhibited strong preferences for specific locations along the west coast of Oahu, but not along the southern shore, where the average pod size was consistently larger. Resting and social behaviors were tied primarily to the time of day, rather than to any specific site along the coast. Spinner dolphins consistently exhibited a strong affinity for the 10-fathom isobath, indicating that shallow waters are likely the primary coastal feature promoting daytime residence. Foraging was initiated typically in the late afternoon along the edges of banks where vertically and horizontally migrating mesopelagic prey presumably first ascend to shallower depths. Spinner dolphins on Oahu use the coast opportunistically and, therefore, over time, could respond to recent increases in human encroachment by shifting the location and/or timing of their occurrence and behavioral activities.
Descriptors: Stenella longirostris, foraging, social behavior, circadian activity, diel activity patterns, resting, habitat utilization, north Pacific, Hawaii, Oahu, southern and western shores, habitat use and behavior.
Lennert Cody, C.E. and M.D. Scott (2005). Spotted dolphin evasive response in relation to fishing effort. Marine Mammal Science 21(1): 13-28. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Abstract: Spotted dolphins in the eastern Pacific Ocean associate with yellowfin tuna. During the chase and encirclement phases of purse-seining for tunas, dolphin attempt to evade encirclement with the purse-seine net. We used data on evasive behavior (1982-2001) and numbers of purse-seine sets (1959-2001) to study the relationship between evasion and fishing effort. Results show that in nearshore areas first exploited by the fishery in the early 1960s, dolphins exhibited high evasion, but with a limited correlation between evasion and cumulative effort. In areas farther offshore next exploited in the mid- to late-1960s, dolphins showed high evasion and a significant correlation between evasion and cumulative effort. Dolphins in far-western and southern areas, first exploited in the late 1960s to early 1970s, exhibited low evasion, with little relationship to cumulative effort. We hypothesize that this spatial pattern is the result of two types of pressure from fishing: early effort in nearshore areas with a high risk of mortality that generated a lasting evasive response, followed by a longer period of even greater effort but with lower risk of mortality that generated evasion by longer-term learning.
Descriptors: Stenella attenuata, fishing and fisheries, learning, avoidance behavior, north Pacific, east, evasive response to purse seine nets, fishing effort relations.
Lewis, J.S. and W.W. Schroeder (2003). Mud plume feeding, a unique foraging behavior of the bottlenose dolphin in the Florida Keys. Gulf of Mexico Science 21(1): 92-97. ISSN: 1087-688X.
Descriptors: Tursiops, foraging, Gulf of Mexico, USA, Florida, Florida Keys, mud plume feeding, records and observations.
Lockard, J.S. (1986). Research status of Orcinus orca: what is not known about its behavioral biology. Zoo Biology Monographs 1: 407-442.
Descriptors: Orcinus orca, feeding, breeding habits, behavior, vocalizations, social behavior, research status, review.
Lockyer, C. (1997). Diving behaviour of the sperm whale in relation to feeding. Bulletin De L' Institut Royal Des Sciences Naturelles De Belgique Biologie (Belgium). Bulletin Van Het Koninlijk Belgisch Instituut Voor Natuurwetenschappen - Biologie 67(Suppl.): 133. ISSN: 0374-6429.
NAL Call Number: QH301.I48
Abstract: Sperm whales are amongst the deepest and longest diving mammal species. Investigations on dive depth using both indirect evidence of bottom cable entanglements and dietary species from stomach contents, and also direct evidence from both active sonar tracking and passive acoustic listening to sperm whales clicks using directional hydrophones, indicate that dives are possible to depths more than 1,000 m and may even be in excess of 2,000 m. Duration of dive may last up to an hour. In most parts of the world's oceans, the sperm whale feeds on squid, but off Iceland, fish predominate in the diet. Many bottom and deepwater squid species are only known from sperm whale stomachs. The mechanism of food gathering is uncertain. There is a claim that sperm whales are able to stun prey with a beam akin to ultrasound, and another that prey are attracted passively to the whiteness of the mandibular teeth. One matter that is certain is that the teeth are not used for prehension because undigested prey items retrieved from the stomach do not show bite marks. The largest whole item reported was a giant squid nearly 10.5 m in length. In addition, animals with congenitally deformed or broken (but healed) mandibles are still able to feed effectively. Clearly the sperm whale must use some form of powerful suction mechanism in the buccal region to entrap and swallow the prey. At great depths prey will not be seen unless bioluminescent organs are displayed, and prey may only be detected acoustically, and physically from movements creating water pressure fronts and tactile experience. Investigations both anatomically and biochemically indicate that the specialisation of the head region into spermaceti organ and junk may serve a dual function of buoyancy control in diving and acoustically in echolocation. It is clear that there are still many questions unanswered about sperm whale diving and feeding mechanisms.
Descriptors: whales, behavior, animal feeding, marine environment, depth, aquatic environment, Cetacea, dimensions, environment, mammals.
Language of Text: English and French summaries.
Notes: Meeting Information: Proceedings of the Symposium "The North Sea Sperm Whales, One Year After" Held in Koksijde (Belgium) on the Anniversary of the Stranding of Four Sperm Whales on the Belgian Coast, Koksijde Belgium, Nov. 16-18, 1995.
Loveland, K.A. (1995). Self-recognition in the bottlenose dolphin: ecological considerations. Consciousness and Cognition 4(2): 254-7. ISSN: 1053-8100.
Descriptors: awareness, dolphins psychology, self concept, social environment, visual perception, attention, body image, exploratory behavior, species specificity, television.
Lusseau, D. (2003). The emergent properties of a dolphin social network. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences 270(Suppl. 2): S186-8. ISSN: 0962-8452.
Abstract: Many complex networks, including human societies, the Internet, the World Wide Web and power grids, have surprising properties that allow vertices (individuals, nodes, Web pages, etc.) to be in close contact and information to be transferred quickly between them. Nothing is known of the emerging properties of animal societies, but it would be expected that similar trends would emerge from the topology of animal social networks. Despite its small size (64 individuals), the Doubtful Sound community of bottlenose dolphins has the same characteristics. The connectivity of individuals follows a complex distribution that has a scale-free power-law distribution for large k. In addition, the ability for two individuals to be in contact is unaffected by the random removal of individuals. The removal of individuals with many links to others does affect the length of the 'information' path between two individuals, but, unlike other scale-free networks, it does not fragment the cohesion of the social network. These self-organizing phenomena allow the network to remain united, even in the case of catastrophic death events.
Descriptors: dolphins physiology, models, theoretical, social behavior, New Zealand.
Lusseau, D. and M.E.J. Newman (2004). Identifying the role that animals play in their social networks. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences 271(Suppl. 6): S477-S481. ISSN: 0962-8452.
Abstract: Techniques recently developed for the analysis of human social networks are applied to the social network of bottlenose dolphins living in Doubtful Sound, New Zealand. We identify communities and sub-communities within the dolphin population and present evidence that sex- and age-related homophily play a role in the formation of clusters of preferred companionship. We also identify brokers who act as links between sub-communities and who appear to be crucial to the social cohesion of the population as a whole. The network is found to be similar to human social networks in some respects but different in some others, such as the level of assortative mixing by degree within the population. This difference elucidates some of the means by which the network forms and evolves.
Descriptors: Tursiops truncatus, social organization, south Pacific, New Zealand, doubtful sound, social network cohesiveness, role of broker individuals.
Lusseau, D., R. Williams, B. Wilson, K. Grellier, T.R. Barton, P.S. Hammond, and P.M. Thompson (2004). Parallel influence of climate on the behaviour of Pacific killer whales and Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. Ecology Letters 7(11): 1068-1076. ISSN: 1461-023X.
NAL Call Number: QH540.E262
Abstract: The grouping behaviour of animals is governed by intrinsic and extrinsic factors which play an important role in shaping their social organization. We investigated the influence of ocean climate variation on the grouping behaviour of two widely separated populations of cetaceans, inhabiting north Atlantic and north Pacific coastal waters. The group size of both bottlenose dolphins in the Moray Firth, UK, and killer whales in Johnstone Strait, Canada, varied from year to year in relation to large-scale ocean climate variation. Local indices of prey abundance were also related both to climate indices and predator group sizes. The cetaceans tended to live in smaller groups when there was less salmon available in both areas which seem to occur 2 years after a lower phase of the North Atlantic and Pacific Decadal Oscillations. These findings suggest that, even in highly social mammals, climate variation may influence social organization through changes in prey availability.
Descriptors: Orcinus orca, schooling, climate and weather, north Pacific, Canada, British Columbia, Johnstone Strait, ocean climate variation effect on grouping behavior in geographically separated species.
Lyamin, O., J. Pryaslova, V. Lance, and J. Siegel (2005). Animal behaviour: continuous activity in cetaceans after birth. Nature (London) 435(7046): 1177. ISSN: 1476-4687.
NAL Call Number: 472 N21
Abstract: All mammals previously studied take maximal rest or sleep after birth, with the amount gradually decreasing as they grow to adulthood, and adult fruitflies and rats die if they are forcibly deprived of sleep. It has therefore been assumed that sleep is necessary for development and serves a vital function in adults. But we show here that, unlike terrestrial mammals, killer-whale and bottlenose-dolphin neonates and their mothers show little or no typical sleep behaviour for the first postpartum month, avoiding obstacles and remaining mobile for 24 hours a day. We find that neonates and their mothers gradually increase the amount of time they spend resting to normal adult levels over a period of several months, but never exceed these levels. Our findings indicate either that sleep behaviour may not have the developmental and life-sustaining functions attributed to it, or that alternative mechanisms may have evolved in cetaceans.
Descriptors: animals, newborn physiology, dolphins physiology, wakefulness physiology, aging physiology, animals, newborn blood, dolphins blood, hydrocortisone administration and dosage, hydrocortisone blood, hydrocortisone pharmacology, oxytocin administration and dosage, oxytocin pharmacology, respiration, sleep drug effects, sleep physiology, stress blood, stress physiopathology, time factors, wakefulness drug effects.
Lyamin, O.I., P.R. Manger, L.M. Mukhametov, J.M. Siegel, and O.V. Shpak (2000). Rest and activity states in a gray whale. Journal of Sleep Research 9(3): 261-7. ISSN: 0962-1105.
Abstract: The behaviour of a female gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) that had been rescued 14 months previously was recorded continuously on a video-recorder for 9 days at 'Sea World' in San Diego. On average, during the first six recording days, active wakefulness accounted for 37.9 +/- 1.7% of each 24 h; transitional stage for 17.4 +/- 1.4% and rest for 41.2 +/- 1.7%. In the rest stage the whale was lying on the bottom of the pool (13.2 +/- 1.7%) or hanging on the surface (28. 0 +/- 1.7%). During the rest stage, it was immobile most of the time and moved only for respiration. In the rest stage both eyes could be open, one eye could be open while the other was closed or, more rarely, both eyes could be closed. Characteristic jerks of the head, neck and sometimes of the whole body were observed in the whale during the rest stage. Most jerks were single and only 10% of all jerks were serial (occurring within 10 s of a prior jerk). Eyelid movements accompanied 40% of jerks. In two episodes, intense jerks followed each other continuously for 3 and 4 s and were accompanied by eyelid movements. These jerks resembled the twitches characteristic of paradoxical sleep in terrestrial mammals. During these episodes the whale was falling slowly onto its side and subsequently started to swim in the pool.
Descriptors: behavior, animal physiology, rest, swimming physiology, whales physiology, sleep, REM physiology, videotape recording, wakefulness physiology.
Lyamin, O.I., L.M. Mukhametov, and J.M. Siegel (2004). Relationship between sleep and eye state in Cetaceans and Pinnipeds. Archives Italiennes De Biologie 142(4): 557-68. ISSN: 0003-9829.
Abstract: We recorded EEG from both hemispheres and documented the state of the two eyes in two species of Cetaceans (one beluga and one bottlenose dolphin) and one species of Pinnipeds (two northern fur seals). In the dolphin and beluga we found that episodes of unihemispheric slow wave sleep (USWS) were associated with asymmetry in eye state. During USWS and asymmetrical SWS the eye contralateral to the sleeping hemisphere was mostly closed or in an intermediate state while the eye contralateral to the waking hemisphere was more often open or in an intermediate state. Bilateral eye opening indicated waking in about 80% cases and unilateral eye closure indicated USWS with an accuracy of about 75%. Bilateral eye closure was rare (< 2% of the observation time) and was not necessarily associated with high amplitude SWS. In fur seals, episodes of one eye briefly opening usually occurred in the beginning of sleep episodes and lasted several minutes. Those episodes were frequently associated with lower amplitude EEG slow waves in the contralateral brain hemisphere. During most of their sleep on land, fur seals had both eyes tightly closed. No EEG asymmetry was recorded at this time. Although eye state and EEG stage are correlated in the bottlenose dolphin, beluga and fur seals, short episodes of EEG synchrony (less then 1 min) occur contralateral to an open eye and waking (a more activated EEG) activity can be present contralateral to a closed eye. The available data suggest that two functions of USWS/EEG asymmetry during SWS in Cetaceans and fur seals are multisensory control of the environment and maintenance of motion and postures of sleep. The adaptive advantages of USWS throughout the evolution of Cetaceans and Pinnipeds from terrestrial mammals to present forms could include 1) the avoidance of predators and maintenance of contact with other animals of the same species; 2) continuance of regular breathing; 3) and effective thermoregulation in the water environment.
Descriptors: cerebral cortex physiology, Cetacea physiology, ocular physiology, Pinnipedia physiology, sleep physiology, wakefulness physiology, adaptation, physiological physiology, behavior, animal physiology, electroencephalography, eyelids physiology, laterality physiology, photic stimulation, time factors, vision physiology, visual pathways physiology, visual perception physiology.
Lyamin, O.I., L.M. Mukhametov, J.M. Siegel, P.R. Manger, and O.V. Shpak (2001). Resting behavior in a rehabilitating gray whale calf. Aquatic Mammals 27(3): 256-266. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Descriptors: behavior, apneas, eyelid movements, muscle jerks, resting behavior, sleep, swimming behavior, wildlife rehabilitation, Seaworld.
Lyamin, O.I., L.M. Mukhametov, J.M. Siegel, E.A. Nazarenko, I.G. Polyakova, and O.V. Shpak (2002). Unihemispheric slow wave sleep and the state of the eyes in a white whale. Behavioural Brain Research 129(1-2): 125-9. ISSN: 0166-4328.
Abstract: We recorded electroencephalogram (EEG) and simultaneously documented the state of both eyelids during sleep and wakefulness in a sub-adult male white whale over a 4-day-period. We showed that the white whale was the fifth species of Cetaceans, which exhibits unihemispheric slow wave sleep. We found that the eye contralateral to the sleeping hemisphere in this whale was usually closed (right eye, 52% of the total sleep time in the contralateral hemisphere; left eye, 40%) or in an intermediate state (31 and 46%, respectively) while the ipsilateral eye was typically open (89 and 80%). Episodes of bilateral eye closure in this whale occupied less than 2% of the observation time and were usually recorded during waking (49% of the bilateral eye closure time) or low amplitude sleep (48%) and rarely in high amplitude sleep (3%). In spite of the evident overall relationship between the sleeping hemisphere and eye state, EEG and eye position in this whale could be independent over short time periods (less than 1 min). Therefore, eye state alone may not accurately reflect sleep state in Cetaceans. Our data support the idea that unihemispheric sleep allows Cetaceans to monitor the environment.
Descriptors: laterality physiology, ocular physiology, sleep physiology, whales physiology, electrocardiography, electrodes, implanted, electroencephalography.
Lyamin, O.I., O.V. Shpak, E.A. Nazarenko, and L.M. Mukhametov (2002). Muscle jerks during behavioral sleep in a beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas L.). Physiology and Behavior 76(2): 265-70. ISSN: 0031-9384.
NAL Call Number: QP1.P4
Abstract: We conducted video recording of the behavior of one captive adult male beluga (or white) whale over eight nights aiming to quantify muscle jerks and to evaluate their relationship to the sleep-waking cycle. Presumably, the whale was asleep during a significant portion of the time it spent lying on the bottom of the pool. Individual sleep episodes lasted between 20 and 492 s and on average occupied 66.7+/-2.6% of the nighttime (n=8). Muscle jerks were quantified in the last three nights, during which an average of 144+/-24 jerks were documented per night. Forty-six percent of all jerks occurred within 10 s of each other. Series of jerks lasted 2-21 s (on average 4.8+/-0.5 s, n=97) and in total occupied 0.3-0.7% of the rest time (0.2-0.5% of total nighttime). Jerks occurred more frequently at the end of rest episodes. A significant portion of rest episodes with jerks (62%) followed each other. These series of episodes with jerks alternated with periods when jerks were not recorded over 8-37 min. We conclude that some jerks meet the behavioral criteria of paradoxical [or rapid eye movement (REM)] sleep (PS). On the other hand, definitive conclusions about the presence and duration of this sleep stage in cetaceans cannot be reached without further combined electropolygraphic studies and visual observations.
Descriptors: movement physiology, muscle, skeletal physiology, sleep physiology, whales physiology, motor activity physiology, muscle contraction physiology, sleep, rem physiology, videotape recording.
Maas, B. (2004). The potential stress effects of whaling and the welfare implications for hunted cetaceans. In: P. Brakes, A. Butterworth, M. Simmonds and P. Lymbery (Editors), Troubled Waters: a Review of the Welfare Implications of Modern Whaling Activities, World Society for the Protection of Animals: London, p. 69-77. ISBN: 0954706501.
Descriptors: Cetacea, whaling potential stress effects and welfare implications, philosophy and ethics, physiological condition, stress.
Madsen, P.T., M. Johnson, N.A. de Soto, W.M. Zimmer, and P. Tyack (2005). Biosonar performance of foraging beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris). Journal of Experimental Biology 208(2): 181-94. ISSN: 0022-0949.
NAL Call Number: 442.8 B77
Abstract: Toothed whales (Cetacea, odontoceti) emit sound pulses to probe their surroundings by active echolocation. Non-invasive, acoustic Dtags were placed on deep-diving Blainville's beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris) to record their ultrasonic clicks and the returning echoes from prey items, providing a unique view on how a whale operates its biosonar during foraging in the wild. The process of echolocation during prey capture in this species can be divided into search, approach and terminal phases, as in echolocating bats. The approach phase, defined by the onset of detectable echoes recorded on the tag for click sequences terminated by a buzz, has interclick intervals (ICI) of 300-400 ms. These ICIs are more than a magnitude longer than the decreasing two-way travel time to the targets, showing that ICIs are not given by the two-way-travel times plus a fixed, short lag time. During the approach phase, the received echo energy increases by 10.4(+/-2) dB when the target range is halved, demonstrating that the whales do not employ range-compensating gain control of the transmitter, as has been implicated for some bats and dolphins. The terminal/buzz phase with ICIs of around 10 ms is initiated when one or more targets are within approximately a body length of the whale (2-5 m), so that strong echo returns in the approach phase are traded for rapid updates in the terminal phase. It is suggested that stable ICIs in the search and approach phases facilitate auditory scene analysis in a complex multi-target environment, and that a concomitant low click rate allows the whales to maintain high sound pressure outputs for prey detection and discrimination with a pneumatically driven, bi-modal sound generator.
Descriptors: appetitive behavior physiology, echolocation physiology, feeding behavior physiology, whales physiology, acoustics, Atlantic Ocean, sound spectrography.
Madsen, P.T., I. Kerr, and R. Payne (2004). Echolocation clicks of two free-ranging, oceanic delphinids with different food preferences: false killer whales Pseudorca crassidens and Risso's dolphins Grampus griseus. Journal of Experimental Biology 207(11): 1811-23. ISSN: 0022-0949.
NAL Call Number: 442.8 B77
Abstract: Toothed whales (Odontoceti, Cetacea) navigate and locate prey by means of active echolocation. Studies on captive animals have accumulated a large body of knowledge concerning the production, reception and processing of sound in odontocete biosonars, but there is little information about the properties and use of biosonar clicks of free-ranging animals in offshore habitats. This study presents the first source parameter estimates of biosonar clicks from two free-ranging oceanic delphinids, the opportunistically foraging Pseudorca crassidens and the cephalopod eating Grampus griseus. Pseudorca produces short duration (30 micro s), broadband (Q=2-3) signals with peak frequencies around 40 kHz, centroid frequencies of 30-70 kHz, and source levels between 201-225 dB re. 1 micro Pa (peak to peak, pp). Grampus also produces short (40 micro s), broadband (Q=2-3) signals with peak frequencies around 50 kHz, centroid frequencies of 60-90 kHz, and source levels between 202 and 222 dB re. 1 micro Pa (pp). On-axis clicks from both species had centroid frequencies in the frequency range of most sensitive hearing, and lower peak frequencies and higher source levels than reported from captive animals. It is demonstrated that sound production in these two free-ranging echolocators is dynamic, and that free-ranging animals may not always employ biosonar signals comparable to the extreme signal properties reported from captive animals in long-range detection tasks. Similarities in source parameters suggest that evolutionary factors other than prey type determine the properties of biosonar signals of the two species. Modelling shows that interspecific detection ranges of prey types differ from 80 to 300 m for Grampus and Pseudorca, respectively.
Descriptors: animal communication, dolphins physiology, feeding behavior physiology, models, biological, sound, Indian Ocean, sound spectrography, time factors.
Madsen, P.T. and B. Mohl (2000). Sperm whales (Physeter catodon L. 1758) do not react to sounds from detonators. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 107(1): 668-71. ISSN: 0001-4966.
Descriptors: auditory perception physiology, behavior, animal physiology, signal detection psychology physiology, whales physiology, time factors.
Mann, J. (2000). Cetacean Societies: Field Studies of Dolphins and Whales, University of Chicago Press: Chicago, 433 p. ISBN: 0226503402; 0226503410.
NAL Call Number: QL737.C4 C39 2000
Descriptors: Cetacea behavior, social behavior in animals.
Mann, J. and C.J.J. Watson (2005). Surviving at sea: ecological and behavioural predictors of calf mortality in Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops sp. Animal Behaviour 69: 899-909. ISSN: 0003-3472.
NAL Call Number: 410 B77
Descriptors: behavior, marine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, survival, calf mortality, shark predation.
Mano, S. (1990). Analysis of diving behaviour of sperm whale Physeter catodon. Bulletin of the Japanese Society of Scientific Fisheries 56(2): 179-187. ISSN: 0021-5392.
Descriptors: physeter, behavior, movement, depth, velocity, equipment, ultrasonics, Cetacea, chemicophysical properties, dimensions, injurious factors, mammals, noise, physics, physiological functions, pollutants, sound, vertebrates.
Language of Text: English and Japanese summaries.
Mano, S. (1986). The behavior of sperm whales [Physeter catodon] in schools observed from an operating whaler. Bulletin of the Faculty of Fisheries Nagasaki University (60): 1-35. ISSN: 0547-1427.
Descriptors: physeter, behavior, fishing operations, echosounding, depth, Cetacea, chemicophysical properties, dimensions, mammals, methods, vertebrates.
Language of Text: English and Japanese summaries.
Maresh, J.L., F.E. Fish, D.P. Nowacek, S.M. Nowacek, and R.S. Wells (2004). High performance turning capabilities during foraging by bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Marine Mammal Science 20(3): 498-509. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Abstract: Large predators should have difficulty catching small prey because small animals demonstrate greater maneuverability and agility compared to large animals. The ability of a predator to capture small prey indicates locomotor strategies to compensate for inequities in maneuverability. Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Sarasota Bay, Florida feed on fish at least one order of magnitude smaller than themselves. To examine the locomotor strategies involved in prey capture, the foraging movements of these dolphins were videotaped from overhead using a remotely-controlled camera suspended from a helium-filled aerostat, which was tethered to an observation vessel. Dolphins were observed to rapidly maneuver during chases of fish in open water or around patches of rooted vegetation. Video analysis of the chase sequences indicated that the dolphins could move the rostrum through small radius turns with a mean value of 0.20 body lengths and with a minimum value of 0.08 body lengths. Mean rate of turn was 561.6degree/sec with a maximum rate measured at 1,372.0degree/sec. High turning rates with small turning radii were primarily the result of maneuvers in which the dolphin rolled 90degree and rapidly flexed its body ventrally. The ability of dolphins to change body orientation in multiple rotational axes provides a mechanism to reduce turning radius and increase turning rate to catch small, elusive prey.
Descriptors: biogeography, population studies, marine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, video analysis, applied and field techniques, predator prey situations, turning rates.
Marino, L. and J. Stowe (1997). Lateralized behavior in two captive bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Zoo Biology 16(2): 173-177. ISSN: 0733-3188.
NAL Call Number: QL77.5.Z6
Descriptors: Tursiops truncatus, locomotion, behavior patterns, captive animals.
Marten, K., K.S. Norris, P.W.B. Moore, and K.A. England (1988). Loud impulse sounds in Odontocete predation and social behaviour. NATO ASI (Advanced Science Institutes) Series. Series A. Life Sciences No. 156: 567-579. ISSN: 0161-0449.
NAL Call Number: QH301.N32
Descriptors: Pisces, predators, Odontoceti, predator loud impulse sounds, possible role in predation.
Martin, A.R., P. Hall, and P.R. Richard (2001). Dive behaviour of belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) in the shallow waters of western Hudson Bay. Arctic 54(3): 276-283. ISSN: 0004-0843.
Abstract: Beluga diving was studied in western Hudson Bay, where the preferred habitat of this whale in summer is shallow coastal waters. No relationship was found between the duration of a dive and the surface interval either preceding or following it. During rare periods of intense diving, 77% of an average dive cycle was spent below the water surface. Only in waters deeper than 25 m did any whale spend more than half its time below the surface zone; in rivers, less than 15% of the time was spent at depths of 4 m or more. The frequency of long dives increased with water depth. Maximum dive duration was 15.6 min. Dives to depths of 25 m or less were of variable duration and time-depth profile; most dives exceeding 50 m had a square profile and reached the seabed. The easterly migration in early September took the whales into water deeper than 100 m for the first time in several months, and they dived frequently to the bottom during this period. No clear difference in dive capability was found between western Hudson Bay belugas and those that inhabit deeper waters farther north. The preference of this population for shallow water in summer is not dictated by an inability to dive to greater depths; belugas can utilize benthic resources throughout Hudson Bay.
Descriptors: Delphinapterus leucas, aquatic diving, behavior, migration, autumn, habitat preference, north Atlantic, Canada, Hudson Bay, west, diving behavior, habitat preference and autumn migration.
Martin, A.R. and V.M.F. Silva da (2004). River dolphins and flooded forest: seasonal habitat use and sexual segregation of botos (Inia geoffrensis) in an extreme cetacean environment. Journal of Zoology (London) 263(3): 295-305. ISSN: 0952-8369.
Descriptors: animal behavior, floodplains, geographical distribution, habitat selection, habitats, life history, physical activity, rivers, seasonal variation, segregation, wetlands, wildlife conservation, Cetacea, river dolphin, Inia.
Mate, B.R., B.A. Lagerquist, M. Winsor, J. Geraci, and J.H. Prescott (2005). Movements and dive habits of a satellite-monitored longfinned pilot whale (Globicephala melas) in the northwest Atlantic. Marine Mammal Science 21(1): 136-144. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Descriptors: Globicephala melas, aquatic diving, north Atlantic, USA, movements and dive habits, seasonal patterns.
McBain, J.F. (1999). Cetaceans in captivity: a discussion of welfare. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 214(8): 1170-1174. ISSN: 0003-1488.
NAL Call Number: 41.8 Am3
Descriptors: Cetacea, animal welfare, zoo animals, captivity.
Notes: Meeting Informatoin: Paper presented at the 1998 American Veterinary Medical Association Animal Welfare Forum: Marine Mammals, Chicago, Illinois, Nov. 6, 1998.
McCowan, B. and D. Reiss (2001). The fallacy of 'signature whistles' in bottlenose dolphins: a comparative perspective of 'signature information' in animal vocalizations. Animal Behaviour 62(6): 1151-1162. ISSN: 0003-3472.
NAL Call Number: 410 B77
Descriptors: communication between animals, species, vocalization, dolphins, Tursiops truncatus.
McCowan, B. and D. Reiss (1995). Maternal aggressive contact vocalizations in captive bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus): wide-band, low-frequency signals during mother/aunt-infant interactions. Zoo Biology 14(4): 293-309. ISSN: 0733-3188.
NAL Call Number: QL77.5.Z6
Abstract: The mother-infant bond in bottlenose dolphins is critical to infant survival and has been reported to last from 3-10 years in both captive and wild populations. Little information on mother-infant communication during early development has been collected. This paper reports on a newly discovered dolphin vocalization, termed thunk, which is predominantly used by mothers toward infants. Four mother-infant pairs and one aunt-infant pair were the subjects for this study, Methods included a focal animal sampling technique using 2.5 min interval and event/continuous sampling regimes on audio- or videotape. Results indicated that thunks are produced by mothers or aunting females during infant departures (distances greater than 5 feet) and are frequently followed by disciplinary activity by the mother or aunt. In addition, thunks appeared to cease at approximately 9-10 months after birth, concurrent with a decrease in infant dependence. Thunks also were analyzed acoustically for frequency and duration parameters. Thunks have a harmonic structure with an energy peak in the 273-350 Hz range and ranged from 129-5,556 Hz in frequency and from 21-171 ms in duration. They appear to function as aggressive contact vocalizations produced by mothers and other adult females toward infants in order to maintain infant proximity.
Descriptors: behavior, communication, development, ecology, environmental sciences, reproductive system, reproduction, development, disciplinary behavior, infant proximity, mother infant communication.
Mermoz, J.F. (1980). A brief report on the behavior of Commerson's dolphin, Cephalorhynchus commersonii, in Patagonian shores. Scientific Reports of the Whales Research Institute (32): 149-153. ISSN: 0083-9086.
Descriptors: cephalorhynchus, dolphins, behavior, feeding habits, parturition, coasts, Argentina.
Language of Text: English summary.
Mesnick, S.L., K. Evans, B.L. Taylor, J. Hyde, S. Escorza Trevino and A.E. Dizon (2003). Sperm whale social structure: why it takes a village to raise a child. In: F.B.M. de Waal and P.L. Tyack (Editors), Animal Social Complexity: Intelligence, Culture, and Individualized Societies, Harvard University Press: Cambridge & London, p. 170-174. ISBN: 0674009290.
Descriptors: Physeter macrocephalus, social organization, overview.
Miksis, J.L., M.D. Grund, D.P. Nowacek, A.R. Solow, R.C. Connor, and P.L. Tyack (2001). Cardiac responses to acoustic playback experiments in the captive bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Journal of Comparative Psychology 115(3): 227-32. ISSN: 0735-7036.
Abstract: Acoustic recordings were used to investigate the cardiac responses of a captive dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) to sound playback stimuli. A suction-cup hydrophone placed on the ventral midline of the dolphin produced a continuous heartbeat signal while the dolphin was submerged. Heartbeats were timed by applying a matched-filter to the phonocardiogram. Significant heart rate accelerations were observed in response to playback stimuli involving conspecific vocalizations compared with baseline rates or tank noise playbacks. This method documents that objective psychophysiological measures can be obtained for physically unrestrained cetaceans. In addition, the results are the 1st to show cardiac responses to acoustic stimuli from a cetacean at depth. Preliminary evidence suggests that the cardiac response patterns of dolphins are consistent with the physiological defense and startle responses in terrestrial mammals and birds.
Descriptors: auditory perception, heart rate physiology, acoustics, behavior, animal physiology, dolphins physiology, random allocation, vocalization, animal.
Miles, J.A. and D.L. Herzing (2003). Underwater analysis of the behavioural development of free-ranging Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis) calves (birth to 4 years of age). Aquatic Mammals 29(3): 363-377. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Abstract: This investigation focused on the underwater behaviours and development of free-ranging Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis) mothers and calves in the Bahamas. During summer field seasons from 1991 to 2000, underwater video recordings were collected as part of a long-term life history and behaviour study. From these video recordings, sequences with a 3 min total observed time of both the mother and calf were analysed. Video segments were analysed for 10 mother/calf pairs of each calf age category (i.e., years one, two, and three), for a total of 30 mother/calf videos, and 10 additional videos of 4-year-old calves were also analysed. Frequency of behavioural events were compared: between (1) calf age categories, (2) mothers of calves in each age category, (3) calf age categories related to proximate associate, and (4) calf age categories related to the synchronicity or asynchronicity of the behaviours. Results demonstrated an increase in calf independence in year four shown by a significant reduction in nursing acts, significantly more feeding/foraging, and increased behaviours performed in the proximity of individuals other than the mother or increased time spent alone. Mothers exhibited no strong evidence for increased maternal rejection behaviours near the end of the estimated nursing period. For select behaviours, synchronicity increased with calf age. This study is rare in its ability to analyse the underwater behaviours of free-ranging dolphins and aims to reveal a strategy for non-invasive research as well as increase our understanding of the life history aspects of this species.
Descriptors: Stenella frontalis, parental care, mother calf interactions, young development, underwater video analysis from birth to 4 years of age, behavior, calf behavioral development, Caribbean Sea, Bahamas, Grand Bahama Island, calf behavioral development from birth to 4 years of age, underwater video analysis.
Miller, P.J., M.P. Johnson, and P.L. Tyack (2004). Sperm whale behaviour indicates the use of echolocation click buzzes 'creaks' in prey capture. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences 271(1554): 2239-2247. ISSN: 0962-8452.
Abstract: During foraging dives, sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) produce long series of regular clicks at 0.5-2 s intervals interspersed with rapid-click buzzes called 'creaks'. Sound, depth and orientation recording Dtags were attached to 23 whales in the Ligurian Sea and Gulf of Mexico to test whether the behaviour of diving sperm whales supports the hypothesis that creaks are produced during prey capture. Sperm whales spent most of their bottom time within one or two depth bands, apparently feeding in vertically stratified prey layers. Creak rates were highest during the bottom phase: 99.8% of creaks were produced in the deepest 50% of dives, 57% in the deepest 15% of dives. Whales swam actively during the bottom phase, producing a mean of 12.5 depth inflections per dive. A mean of 32% of creaks produced during the bottom phase occurred within 10 s of an inflection (13 x more than chance). Sperm whales actively altered their body orientation throughout the bottom phase with significantly increased rates of change during creaks, reflecting increased manoeuvring. Sperm whales increased their bottom foraging time when creak rates were higher. These results all strongly support the hypothesis that creaks are an echolocation signal adapted for foraging, analogous to terminal buzzes in taxonomically diverse echolocating species.
Descriptors: Physeter macrocephalus, echolocation, behavioral evidence for function of creak sounds in prey capture, Gulf of Mexico and Mediterranean Sea, foraging, aquatic diving, vertical distribution, diving depth, Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean Sea, Ligurian Sea, echolocation function of creak sound emissions, behavioral evidence.
Mitchell, R.W. (1995). Evidence of dolphin self-recognition and the difficulties of interpretation. Consciousness and Cognition 4(2): 229-34. ISSN: 1053-8100.
Descriptors: awareness, dolphins psychology, self concept, television, visual perception, arousal, body image, discrimination learning, social behavior.
Miyazaki, N. and M. Nishiwaki (1978). School structure of the striped dolphin off the Pacific coast of Japan. Scientific Reports of the Whales Research Institute (30): 65-115. ISSN: 0549-5717.
Descriptors: striped dolphin, school structure, Pacific coast, Japan.
Language of Text: English summary.
Mohan, R.S.L. (1983). Humpback dolphin Sousa chinensis in captivity. Indian Journal of Fisheries 30(1): 160-161. ISSN: 0537-2003.
NAL Call Number: SH299.I5
Descriptors: humpback dolphin, captivity, Sousa chinensis, India.
Moller, L.M. and L.B. Beheregaray (2004). Genetic evidence for sex-biased dispersal in resident bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus). Molecular Ecology 13(6): 1607-12. ISSN: 0962-1083.
NAL Call Number: QH540.M64
Abstract: In most mammals males usually disperse before breeding, while females remain in their natal group or area. However, in odontocete cetaceans behavioural and/or genetic evidence from populations of four species indicate that both males and females remain in their natal group or site. For coastal resident bottlenose dolphins field data suggest that both sexes are philopatric to their natal site. Assignment tests and analyses of relatedness based on microsatellite markers were used to investigate this hypothesis in resident bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops aduncus, from two small coastal populations of southeastern Australia. Mean corrected assignment and mean relatedness were higher for resident females than for resident males. Only 8% of resident females had a lower probability than average of being born locally compared to 33% of resident males. Our genetic data contradict the hypothesis of bisexual philopatry to natal site and suggest that these bottlenose dolphins are not unusual amongst mammals, with females being the more philopatric and males the more dispersing sex.
Descriptors: dolphins physiology, homing behavior physiology, reproduction physiology, spatial behavior physiology, dolphins genetics, gene frequency, genotype, microsatellite repeats genetics, Pacific Ocean, sex factors.
Moller, L.M., L.B. Beheregaray, R.G. Harcourt, and M. Krutzen (2001). Alliance membership and kinship in wild male bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) of southeastern Australia. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences 268(1479): 1941-7. ISSN: 0962-8452.
Abstract: Bottlenose dolphins are one of only a few mammalian taxa where the males are known to cooperate within their social group in order to maintain mating access to single females against other males. Male bonds in bottlenose dolphins have been hypothesized as evolving through kinship and associated inclusive fitness effects. In this study we tested whether individually identified male bottlenose dolphins preferentially associate and form alliances with kin in a small coastal resident population of southeastern Australia using a combination of behavioural data, genetic sexing, sequences of the mitochondrial DNA control region and nuclear microsatellite markers. Males generally associated significantly more often than expected with one to three other males, with whom they jointly herded females for mating. Associations and alliance membership were not associated with either maternal kinship or genetic relatedness. The majority of male pairs within alliances were randomly related, although high relatedness values were found between males of different alliances in the resident population. These findings indicate that mechanisms other than kin selection may be foremost in the development and maintenance of cooperation between male bottlenose dolphins.
Descriptors: behavior, animal, cooperative behavior, dolphins genetics, Australia, DNA, mitochondrial analysis, dolphins classification, dolphins physiology, nuclear family.
Monteiro Neto, C., F.J.C. Avila, T.T. Alves Jr., D.S. Araujo, A.A. Campos, A.M.A. Martins, C.L. Parente, M.A.A. Furtado Neto, and J. Lien (2004). Behavioral responses of Sotalia fluviatilis (Cetacea, Delphinidae) to acoustic pingers, Fortaleza, Brazil. Marine Mammal Science 20(1): 145-151. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Descriptors: Sotalia fluviatilis, fishing and fisheries, fisheries bycatch prevention, conservation measures, fishery bycatch prevention, mortality, accidental entrapment, sound, acoustic pingers, south Atlantic, Brazil, ceara, Fortaleza, behavioral responses to acoustic pingers on fishery nets.
Moore, M.J. and G.A. Early (2004). Cumulative Sperm Whale Bone Damage and the Bends. Science 306(5705): 2215. ISSN: 0036-8075.
NAL Call Number: 470 Sci2
Descriptors: sperm whale, bends, bone damage, sonar systems, diving behavior, gas emboli.
Morgan, J.D., S.K. Balfry, M.M. Vijayan, and G.K. Iwama (1996). Physiological responses to hyposaline exposure and handling and confinement stress in juvenile dolphin (mahimahi: Coryphaena hippurus). Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 53(8): 1736-1740. ISSN: 0706-652X.
NAL Call Number: 442.9 C16J
Descriptors: sea water, stress, zoo animals, delphinidae, dolphins, physiology, confinment, handling.
Language of Text: French.
Mueller, M., H. Boutiere, A.C.F. Weaver, and N. Candelon (1998). Nouvel inventaire du comportement du grand dauphin (Tursiops truncatus): approche comparative des comportements des dauphins gregaires, solitaires et familiers. [Ethogram of the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), with special reference to solitary and sociable dolphins]. Vie Et Milieu 48(2): 89-104. ISSN: 0240-8759.
Descriptors: Tursiops, social behavior, behavior, behavior, Cetacea, dolphins, mammals.
Language of Text: English and French summaries.
Mueller, M. and M. Bossley (2002). Solitary bottlenose dolphins in comparative perspective. Aquatic Mammals 28(3): 298-307. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Descriptors: Tursiops truncatus, disturbance by man, food availability, reproduction, reproductive strategies, social organization, solitary behavior, possible causes, socioecological implications, review, diseases and disorders, predators.
Murayama, T. and T. Tobayama (1995). Mental rotation in beluga [Delphinapterus leucas]. Technical Report of National Research Institute of Fisheries Engineering. Fishing Gear and Methods (6): 9-12. ISSN: 0289-5153.
Descriptors: Delphinapterus leucas, mental ability, behavior, psychological factors, Cetacea, delphinapterus, mammals, whales.
Language of Text: English summary.
Nakamura, K., T. Akamatsu, and K. Shimazaki (1998). Threat clicks of captive harbor porpoises, Phocoena phocoena. Bulletin of the Faculty of Fisheries Hokkaido University 49(3): 91-105. ISSN: 0018-3458.
NAL Call Number: 414.9 H682
Descriptors: Phocoena, communication between animals, sound, acoustic properties, aggressive behavior, captivity, behavior, chemicophysical properties, radiation.
Language of Text: English and Japanese summaries.
Nawojchik, R., D.J. St. Aubin, and A. Johnson (2003). Movements and dive behavior of two stranded, rehabilitated long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) in the northwest Atlantic. Marine Mammal Science 19(1): 232-239. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Descriptors: Globicephala melas, diving, north west Atlantic, USA, movements and dive behavior after stranding and rehabilitation.
Neumann, D.R. and M.B. Orams (2003). Feeding behaviours of short-beaked common dolphins, Delphinus delphis, in new Zealand. Aquatic Mammals 29(1): 137-149. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Descriptors: pisces, mammalian predators, Delphinus delphis, prey records and predator feeding behavior, south Pacific, New Zealand, North Island, Mercury Bay area, mammalian predator predator feeding behavior and prey records.
Ng, S.L. and S. Leung (2003). Behavioral response of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) to vessel traffic. Marine Environmental Research 56(5): 555-67. ISSN: 0141-1136.
Abstract: A series of land-based surveys were conducted at two vantage points of known dolphin abundance in Hong Kong. The purpose of this study was to determine the behavioral response of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) to vessel traffic. Results indicated that dolphins dove for a longer duration in areas of heavy vessel traffic or when there was the presence of an oncoming vessel. Dependent upon the type of vessel and the relative distance, dolphins might flee, continue their ongoing activity, perform a new activity, or approach the vessel. Whilst slow-moving vessels appeared not to cause immediate stress on the dolphin community, fast-moving vessels often cause disruption of behavior and social life. In order to ensure a better environment for the animals, we suggest that proactive conservation measures such as the creation of a marine park, rules and regulations for dolphin watching activities, and regional control of vessel speed should be implemented.
Descriptors: dolphins, movement, ships, social behavior, conservation of natural resources, data collection, hong kong, stress, psychological.
Nollman, J. (1987). To judge the pain of whales. Between the Species Journal of Ethics 3(3): 133-137.
NAL Call Number: HV4701.B4
Descriptors: whales, pain, protection, animal welfare.
Norman, S.A., R.C. Hobbs, J. Foster, J.P. Schroeder, and F.I. Townsend (2004). A review of animal and human health concerns during capture-release, handling and tagging of odontocetes. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 6(1): 53-62. ISSN: 1561-0713.
Abstract: The capture-release of odontocetes allows for tag deployment which provides an opportunity to study behaviour and habitat use by free-ranging animals, as well as clinical assessment of the animal and tissue collection. This review recognises those elements that are common to most capture and tagging projects, identifies collective knowledge of animal and human health concerns during handling of odontocetes and provides guidelines for safer handling techniques. Handling during tagging projects can involve chase, capture, restraint, manipulation, tag application, often removal from the water and release at the capture site. The risk of injury during capture will be reduced by using experienced personnel, adequate technical support and proper equipment. For the duration of the handling process, the animal's stimulus response should be monitored as well as its cardiovascular and respiratory function. Stress response of the odontocete is monitored by behavioural assessments, physiological monitoring and/or blood sampling. Possible complications from tag placement may include infection at the implant site leading to tag failure, behavioural alterations in response to tag placement and tag rejection. During handling of an odontocete, there is the potential for disease transmission between humans and the animal. Exposure to diseases is minimised by wearing protective clothing and gear and exercising caution when working around the animal's blowhole.
Descriptors: odontoceti, behavioral techniques, handling techniques, capture and tagging projects, animal and human health concerns, review, tagging, physiological condition, parasites diseases and disorders.
Nottestad, L., A. Ferno, and B.E. Axelsen (2002). Digging in the deep: Killer whales' advanced hunting tactic. Polar Biology 25(12): 939-941. ISSN: 0722-4060.
NAL Call Number: QH301.P64
Descriptors: Clupea harengus, mammalian predators, Orcinus orca, predator hunting tactic, Arctic Ocean, Norway, Lofoten, mammalian predator hunting tactic.
Nowacek, D.P. (2002). Sequential foraging behaviour of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, in Sarasota Bay, Fl. Behaviour 139(9): 1125-1145. ISSN: 0005-7959.
NAL Call Number: 410 B393
Descriptors: Tursiops truncatus, foraging, sequential behavior, Gulf of Mexico, USA, Florida, Sarasota Bay, sequential foraging behavior.
Oliver, J.S. and R.G. Kvitek (1984). Side-scan sonar records and diver observations of the gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) feeding grounds. Biological Bulletin 167(1): 264-269. ISSN: 0006-3185.
NAL Call Number: 442.8 B52
Descriptors: grey whale, feeding grounds, sonar scan, observations.
Orams, M.B., G.J.E. Hill, and A.J. Baglioni Jr. (1996). "Pushy" behavior in a wild dolphin feeding program at Tangalooma, Australia. Marine Mammal Science 12(1): 107-117. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Abstract: A program where wild bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are fed by tourists in shallow water adjacent to a wharf has been established at Tangalooma, Queensland, Australia. Up to nine dolphins attend the nightly feedings, and between 60 and 80 resort guests are permitted to hand feed these dolphins each night. Since this program began in 1992, the dolphins have increased in confidence and have started, at times, to make forceful contact with guests who enter the water to feed them. This paper categorizes such behavior as "pushy" and reports on a study which quantifies the "pushiness" of the dolphins which feed at Tangalooma. The study examines ecological variables which may determine how pushy the dolphins are at different feeding sessions. The number of dolphins attending a particular feeding significantly increases the pushiness. In addition, the presence of adult males at a feeding is likely to increase pushing. Tidal state also influences how pushy the dolphins are. At low tide, when the dolphins' mobility is restricted by the water depth, they are less likely to be pushy. Given the problems experienced in a number of other situations where wild animals are fed by humans, it is important to monitor carefully the escalation of pushy behavior in this dolphin feeding program, as it may be a precursor to more aggressive actions on the part of the dolphins.
Descriptors: behavior, nutrition, wildlife management, conservation, aggression, ecology, tourism.
Orr, J.R., R. Joe, and D. Evic (2001). Capturing and handling of white whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in the Canadian Arctic for instrumentation and release. Arctic 54(3): 299-304. ISSN: 0004-0843.
Abstract: For many decades, humans have captured white whales (Delphinapterus leucas) for food, research, and public display, using a variety of techniques. The recent use of satellite-linked telemetry and pectoral flipper band tags to determine the movements and diving behaviour of these animals has required the live capture of a considerable number of belugas. Three principal techniques have been developed; their use depends on the clarity and depth of the water, tidal action, and bottom topography in the capture area. When the water is clear enough so that the whales can be seen swimming under the water and herded into shallow sandy areas, a hoop net is placed over the whale's head from an inflatable boat. When the water is murky and the belugas cannot easily be seen under the water, but can be herded into relatively shallow sandy areas, a seine net is deployed from a fast-moving boat to encircle them. If the whales are in deep water and cannot be herded into shallow water, a stationary net is set from shore to entangle them. Once captured, the whales have to be restrained in a way that allows them to breathe easily, have the tags attached, and be released as quickly as possible. The methods have proved to be safe, judging from the whales' rapid return to apparently normal behavioural patterns.
Descriptors: Delphinapterus leucas, handling techniques, netting, techniques, physical restraining techniques, Arctic Ocean, Canada, capture and handling techniques.
Ortiz, R.M. and G.A. Worthy (2000). Effects of capture on adrenal steroid and vasopressin concentrations in free-ranging bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. A, Molecular and Integrative Physiology 125(3): 317-24. ISSN: 1095-6433.
NAL Call Number: QP1.C6
Abstract: Marine mammals are routinely caught in the wild in an effort to monitor their health. However, capture-associated stress could potentially bias various biochemical parameters used to monitor the health of these wild caught animals. Therefore, the effects of capture were quantified by measuring plasma adrenal steroids and arginine vasopressin (AVP) in free-ranging bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) (n=31). Total capture and restraint times were also correlated to hormone concentrations to quantify the effects of capture. Significant, positive correlations between corticosterone and cortisol (R=0.752; P<0.0001), and between corticosterone and aldosterone (R=0.441; P=0.045) were demonstrated. Significant correlations between capture and restraint time and hormone levels were not observed. Animals restrained for less than 20 min exhibited hormone levels similar to those for animals restrained for more than 20 min. The positive correlations among the adrenal steroids suggest that release of these steroids was stimulated by adrenocorticotropin (ACTH). The lack of a correlation between cortisol and AVP indicates that AVP did not influence ACTH-induced cortisol release in this situation. The study suggests that (1) a typical hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is present in these animals, and (2) the relatively short capture and restraint times did not induce a significant neuroendocrine stress response.
Descriptors: adrenal cortex hormones blood, argipressin blood, dolphins physiology, aldosterone blood, blood glucose analysis, potassium blood, sodium blood.
Osborne, R.W. (1986). A behavioral budget of Puget Sound killer whales. Zoo Biology Monographs 1: 211-249.
Descriptors: Orcinus orca, feeding behavior, reproductive behavior, time budget, behavior, activity patterns, surface behavior time budget, Washington north Pacific, greater Puget Sound, surface behavior types and time budget.
Otani, S. (2002). Studies of diving behavior of cetaceans. Aquabiology (Tokyo) 24(1): 58-62; 138. ISSN: 0285-4376.
NAL Call Number: QH90.A1K35
Descriptors: Cetacea, diving, review.
Ottensmeyer, C.A. and H. Whitehead (2003). Behavioural evidence for social units in long-finned pilot whales. Canadian Journal of Zoology 81(8): 1327-1338. ISSN: 0008-4301.
NAL Call Number: 470 C16D
Descriptors: behavior, marine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, best fit model, mathematical and computer techniques, permutation testing, mathematical and computer techniques, group size, mark rates, social units.
Overland, M. (1981). Cetacean behaviour, learning and communication. In: J. Gordon-Clark (Editor), Mammals in the Seas. General Papers and Large Cetaceans. FAO Advisory Committee on Marine Resources Research, Working Party on Marine Mammals, FAO Fisheries Series, Vol. 3, FAO: Rome (Italy), p. 123-129. ISBN: 92-5-100513-3.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.F66
Descriptors: Cetacea, behavior, learning, communication, FAO, United Nations, working party, marine resources research.
Language of Text: English, Spanish and French summaries.
Pack, A.A. and L.M. Herman (2004). Bottlenosed dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) comprehend the referent of both static and dynamic human gazing and pointing in an object-choice task. Journal of Comparative Psychology 118(2): 160-71. ISSN: 0735-7036.
Abstract: The authors tested 2 bottlenosed dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) for their understanding of human-directed gazing or pointing in a 2-alternative object-choice task. A dolphin watched a human informant either gazing at or pointing toward 1 of 2 laterally placed objects and was required to perform a previously indicated action to that object. Both static and dynamic gaze, as well as static and dynamic direct points and cross-body points, yielded errorless or nearly errorless performance. Gaze with the informant's torso obscured (only the head was shown) produced no performance decrement, but gaze with eyes only resulted in chance performance. The results revealed spontaneous understanding of human gaze accomplished through head orientation, with or without the human informant's eyes obscured, and demonstrated that gaze-directed cues were as effective as point-directed cues in the object-choice task.
Descriptors: cognition, fixation, ocular, movement, signal detection psychology, behavior, animal, cues, dolphins, gestures.
Parsons, E.C.M. (2004). The behavior and ecology of the indo-pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis). Aquatic Mammals 30(1): 38-55. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Abstract: The Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis) can be divided into two morphological types: (1) west of India, plumbea-type humpback dolphins are dark gray or almost black in color, with a defined "hump" and (2) east of India, in Southeast Asia and Australia, chinensis-type humpback dolphins do not possess a "hump" and are often white or very light in color, with or without blue-gray spots and freckles. Plumbea-type humpback dolphins inhabit coastal waters, bays, and estuaries typically within 0.5 km of the coast, in waters less than 15 m deep. School sizes are small ( 25), although schools of up to 100 have been sighted off Oman. Diurnal patterns and seasonal and tide-related changes in behavior are observed, which have been attributed to changes in seawater temperature and, ultimately, the availability of prey. Feeding behavior tends to be correlated with rocky reefs and rocky shores. Social and sexual behavior, as well as births, occur year-round, but with seasonal peaks (October-May). The acoustic behavior of the plumbea-type humpback dolphin is little known although clicks of 20-25 kHz, "screams" from 3 to 20 kHz, and whistles from 3 to 25 kHz have been reported. Interactions between plumbea-type humpback dolphins and a variety of non-cetacean species have been reported, and in Zanzibar mixed groups of humpback and bottlenose dolphins are common. Plumbea-type humpback dolphins typically display aversive reactions to boat traffic. Chinensis-type humpback dolphins are primarily coastal and estuarine, almost exclusively estuarine in the northern parts of their range. Australian dolphins off the Great Barrier Reef were observed at considerable distances offshore (up to 55 km), but always close to shallow water. Inhabited water depth is usually less than 10 m. School sizes resemble those of plumbea-type humpback dolphins, although groups of up to 44 have been observed. The home ranges of individual animals are more compact and less coastal than plumbea-type humpback dolphins, varying both by season and year. Seasonal changes in distribution observed in Hong Kong are linked to changes in hydrography of the Pearl River. Diurnal and tide-related changes in behavior also have been noted. Feeding is the predominant behavior noted for chinensis-type humpback dolphins in Hong Kong, which is frequently associated with estuarine mixing zones and trawling activities. Social behavior occurs year-round, but peaks during the same period as calf conception. Calves primarily are born between January and August, with peaks in April/May and August. Epimeletic behavior has been reported in chinensis-type humpback dolphins. Chinensis-type humpback dolphins have been recorded producing whistles of between 1.2 and 16 kHz, and broadband harmonic pulses and low frequency, narrow band "grunts." The spectra of broadband click pulses ranged from 30 to 200 kHz. The sounds produced by these humpback dolphins can be as low as 600 Hz and coincide with frequencies produced by many types of boat traffic. In Moreton Bay, Australia, humpback dolphins often are observed in mixed groups with bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), although humpback dolphins do not associate with finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides) in Hong Kong. Associations with fishing trawlers have been noted in China and Australia. Increased dive durations as a result of increased shipping density and avoidance of high-speed vessels have been recorded in Hong Kong. In addition ship-strikes have been a documented cause of mortality in this area. Chinensis-type humpback dolphins often are present in areas of high shipping traffic densities and, thus, impacts of boat traffic on this species are a cause for concern. Despite some very detailed studies in discrete areas (e.g., South Africa and Hong Kong), little is known about the ecology and behavior of either form of S. chinensis. An understanding of their behavior and ecology is essential to any initiative to conserve this species.
Descriptors: behavior, biogeography, population studies, estuarine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, marine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, feeding behavior, zanzibar mixed groups, acoustic behavior, prey availability, seawater temperature.
Peddemors, V.M. and G. Thompson (1994). Beaching behaviour during shallow water feeding by humpback dolphins Sousa plumbea. Aquatic Mammals 20(2): 65-67. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Descriptors: behavior, ecology, environmental sciences, marine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, nutrition, beaching behavior.
Pillay, P. and P.R. Manger (2004). Testing thermogenesis as the basis for the evolution of cetacean sleep phenomenology. Journal of Sleep Research 13(4): 353-8. ISSN: 0962-1105.
Abstract: Cetacean sleep phenomenology consists of a combination of unihemispheric slow wave sleep and a massive reduction in the amount of rapid eye movement sleep. Despite various proposals, the selection pressure driving the evolution of this combined sleep phenomenology is unknown. It was recently suggested that the need to produce heat in the thermally challenging aquatic environment might have been the selection pressure. Mechanisms of heat loss and heat production can be measured directly or indirectly. The present study was designed to test the thermogenetic proposal by recording indirect measurements of heat loss (surface area to volume ratio) and heat production (tail-beats per minute). A strong correlation was found between these two parameters, such that increases in potential heat loss were matched by increases in potential heat production. This result suggests that the need to compensate for heat loss can provide an evolutionary rationale for the appearance of extant cetacean sleep physiology.
Descriptors: body temperature regulation physiology, sleep physiology, sleep, rem physiology, body weight, brain physiopathology, dolphins, electroencephalography.
Pitman, R.L., S. O'Sullivan, and B. Mase (2003). Killer whales (Orcinus orca) attack a school of pantropical spotted dolphins (Stenella attenuata) in the Gulf of Mexico. Aquatic Mammals 29(3): 321-324. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Abstract: In June 1994, we observed a herd of killer whales (Orcinus orca) attack a school of pantropical spotted dolphins (Stenella attenuata) in the Gulf of Mexico. The killer whales cut out up to three dolphins from the school, then proceeded to take turns chasing a single dolphin and keeping it within a confined area for 1.5 h. They could have killed the dolphin at any time, but apparently chose to prolong the encounter instead. An adult female killer whale appeared to use the opportunity as a training session for her calf. The single adult male present did not participate until the end of the encounter. He made several loud percussions by slapping his flippers, dorsal fin, and flukes against the water surface, then he swam to the dolphin and quickly killed it. Neither the role of the adult male killer whale in cooperative feeding situations nor the significance of the marked sexual dimorphism in this species has ever been adequately explained. We suggest that size differences between the sexes may have evolved as an 'ecological sex trait', allowing groups of related individuals to take a wider diversity of prey sizes.
Descriptors: Orcinus orca, mammalian prey, Stenella attenuata, prey school attack observations and possible advantages of sex dimorphism in predator, feeding behavior, foraging, morphological sex differences, sex dimorphism, cooperative behavior, cooperative feeding behavior, Gulf of Mexico, USA, Louisiana, South Pass area, mammalian prey school attack observations and possible advantages of sex dimorphism.
Pratt Jr., H.L., J.G. Casey, and R.B. Conklin (1982). Observations on large white sharks, Carcharodon carcharias, off Long Island, New York Balaenoptera physalus, fin whale, feeding behavior, Dinemoura latifolia, parasites. U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service Marine Fishery Bulletin 80: 153-156.
NAL Call Number: 157.5 B87
Descriptors: New York, fin whale, feeding behavior, parasites, observations.
Pryor, K. and K.S. Norris (1991). Dolphin Societies: Discoveries and Puzzles, University of California Press: Berkeley, CA, 397 p. ISBN: 0520067177.
NAL Call Number: QL737.C432D653
Descriptors: dolphins behavior, social behavior in animals.
Psarakos, S., D.L. Herzing, and K. Marten (2003). Mixed-species associations between Pantropical spotted dolphins (Stenella attenuata) and Hawaiian spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) off Oahu, Hawaii. Aquatic Mammals 29(3): 390-395. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Abstract: Mixed-species interactions were observed between Pantropical spotted dolphins, Stenella attenuata, and spinner dolphins, Stenella longirostris, in Hawaiian waters between 1996 and 1998. Year-round observations were made of spinner dolphins entering a shallow bay off the Waianae (western) coast of Oahu. Mixed-species observations occurred on 19 days between 1996-1998. Spinner dolphins were typically present in greater numbers than spotted dolphins with ratios as high as 75:1. Interspecific behaviours observed include aggression, copulation, and travelling. Five aggressive interactions are described in detail. These behavioural observations are similar to those observed between other delphinid species around the world and suggest that sympatric delphinid species may be more common than previously reported and may have common communication and social signals.
Descriptors: Stenella attenuata, Stenella longirostris, behavior, sympatry, north Pacific, Hawaii, Oahu, behavioral interactions in mixed species associations.
Read, A.J. (2001). Trends in the maternal investment of harbour porpoises are uncoupled from the dynamics of their primary prey. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences 268(1467): 573-7. ISSN: 0962-8452.
Abstract: Harbour porpoises in the Bay of Fundy and Gulf of Maine feed primarily on Atlantic herring. Herring stocks have undergone dramatic fluctuations in abundance over the past three decades due to changes in fishing intensity. In order to understand the effects of these changes in prey abundance on the patterns of maternal investment, I examined interdecadal variation in the size of porpoise calves measured in August prior to weaning. Female harbour porpoises exhibited significant variation in maternal investment between 1970 and 1999. During the 1980s, females consumed more herring and produced larger calves. Surprisingly, however, this increased maternal investment occurred during the period of lowest prey abundance, perhaps because the herring stock assessment does not reflect the availability or quality of prey to female porpoises.
Descriptors: maternal behavior, porpoises physiology, porpoises psychology, predatory behavior, adipose tissue anatomy and histology, Atlantic Ocean, biomass, fishes, lactation, New Brunswick, ovulation, seasons.
Read, A.J., D.M. Waples, K.W. Urian, and D. Swanner (2003). Fine-scale behaviour of bottlenose dolphins around gillnets. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences 270(Suppl. 1): S90-2. ISSN: 0962-8452.
Abstract: We studied the fine-scale behaviour of bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus around gillnets in North Carolina, USA, during May and June 2002. We made observations from an overhead digital video camera, suspended from a helium-filled aerostat, tethered 70 m above a fishing vessel. We positioned the camera above a gillnet set for Spanish mackerel Scomberomorus maculatus. We observed frequent encounters (n = 36) and interactions (n = 27) between dolphins and the net, but no dolphins became entangled. Most dolphins diverted their course around the net, but on nine occasions we observed dolphins engaging in depredation. We conclude that interactions between dolphins and these gillnets are common, but that entanglement is rare.
Descriptors: dolphins physiology, escape reaction physiology, Atlantic Ocean, time factors, videotape recording.
Reid, K., J. Mann, J.R. Weiner, and N. Hecker (1995). Infant development in two aquarium bottlenose dolphins. Zoo Biology 14(2): 135-147. ISSN: 0733-3188.
NAL Call Number: QL77.5.Z6
Descriptors: Maryland, dolphins, infants, feeding habits, suckling, sex, biological differences, age groups, America, Appalachian states, behavior, Cetacea, feeding, mammals, North America, southern states, USA, postnatal development.
Reiss, D. and L. Marino (2001). Mirror self-recognition in the bottlenose dolphin: a case of cognitive convergence. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 98(10): 5937-42. ISSN: 0027-8424.
NAL Call Number: 500 N21P
Abstract: The ability to recognize oneself in a mirror is an exceedingly rare capacity in the animal kingdom. To date, only humans and great apes have shown convincing evidence of mirror self-recognition. Two dolphins were exposed to reflective surfaces, and both demonstrated responses consistent with the use of the mirror to investigate marked parts of the body. This ability to use a mirror to inspect parts of the body is a striking example of evolutionary convergence with great apes and humans.
Descriptors: cognition, dolphins physiology, visual perception.
Reiss, D. and B. McCowan (1993). Spontaneous vocal mimicry and production by bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus): evidence for vocal learning. Journal of Comparative Psychology 107(3): 301-12. ISSN: 0735-7036.
Abstract: Two female bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and their 2 male offspring were presented with an underwater keyboard to observe how the dolphins would use such a system to obtain specific objects and activities. When a dolphin pressed visual forms on the keyboard, whistles were generated underwater, and the dolphin was given a specific object or activity. Both vocal and nonvocal behaviors were recorded. Only the males used the keyboard. In the 1st year spontaneous vocal mimicry and productive use of facsimiles of the computer-generated whistles were recorded. In the 2nd year productive use increased significantly over mimicry, and apparent combinations of discreet whistle facsimiles in behaviorally appropriate contexts were observed. The patterns of vocal mimicry and production suggest a new model for analyzing dolphin vocalizations and vocal development with respect to signal structure and organization.
Descriptors: dolphins psychology, imitative behavior, mental recall, vocalization, animal, association learning, auditory perception, memory, short term, pattern recognition, visual, retention psychology, sound spectrography.
Rendell, L. and H. Whitehead (2001). Culture in whales and dolphins. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 24(2): 309-24; Discussion 324-82. ISSN: 0140-525X.
Abstract: Studies of animal culture have not normally included a consideration of cetaceans. However, with several long-term field studies now maturing, this situation should change. Animal culture is generally studied by either investigating transmission mechanisms experimentally, or observing patterns of behavioural variation in wild populations that cannot be explained by either genetic or environmental factors. Taking this second, ethnographic, approach, there is good evidence for cultural transmission in several cetacean species. However, only the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops) has been shown experimentally to possess sophisticated social learning abilities, including vocal and motor imitation; other species have not been studied. There is observational evidence for imitation and teaching in killer whales. For cetaceans and other large, wide-ranging animals, excessive reliance on experimental data for evidence of culture is not productive; we favour the ethnographic approach. The complex and stable vocal and behavioural cultures of sympatric groups of killer whales (Orcinus orca) appear to have no parallel outside humans, and represent an independent evolution of cultural faculties. The wide movements of cetaceans, the greater variability of the marine environment over large temporal scales relative to that on land, and the stable matrilineal social groups of some species are potentially important factors in the evolution of cetacean culture. There have been suggestions of gene-culture coevolution in cetaceans, and culture may be implicated in some unusual behavioural and life-history traits of whales and dolphins. We hope to stimulate discussion and research on culture in these animals.
Descriptors: behavior, animal physiology, culture, dolphins physiology, cognition physiology, evolution, imitative behavior physiology, teaching.
Rendell, L.E. and H. Whitehead (2003). Vocal clans in sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus). Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences 270(1512): 225-31. ISSN: 0962-8452.
Abstract: Cultural transmission may be a significant source of variation in the behaviour of whales and dolphins, especially as regards their vocal signals. We studied variation in the vocal output of 'codas' by sperm whale social groups. Codas are patterns of clicks used by female sperm whales in social circumstances. The coda repertoires of all known social units (n = 18, each consisting of about 11 females and immatures with long-term relationships) and 61 out of 64 groups (about two social units moving together for periods of days) that were recorded in the South Pacific and Caribbean between 1985 and 2000 can be reliably allocated into six acoustic 'clans', five in the Pacific and one in the Caribbean. Clans have ranges that span thousands of kilometres, are sympatric, contain many thousands of whales and most probably result from cultural transmission of vocal patterns. Units seem to form groups preferentially with other units of their own clan. We suggest that this is a rare example of sympatric cultural variation on an oceanic scale. Culture may thus be a more important determinant of sperm whale population structure than genes or geography, a finding that has major implications for our understanding of the species' behavioural and population biology.
Descriptors: animal communication, vocalization, animal classification, whales psychology, Caribbean region, cluster analysis, cultural evolution, multivariate analysis, Pacific Ocean, population dynamics.
Reyes, L.M. and P. Garcia Borboroglu (2004). Killer whale (Orcinus orca) predation on sharks in Patagonia, Argentina: a first report. Aquatic Mammals 30(3): 376-379. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Abstract: On 21 December 1998, four killer whales (an adult male, two females or immature males, and one juvenile) attacked a group of sevengill sharks (Notorhynchus cepedianus) off the coast of Caleta Malaspina, Chubut, Argentina. Persecution, catches, and tossing behavior were performed by the two females or immature males in the inlet. Next day, carcasses of several sharks were found on the beach adjacent to the attack area. Seven of them were intact and sized approximately 2.5 m in length. The presence of complete sevengill shark carcasses on the beach suggests that they were attempting to avoid capture by the killer whales by stranding on the beach. Attacks on sevengills by killer whales in Caleta Malaspina are frequent in some years, especially from mid-December to mid-January when the sevengill seems to use the inlet as a nursery ground. The observation of the same male feeding both on pinnipeds in Peninsula Valdes and on sharks in Caleta Malaspina may indicate that at least some groups in the Southwestern Atlantic could regularly feed on both fish and marine mammals. This is the first report of an attack of killer whales on sharks off the coast of Patagonia, and the first report of tossing behavior in sharks.
Descriptors: Notorhynchus cepedianus, mammalian predators, Orcinus orca, new predator record and prey tossing behavior, south Atlantic, Argentina, Chubut, Caleta Malaspina, new mammalian predator record and prey tossing behavior.
Richardson, W.J., K.J. Finley, G.W. Miller, R.A. Davis, and W.R. Koski (1995). Feeding, social and migration behavior of bowhead whales, Balaena mysticetus, in Baffin Bay vs. the Beaufort Sea-regions with different amounts of human activity. Marine Mammal Science 11(1): 1-45. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Abstract: This paper compares the behavior of bowhead whales of the Davis Strait/Baffin Bay stock, as observed along the east coast of Baffin Island in 1979-1986, with behavior of the Bering/Chukchi/Beaufort Sea stock observed in the Beaufort Sea in 1980-1986. All data used here were collected during late summer and early autumn in the absence of acute human disturbance. The behavioral repertoires of the two populations were similar. However, quantitative differences were found for whales engaged in all three activities studied: (1) Bowheads feeding in deep water off Isabella Bay, Baffin Island, had longer dives and surfacings, on average, than noted for bowheads feeding in the Beaufort Sea. (2) Among whales socializing in shallow water, we saw sexual interactions more often at Isabella Bay than in the Beaufort Sea. Calls emitted by socializing whales off Baffin Island were similar to those heard in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. However, pulsed tonal calls were longer off Baffin Island, and previously undescribed mechanical "crunch" sounds were recorded there near socializing bowheads. (3) During autumn migration, "fluke-out" dives were less common, and dive durations were longer, in the Beaufort Sea than off Baffin Island (P lt 0.001). Multivariate and other analyses indicated that some but not all differences can be ascribed to regional differences in the natural environment or in whale activities. However, during 1974-1986, Bering/Chukchi/Beaufort bowheads were exposed to more industrial, hunting and other human activity than Davis Strait/Baffin Bay bowheads. The "inconspicuous" behavior during autumn migration in the Beaufort may have been attributable to human activities, but causative links cannot be isolated.
Descriptors: behavior, climatology, environmental sciences, communication, conservation, ecology, environmental sciences, marine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, nutrition, reproductive system, reproduction, respiratory system, respiration, systematics and taxonomy, wildlife management, conservation, communication, drilling, human disturbance, hunting, respiration, seasonal migration, seismic exploration, sexual interaction, shipping.
Rogers, C.A., B.J. Brunnick, D.L. Herzing, and J.D. Baldwin (2004). The social structure of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, in the Bahamas. Marine Mammal Science 20(4): 688-708. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Abstract: The social structure of coastal ecotype bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, is largely unknown as they inhabit regions far from shore. This study reports on a community of bottlenose dolphins >= 27 km from Grand Bahama Island (May-September, 1993-2002). Resident and non-resident dolphins occurred in the area. Some dolphins traveled over 320 km between communities; others showed long-term site fidelity up to 17 yr. Average group size was 3-5, and was significantly larger with calves present and significantly smaller when traveling. The half-weight index was used to determine coefficients of association (COA) for individuals of known sex annually and for pooled years. Permutation tests revealed non-random associations and presence of preferred/avoided companions in all data sets. Annual COAs were low: female-female x = 0.31, male-male x = 0.30, and mixed-sex x = 0.26. Mother-calf associations showed the highest values. Some males formed strong, long-term bonds. Female COAs fluctuated with reproductive status. Using pooled data, COAs were lower and the same basic trends were evident. However, strong associations seen in the annual data were not evident in pooled data. Bottlenose dolphins that inhabit offshore, shallow water show many of the same social structure characteristics as in well-studied coastal populations.
Descriptors: Tursiops truncatus, social organization, population structure, social structure, offshore population, Caribbean Sea, Bahamas, Grand Bahama Island, social structure of offshore population.
Romano, T.A., D.L. Felten, S.Y. Stevens, J.A. Olschowka, V. Quaranta and S.H. Ridgway (2002). Immune response, stress, and environment: implications for cetaceans. In: C.J. Pfeiffer (Editor), Molecular and Cell Biology of Marine Mammals, Kreiger Publishing Company: Malabar, p. 253-279. ISBN: 1575240629.
Descriptors: Delphinapterus leucas, nerves, innervation, digestive system, digestive tract, lymphatic system, lymph node, spleen, immunology and repair mechanisms, immune system, lymphoid organs morphology, innervation and function.
Saito, T., H. Ikeda, T. Matsuishi, and S. Nishiwaki (2004). Surfacing interval of Minke whale Balaenoptera bonaerensis in Antarctic. Bulletin of Fisheries Sciences Hokkaido University 55(1): 7-10. ISSN: 1346-1842.
NAL Call Number: SH301.H65
Abstract: The surfacings of minke whales were collected through direct observation from JARPA (Japanese Whale Research Program under special permit in the Antarctic) and analyzed to see the distribution and average of the surfacing interval. The distribution of surfacing interval was found to be of single-peeked and long tailed. The average was 1'35" with all data. The averages for group size of 1, 2 and 3 were 2'11", 1'54" and 55" respectively. The result of surfacing interval of this study was observed longer than that of the other studies in Antarctic. It is thought that this difference resulted from the difference of surfacing definition among studies.
Descriptors: Balaenoptera bonaerensis, swimming, Antarctic Ocean, Antarctica, surfacing interval.
Samuels, A. and L. Bejder (2004). Chronic interaction between humans and free-ranging bottlenose dolphins near Panama City Beach, Florida, USA. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 6(1): 69-77. ISSN: 1561-0713.
Abstract: 'Swim-with' activities. in which humans enter the water to interact with free-ranging cetaceans, are a popular form of nature tourism; however, there is considerable disagreement as to whether these encounters constitute a threat to the animals. At the request of the US Marine Mammal Commission, a systematic study was designed to quantify effects of swim-with activities on the behaviour of bottlenose dolphins in waters near Panama City Beach, Florida. Certain dolphin behaviours were identified as indicative of chronic interaction with humans. and based on presence of these behaviours, at least seven dolphins were identified that permitted people to swim nearby. Because these dolphins accepted food handouts from people, they were considered to be conditioned to human interaction through food reinforcement. Specific human-dolphin interactions that posed a risk for dolphins or humans were identified, and it was calculated that human interaction put a specific juvenile dolphin at risk once every 12 min, including being fed by humans once every 39-59 min. Humans interacting with that dolphin were estimated to be at risk once every 29 min. Although the study was of limited duration, the observations were so clear-cut and the nature of interactions so potentially hazardous it was concluded that food provisioning was the probable basis for swimming with free-ranging dolphins near Panama City Beach, Florida, and therefore, human interaction at this location was likely to be harmful to the dolphins and in clear violation of the US Marine Mammal Protection Act. Of equal importance to the findings of this study is the methodology. A systematic behavioural methodology was designed that can be adapted to study potential impacts of nature tourism on coastal communities of cetaceans in which individuals are readily distinguished. The focus was on the behaviour of individual animals in order to describe and quantify in-water interactions between dolphins and humans, to make behavioural comparisons for the same individual dolphins in the presence and absence of swimmers, and to make behavioural comparisons for individual dolphins in the same region that do and do not interact with swimmers. Coupled with standard photo-identification techniques, these methods can be used to identify the class of animals, or proportion of a local community, that is more likely to interact with, be detrimentally affected by, and/or avoid human interaction. Sequential observations of the same individuals taken over time can be used to document habituation or sensitisation to human interaction.
Descriptors: Tursiops truncatus, leisure and sport, swim with activities, behavioral responses and mutual threat assessment, conservation, behavior, Gulf of Mexico, USA, Florida, Panama City beach area, human swim with activities effect on behavior, mutual threat assessment.
Samuels, A. and T.R. Spradlin (1995). Quantitative behavioral study of bottlenose dolphins in swim-with-dolphin programs in the United States. Marine Mammal Science 11(4): 520-544. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Abstract: The behavior of dolphins in four Swim-With-Dolphin programs was compared by type of Swim encounter, defined by the presence ("Controlled") or absence ("Not-Controlled") of explicit trainer regulation of interactions between dolphins and human swimmers. Dolphin-swimmer interactions involving aggressive, submissive, or sexual behavior were designated as "high-risk" in the Swim context; sexual behavior was included as high-risk based on analyses that demonstrated co-occurrence of sexual and agonistic behaviors. High-risk activity comprised a substantial proportion of dolphin-swimmer social activity during Not-Controlled Swims. In contrast, high-risk activity rarely occurred during Controlled Swims, even though agonistic and sexual behaviors were normal components of the same dolphins' free-time social repertoire. These results indicated that direct trainer control of dolphin-swimmer interactions virtually eliminated high-risk activity from the Swim context, and thereby diminished the potential for dolphin distress, swimmer injury, and rejection of dolphins from Swim programs due to swimmer injury. This study illustrates effective use of quantitative behavioral sampling techniques for evaluation of captive management concerns and promotes broader use of these techniques for a better understanding of cetacean behavior.
Descriptors: behavior, systematics and taxonomy, wildlife management, conservation, social behavior.
Schlundt, C.E., J.J. Finneran, D.A. Carder, and S.H. Ridgway (2000). Temporary shift in masked hearing thresholds of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, and white whales, Delphinapterus leucas, after exposure to intense tones. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 107(6): 3496-508. ISSN: 0001-4966.
Abstract: A behavioral response paradigm was used to measure masked underwater hearing thresholds in five bottlenose dolphins and two white whales before and immediately after exposure to intense 1-s tones at 0.4, 3, 10, 20, and 75 kHz. The resulting levels of fatiguing stimuli necessary to induce 6 dB or larger masked temporary threshold shifts (MTTSs) were generally between 192 and 201 dB re: 1 microPa. The exceptions occurred at 75 kHz, where one dolphin exhibited an MTTS after exposure at 182 dB re: 1 microPa and the other dolphin did not show any shift after exposure to maximum levels of 193 dB re: 1 microPa, and at 0.4 kHz, where no subjects exhibited shifts at levels up to 193 dB re: 1 microPa. The shifts occurred most often at frequencies above the fatiguing stimulus. Dolphins began to exhibit altered behavior at levels of 178-193 dB re: 1 microPa and above; white whales displayed altered behavior at 180-196 dB re: 1 microPa and above. At the conclusion of the study all thresholds were at baseline values. These data confirm that cetaceans are susceptible to temporary threshold shifts (TTS) and that small levels of TTS may be fully recovered.
Descriptors: auditory threshold physiology, dolphins physiology, perceptual masking, whales physiology, age factors, auditory perception physiology, behavior, animal physiology, time factors.
Scott, E.M., J. Mann, C.J.J. Watson, B.L. Sargeant, and R.C. Connor (2005). Aggression in bottlenose dolphins: evidence for sexual coercion, male-male competition, and female tolerance through analysis of tooth-rake marks and behaviour. Behaviour 142(1): 21-44. ISSN: 0005-7959.
NAL Call Number: 410 B393
Descriptors: behavior, biogeography, population studies, reproduction, photography, laboratory techniques, imaging and microscopy techniques, breeding season, aggressive behavior, agonistic interactions, sexual coercion, intra sexual mate competition, tooth rake marks, conspecific aggression.
Sekiguchi, K. (1995). Occurrence, behavior and feeding habits of harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) at Pajaro Dunes, Monterey Bay, California. Aquatic Mammals 21(2): 91-103. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Abstract: From September 1984 to November 1985, sightings of 1594 groups of harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) were made from a high vantage point at Pajaro Dunes, Monterey Bay, California, in a total of 761 hours of observations. Porpoises were seen within 300 m of the shore, mostly between 0700 and 1000 hr., apparently feeding nearshore. The number and size of porpoise groups sighted were greater in July, August and September than in other months of the year. Significantly more porpoise groups were present nearshore during flood tide than ebb tide. Variations in both the number and size of groups seen may have been related to food availability. Nine stomachs of harbor porpoises collected in the Monterey Bay area from 1985 to 1986 were used for feeding habit analysis. Two families of cephalopods and twelve families of fishes were found. Northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax) had the highest index of relative importance, spotted cusk eel (Chilara taylori) was second, and rockfish (Sebastes spp.) was third, but market squid (Loligo opalescens) had the highest percentage of frequency of occurrence. Harbor porpoises in Monterey Bay appear to change their diet seasonally.
Descriptors: behavior, climatology, environmental sciences, digestive system, ingestion and assimilation, ecology, environmental sciences, marine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, nutrition, seasonality, stomach content, tidal variation.
Sekiguchi, Y. and S. Kohshima (2003). Resting behaviors of captive bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Physiology and Behavior 79(4-5): 643-53. ISSN: 0031-9384.
Abstract: In order to specify the resting behaviors in captive bottlenose dolphin, we quantitatively analyzed behavior of 16 dolphins in three aquariums in Japan. We observed their behaviors in the low-activity time (0 a.m.-3 a.m.), assuming that the resting behaviors would be most prominent and abundant at this time. We analyzed these behaviors based on the data of their diurnal activity rhythm that we have clarified by measuring swimming speed and breath frequency. The behavior patterns characteristic to the low-activity time could be categorized into the following three types: "bottom-rest" characterized by long immobile stay on the tank bottom, "surface-rest" characterized by long immobile stay at the water surface, and "swim-rest" characterized by slow circle-swim near the bottom along a fixed trajectory. During these behaviors, breath frequency was significantly lower than the daily mean and at least one eye tended to be closed. These three behaviors accounted for 86.6% of the total observation time in the low-activity time. The resting behaviors were often observed even in the high-activity time (0 p.m.-4 p.m.); these three behaviors accounted for 38.5% of the total observation time in the high-activity time. In swim-rest, frequency of sound emission was significantly lower than that of other behaviors with high-speed swimming, and both eyes or one eye, especially the eye facing the inner side of the swimming circle tended to be closed. The eye condition and the periodical change of circle-swim direction or position-exchange observed during swim-rest suggest a relation between this behavior and unihemispheric sleep. The change in the resting behavior observed in the dolphins under nervous situations suggests that the dolphins flexibly change the type and the quantity of the resting behaviors according to the situation.
Descriptors: activity cycles physiology, dolphins physiology, dominance, cerebral physiology, rest physiology, sleep physiology, behavior, animal physiology, eye movements physiology.
Shane, S.H. (1995). Behavior patterns of pilot whales and risso's dolphins off Santa Catalina Island, California. Aquatic Mammals 21(3): 195-197. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Descriptors: behavior, systematics and taxonomy, daily activity, feeding.
Shimamura, T., T. Kojima, H. Soeda, Y. Hatakeyama, and K. Ishii (1993). Observation of harbor porpoise's behavior to net. Bulletin of the College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine Nihon University (50): 115-122. ISSN: 0078-0839.
NAL Call Number: 41.9 T5762
Descriptors: porpoises, behavior, fishing nets, Cetacea, equipment, fishing gear, mammals.
Language of Text: English summary.
Shyan, M.R., D. Merritt, N.M. Kohlmeier, K. Barton, and J. Tenge (2002). Effects of pool size on free-choice selections by Atlantic bottlenosed dolphins at one zoo facility. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 5(3): 215-225. ISSN: 1088-8705.
NAL Call Number: HV4701.J68
Descriptors: Tursiops truncatus, zoo animals, aquaria, animal behavior, animal housing, depth, area, volume, physical activity, animal welfare, Indiana, animal preferences.
Silva Jr., J.M., L.J. Pandolfo, and I. Sazima (2004). Vomiting behavior of the spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris) and squid meals. Aquatic Mammals 30(2): 271-274. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Abstract: We describe and illustrate the vomiting behavior of the spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris), an eliminative behavior poorly known for cetaceans in the wild. The vomiting may be conveniently described in six behavioral phases: opening beak, closing beak (water intake), swallowing water, pausing, opening beak about to void, and voiding offal and water. Spinners vomit after a meal rich in squids, and, therefore, we relate this eliminative behavior to the presumably irritating remains of this meal type (squid beaks). The vomits are a rich and predictable food source for plankton-eating reef fishes.
Descriptors: Teuthida, mammalian predators, Stenella longirostris, predator vomiting behavior, beak elimination, south Atlantic, Brazil, Fernando de Noronha National Marine Park, mammalian predator vomiting behavior.
Silva Jr., J.M., F.J.L. Silva, and I. Sazima (2005). Rest, nurture, sex, release, and play: diurnal underwater behaviour of the spinner dolphin at Fernando de Noronha Archipelago, SWAtlantic. Aqua (Miradolo Terme) 9(4): 161-176. ISSN: 0945-9871.
Abstract: At Fernando de Noronha Archipelago in the South West Atlantic, spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) regularly congregate in large groups in a bay with clear, shallow water, allowing their behaviour to be observed and recorded at close quarters. We present an overview of the diurnal underwater activity of the Noronha spinners while in the bay. Apart from well-known types of behaviour such as resting, mating, and playing, we present and illustrate others such as suck-ling, defaecating, and vomiting which are less well-known and documented. Heterospecific interactions and associations are also discussed. An ecologically new role for cetaceans, as a food supplier for reef fishes, is herein proposed for the Noronha spinners.
Descriptors: Stenella longirostris, regurgitation, vomiting, defaecation, behavior, characteristics, ecological niche, reef fish community food supply, novel significance of defaecation and vomiting, south Atlantic, Brazil, Fernando de Noronha National Marine Park, underwater behavior.
Simard, P. and S. Gowans (2004). Two calves in echelon: an alloparental association in atlantic white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus acutus)? Aquatic Mammals 30(2): 330-334. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Abstract: Cetacean calves routinely swim in echelon position with their mothers and occasionally with other individuals. In August 2002, we observed an adult Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus) swimming with two calves in echelon position, one on each side, three times over a 90-min period. Four possible explanations for this behaviour are considered: (1) twins, (2) chance association, (3) alloparental association in the form of "babysitting," or (4) adoption. We believe that it is unlikely that this behaviour can be explained by chance or twins; therefore, we believe it represents alloparental association. The presence of a dead lactating female in the area five days before the observation lends support for the adoption hypothesis to explain this unusual observation.
Descriptors: behavior, marine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, alloparental association, echelon swimming position.
Slooten, E. (1994). Behavior of hectors's dolphin: classifying behavior by sequence analysis. Journal of Mammalogy 75(4): 956-964. ISSN: 0022-2372.
NAL Call Number: 410 J823
Abstract: Behavior sequence analysis was used to classify behavior patterns of Hector's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori) into five categories feeding, sexual, aggressive, play, and aerial. Feeding behaviors were among the most closely dissociated behaviors, and were negatively associated with most other behaviors. Bite was closely associated with other apparently aggressive behaviors like tailsplash and chase. Copulations and possible copulations were associated with other behaviors one might have intuitively classified as sexual of social (e.g., belly present, penis out, and body contact). Aerial behaviors were most strongly associated with sexual and aggressive behaviors. Of the two play behaviors, play with weed was most strongly associated with feeding, and bubbleblow was most strongly associated with aggressive and aerial behaviors. I investigated the relationship between the sexual behavior category and social context. The rate of sexual behaviors per individual was highest in groups of 11-15 dolphins and tended to increase after groups came together.
Descriptors: behavior, mathematical biology, computational biology, nutrition, reproductive system, reproduction, aggression, bite, copulation, feeding, play.
Small, R.J. (1995). Acclimation to captivity: a quantitative estimate based on survival of bottlenose dolphins and california sea lions. Marine Mammal Science 11(4): 510-519. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Abstract: An estimate of how long marine mammals need to acclimate to captivity would permit more precise comparisons of husbandry practices, yet no quantitative analysis of acclimation has been performed. Therefore, we estimated the duration of acclimation to captivity for bottlenose dolphins (BD) and California sea lions (CSL) by comparing 5-d survival rates during the first 90 d of captivity with a survival rate based on days 91-365 in captivity. Wild-born BD (n = 1,270) and CSL (n = 1,650) acclimate to captivity in approximately 35 and 40 d, respectively, whereas captive born BD (n = 332) and CSL (n = 992) acclimate in approximately 50 and 40 d, respectively. When transferred between two institutions, BD (n = 911) acclimated in the same amount of time (45 d) as when first transferred from the wild, whereas transferred CSL (n = 336) acclimated more rapidly (15 vs. 40 d) than when first transferred from the wild. Based on results from these two species, a 60-d acclimation period is recognized as a distinct interval of relatively high mortality that should be treated separately from long-term survival estimates when evaluating husbandry practices of oceanaria and zoos.
Descriptors: marine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, systematics and taxonomy, veterinary medicine, medical sciences, wildlife management, conservation, husbandry.
Smith, T.G., D.B. Siniff, R. Reichle, and S. Stone (1981). Coordinated behavior of killer whales, Orcinus orca, hunting a crabeater seal, Lobodon carcinophagus. Canadian Journal of Zoology 59(6): 1185-1189. ISSN: 0008-4301.
NAL Call Number: 470 C16D
Descriptors: killer whales, behavior, crabeater seal, hunting, Orcinus orca, Lobodon carcinophagus.
Smultea, M.A. and B. Wursig (1995). Behavioral reactions of bottlenose dolphins to the Mega Borg oil spill, Gulf of Mexico 1990. Aquatic Mammals 21(3): 171-181. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Abstract: The behavior of bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus in and near the 1990 Mega Borg oil spill off Galveston, Texas, was assessed via aerial surveys from 15-18 June 1990. Opportunistic observations were made 6-9 days after the initial June 9 spill of an estimated 17.4 million liters of light-grade, Angolan crude oil. Nine dolphin groups were tracked with a video camera for a total of 5.6 hours. Three oil conditions were considered: sheen, slick, and mousse. Results indicate that bottlenose dolphins could detect slick and mousse oils but did not react to lighter sheen oil. Groups hesitated and milled upon encountering slick oil, eventually diving under or in small patches but continuing through extensive areas. These results contrast with experimental results reported for captive dolphins which consistently avoided entering slick oil. Dolphins detected and consistently avoided contact with mousse oil by swimming under or around it. Dolphin group integrity appeared to break down near mousse oil. Observations suggest that dolphins may respond to thick oil types by swimming closer together, decreasing respiration rates, and increasing dive times and rates of reorientation. The greatest concern is that bottlenose dolphins apparently detect but do not consistently avoid entering slick oil, and may not detect sheen oil, thereby increasing their vulnerability to potentially harmful exposure to oil chemicals. This study contributes to the limited data base on wild dolphin responses to oil spills and presents a methodological framework for future studies assessing the effects of oil spills on cetaceans.
Descriptors: behavior, biochemistry and molecular biophysics, marine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, pollution assessment control and management, aerial survey, pollution.
Sobel, N., A.Y. Supin, and M.S. Myslobodsky (1994). Rotational swimming tendencies in the dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Behavioural Brain Research 65(1): 41-5. ISSN: 0166-4328.
Abstract: Anecdotal evidence suggests that dolphins placed in a pool exhibit stereotypic swimming in circles. The present study confirmed these observations in a sample of thirteen dolphins. The majority of dolphins (84.6%) showed highly consistent directional swimming in counterclockwise circles. The latter directionality held throughout the circadian cycle and resisted environmental manipulations. Only social interaction was capable of altering the directionality of circumnavigation. The consistency of unidirectional swimming is considered paradoxical in view of the existing evidence regarding the alternating of hemispheric activity in sleeping dolphins.
Descriptors: dolphins psychology, orientation, stereotyped behavior, swimming, dominance, cerebral, social behavior, social environment, visual perception.
Stafne, G.M. and P.R. Manger (2004). Predominance of clockwise swimming during rest in Southern Hemisphere dolphins. Physiology and Behavior 82(5): 919-926. ISSN: 0031-9384.
Descriptors: Tursiops aduncus, Tursiops truncatus, swimming, resting, orientation, clockwise swimming during rest, captive study, southern hemisphere.
Steiner, W.W., J.H. Hain, H.E. Winn, and P.J. Perkins (1979). Vocalizations and feeding behavior of the killer whale (Orcinus orca). Journal of Mammalogy 60(4): 823-827. ISSN: 0022-2372.
NAL Call Number: 410 J823
Descriptors: Orcinus orca, feeding behavior, cooperative behavior, observations, behavior, vocalizations, sonograms, group behavior, cooperative feeding behavior, Newfoundland, north west Atlantic, vocalizations.
Taber, S. and P. Thomas (1982). Calf development and mother-calf spatial relationships in southern right whales Eubalaena australis. Animal Behaviour 30(4): 1072-1083. ISSN: 0003-3472.
NAL Call Number: 410 B77
Descriptors: calf, development, mother, relationships, right whales, Eubalaena australis.
Tavolga, W.N. (1983). Theoretical principles for the study of communication in cetaceans [animal communication, social behaviour]. Mammalia 47(1): 3-26. ISSN: 0025-1461.
NAL Call Number: 410 M31
Descriptors: communication, cetaceans, principles, theoretical, social behavior, study.
Language of Text: French and English summaries.
Thomas, R.E., K.M. Fristrup, and P.L. Tyack (2002). Linking the sounds of dolphins to their locations and behavior using video and multichannel acoustic recordings. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 112(4): 1692-701. ISSN: 0001-4966.
Abstract: It is difficult to attribute underwater animal sounds to the individuals producing them. This paper presents a system developed to solve this problem for dolphins by linking acoustic locations of the sounds of captive bottlenose dolphins with an overhead video image. A time-delay beamforming algorithm localized dolphin sounds obtained from an array of hydrophones dispersed around a lagoon. The localized positions of vocalizing dolphins were projected onto video images. The performance of the system was measured for artificial calibration signals as well as for dolphin sounds. The performance of the system for calibration signals was analyzed in terms of acoustic localization error, video projection error, and combined acoustic localization and video error. The 95% confidence bounds for these were 1.5, 2.1, and 2.1 m, respectively. Performance of the system was analyzed for three types of dolphin sounds: echolocation clicks, whistles, and burst-pulsed sounds. The mean errors for these were 0.8, 1.3, and 1.3 m, respectively. The 95% confidence bound for all vocalizations was 2.8 m, roughly the length of an adult bottlenose dolphin. This system represents a significant advance for studying the function of vocalizations of marine animals in relation to their context, as the sounds can be identified to the vocalizing dolphin and linked to its concurrent behavior.
Descriptors: behavior, animal physiology, sound localization physiology, videotape recording, vocalization, animal physiology, acoustics, dolphins.
Thomas, T.A., W.R. Koski, W.J. Richardson, and B. Wuersig (2002). Surfacing, respiration and dive cycles of bowhead whales in the eastern Alaskan Beaufort Sea during late summer and autumn as related to whale activity. OCS (Outer Continental Shelf) Study Report MMS (Minerals Management Service) 2002-012: 13.1-13.22.
Descriptors: Balaena mysticetus, feeding behavior, ventilation rate, respiratory rate, swimming, surfacing and dive cycles, social behavior, seasonal activity, feeding, travelling, social activities, migration, Arctic Ocean, USA, Alaska, Beaufort Sea, east, surfacing, respiration, dives cycles, bowhead whales.
Thomas, T.A., W.J. Richardson, W.R. Koski, and B. Wuersig (2002). Surfacing, respiration and dive cycles of bowhead whales in the Beaufort Sea: calves, subadults and adults. OCS (Outer Continental Shelf) Study Report MMS (Minerals Management Service) 2002-012: 14.1-14.19.
Descriptors: Balaena mysticetus, energy budget, respiration, development, young, subadult, adult, sdr cycle comparisons, swimming, surfacing, respiration and dive cycle, Arctic Ocean, USA, Alaska, Beaufort Sea, age, size, energetic implications.
Tizzi, R., A. Castellano, and D.S. Pace (2000). The development of play behaviour in a bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) calf. European Research on Cetaceans 14: 152-157. ISSN: 1028-3412.
Descriptors: Tursiops truncatus, young development, play, behavioral development in young female.
Tschudin, A., J. Call, R.I. Dunbar, G. Harris, and C. van der Elst (2001). Comprehension of signs by dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Journal of Comparative Psychology 115(1): 100-5. ISSN: 0735-7036.
Abstract: The authors assessed the ability of 6 captive dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) to comprehend without explicit training 3 human communicative signs (pointing, directed gaze, and replica). Pointing consisted of indicating the target item with the index finger and a fully extended arm. Directed gaze consisted of orienting the head and eyes toward the target item while the rest of the body remained stationary. The replica signal consisted of holding up an exact duplicate of the target item. On the initial series of 12 trials for each condition, 3 dolphins performed above chance on pointing, 2 on gaze, and none for replica. With additional trials, above chance performance increased to 4 dolphins for pointing, 6 for gazing, and 2 for replica. The replica sign seemed to be the most taxing for them (only 2 dolphins achieved results significantly above chance). Taken together, these results indicate that dolphins are able to interpret untrained communicative signs successfully.
Descriptors: behavior, animal, dolphins psychology, learning, sign language, nonverbal communication psychology, practice psychology.
Tyack, P. and H. Whitehead (1983). Male competition in large groups of wintering humpback whales Megaptera novaengliae, Marine mammals. Behaviour 83(1-2): 132-154. ISSN: 0005-7959.
NAL Call Number: 410 B393
Descriptors: humpback whales, marine mannals, male, competition, groups.
Tyack, P.L. (2000). Animal behavior. Dolphins whistle a signature tune. Science 289(5483): 1310-1. ISSN: 0036-8075.
NAL Call Number: 470 Sci2
Descriptors: dolphins physiology, imitative behavior, learning, social behavior, vocalization, animal, animals, wild physiology, brain anatomy and histology, brain physiology, evolution, intelligence.
Notes: Comment On: Science. 2000 Aug 25;289(5483):1355-7.
Tyack, P.L. (2003). Dolphins communicate about individual-specific social relationships. In: F.B.M. de Waal and P.L. Tyack (Editors), Animal Social Complexity: Intelligence, Culture, and Individualized Societies, Harvard University Press: Cambridge & London, p. 342-361. ISBN: 0674009290.
Descriptors: Delphinidae, literature review, acoustic signals, vocalizations, social communication, review, social behavior.
Valatx, J.L. (2004). [The ontogeny and physiology confirms the dual nature of sleep states.]. Archives Italiennes De Biologie 142(4): 569-80. ISSN: 0003-9829.
Abstract: In the Jouvet's laboratory, as early as 1960 the study of the ontogenesis of paradoxical sleep (PS) named "sleep 'with jerks" began in the kitten and led to the first publication in 1961. Then, several species were studied, lamb, rat, human neonates, etc. These works showed that at birth sleep with jerks was preponderant in altricial (immature) species (cat, rat) and the first to appear during the second half of gestation in precocious species (guinea pig). For Jouvet, sleep with jerks is a immature form of PS. Why PS is so important at birth? The maturation of the central nervous system, based on the myelinization, starts in the spinal cord then forwards to the brainstem and forebrain. So, PS mechanisms located in the brainstem are the first to mature and the only one to function. Then the slow wave sleep (SWS) and waking structures become mature. Phylogenetic studies showed that in mammals and birds PS was present even in marsupials and monotremes. Until now only the one exception is the dolphin with a voluntary breathing. To sleep and breath, dolphin has developed an unilateral sleep without classical PS. In other animals, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, PS was not observed with the parameters used in mammals. The study at birth (not yet done) of reptiles would allow perhaps the observation of a temporary PS. Based on these findings, a schematic model of the sleep regulation can be elaborated. Haeckel's aphorism "Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny" seems true for PS which appears in birds and mammals i.e. at the end of evolution as it appears at the end of gestation when PS cerebral structures are present and mature.
Descriptors: brain physiology, mammals physiology, neural pathways physiology, sleep physiology, sleep, rem physiology, birds physiology, brain embryology, brain growth and development, circadian rhythm physiology, evolution, neural pathways embryology, neural pathways growth and development, phylogeny, reptiles physiology.
Language of Text: English and French.
Valsecchi, E., P. Hale, P. Corkeron, and W. Amos (2002). Social structure in migrating humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae). Molecular Ecology 11(3): 507-18. ISSN: 0962-1083.
NAL Call Number: QH540.M64
Abstract: Although largely solitary, humpback whales exhibit a number of behaviours where individuals co-operate with one another, for example during bubble net feeding. Such cases could be due to reciprocal altruism brought on by exceptional circumstances, for example the presence of abundant shoaling fish. An alternative explanation is that these behaviours have evolved through kin selection. With little restriction to either communication or movement, diffuse groups of relatives could maintain some form of social organization without the need to travel in tight-nit units. To try to distinguish between these hypotheses, we took advantage of the fact that migrating humpback whales often swim together in small groups. If kin selection is important in humpback whale biology, these groups should be enriched for relatives. Consequently, we analysed biopsy samples from 57 groups of humpback whales migrating off Eastern Australia in 1992. A total of 142 whales were screened for eight microsatellite markers. Mitochondrial DNA sequences (371 bp) were also used to verify and assist kinship identification. Our data add support to the notion that mothers travel with their offspring for the first year of the calf's life. However, beyond the presence of mother-calf/yearling pairs, no obvious relatedness pattern was found among whales sampled either in the same pod or on the same day. Levels of relatedness did not vary between migratory phases (towards or away from the breeding ground), nor between the two sexes considered either overall or in the north or south migrations separately. These findings suggest that, if any social organization does exist, it is formed transiently when needed rather than being a constant feature of the population, and hence is more likely based on reciprocal altruism than kin selection.
Descriptors: animal migration, behavior, animal physiology, whales genetics, DNA, mitochondrial, family, gene frequency, genotype, microsatellite repeats, whales physiology.
Van Opzeeland, I.C., P.J. Corkeron, T. Leyssen, T. Simila, and S.M. Van Parijs (2005). Acoustic behaviour of Norwegian killer whales, Orcinus orca, during carousel and seiner foraging on spring-spawning herring. Aquatic Mammals 31(1): 110-119. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Abstract: Norwegian killer whales (Orcinus orca) use different techniques to forage on spring-spawning herring. Two of the commonly observed techniques are carousel feeding, a cooperative feeding method, and seiner feeding, a noncooperative method. During seiner foraging, large groups of whales forage on herring discards around the nets or on discarded by-catch of fishing boats. This study was to examine possible differences in killer whale acoustic behaviour during both foraging contexts using simple sound analysis techniques. Calling, echolocation, and tail-slap activities were measured and compared between foraging contexts. The study suggest that the sequence of call types, rather than the use of isolated call types, is of greater importance in the coordination of group movements during carousel foraging.
Descriptors: behavior, marine ecology, ecology, simple sound analysis, applied and field techniques, fishing boat, field equipment, echolocation, foraging, group movement, seiner foraging, carousel foraging.
Van Parijs, S.M., T. Leyssen, and T. Simila (2004). Sounds produced by Norwegian killer whales, Orcinus orca, during capture. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 116(1): 557-60. ISSN: 0001-4966.
Abstract: To date very little is still known about the acoustic behavior of Norwegian killer whales, in particular that of individual whales. In this study a unique opportunity was presented to document the sounds produced by five captured killer whales in the Vestfjord area, northern Norway. Individuals produced 14 discrete and 7 compound calls. Two call types were used both by individuals 16178 and 23365 suggesting that they may belong to the same pod. Comparisons with calls documented in Strager (1993) showed that none of the call types used by the captured individuals were present. The lack of these calls in the available literature suggests that call variability within individuals is likely to be large. This short note adds to our knowledge of the vocal repertoire of this population and demonstrates the need for further studies to provide behavioural context to these sounds.
Descriptors: dolphins physiology, vocalization, animal, acoustics, behavior, animal, Norway, sound spectrography.
Van Parijs, S.M. and P.J. Corkeron (2001). Vocalizations and behaviour of Pacific humpback dolphins Sousa chinensis. Ethology 107(8): 701-716. ISSN: 0179-1613.
NAL Call Number: QL750.E74
Descriptors: Sousa chinensis, behavior, acoustic signals, vocalizations characteristics, behavior relations, west Pacific, Australia, Queensland, Stradbroke Island, vocalizations characteristics relations.
Waples, K.A. and N.J. Gales (2002). Evaluating and minimising social stress in the care of captive bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus). Zoo Biology 21(1): 5-26. ISSN: 0733-3188.
NAL Call Number: QL77.5.Z6
Descriptors: Tursiops, stress, stress management, group interaction, social dominance, case reports, physical activity, attachment behavior, mortality, anorexia, feeding behavior, blood picture, blood chemistry, zoo animals, animal welfare.
Weaver, A. (2003). Conflict and reconciliation in captive bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus. Marine Mammal Science 19(4): 836-846. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Descriptors: Tursiops truncatus, agonistic behavior, social behavior, social conflict and reconciliation.
Wedekin, L.L., F.G. Daura Jorge, and P.C. Simoes Lopes (2004). An aggressive interaction between bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and estuarine dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) in southern Brazil. Aquatic Mammals 30(3): 391-397. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Abstract: For the first time we report on an aggressive interaction between wild bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and estuarine dolphins (Sotalia guianensis) observed in Baia Norte, southern Brazil. Three bottlenose dolphins aggressively herded a Sotalia guianensis calf, which was the main target of the aggressive and threatening behaviours of the bottlenose dolphins. Another two to four adult S. guianensis were involved in the interaction and were constantly chased by the bottlenose dolphins. After approximately two hours, the bottlenose dolphins left the calf and the area, and no dead or wounded animals were seen afterwards. We provide a detailed spatial and temporal description of the interaction, and discuss the potential causes of this event.
Descriptors: Sotalia guianensis, Tursiops truncatus, aggressive behavior, south Atlantic, Brazil, Baia Norte, Currais Bay, aggressive interaction recorded.
Wells, R.S. (2003). Dolphin social complexity: lessons from long-term study and life history. In: F.B.M. de Waal and P.L. Tyack (Editors), Animal Social Complexity: Intelligence, Culture, and Individualized Societies, Harvard University Press: Cambridge & London, p. 32-56. ISBN: 0674009290.
Descriptors: Tursiops truncatus, literature review, social behavior, Gulf of Mexico, USA, Florida, Sarasota Bay area, social complexity, research review.
Whitehead, H. (1983). Structure and stability of humpback whale groups off Newfoundland Megaptera novaeangliae, Canada. Canadian Journal of Zoology 61(6): 1391-1397. ISSN: 0008-4301.
NAL Call Number: 470 C16D
Descriptors: Canada, marine areas, humpback whales, structure, stability.
Whitehead, H. (2003). Society and culture in the deep and open ocean: the sperm whale and other cetaceans. In: F.B.M. de Waal and P.L. Tyack (Editors), Animal Social Complexity: Intelligence, Culture, and Individualized Societies, Harvard University Press: Cambridge & London, p. 444-464. ISBN: 0674009290.
Descriptors: Cetacea, Physeter macrocephalus, social behavior, society and culture, discussion.
Whitehead, H., J. Christal and P.L. Tyack (2000). Studying cetacean social structure in space and time: innovative techniques. In: J. Mann, R.C. Connor, P.L. Tyack and H. Whitehead (Editors), Cetacean Societies: Field Studies of Dolphins and Whales, Chicago University Press: Chicago & London, p. 65-87. ISBN: 0226503410.
NAL Call Number: QL737.C4C39 2000
Descriptors: Cetacea, literature review, behavioral techniques, innovative techniques for studying social structure, review, social organization.
Whitehead, H. and L. Rendell (2004). Movements, habitat use and feeding success of cultural clans of South Pacific sperm whales. Journal of Animal Ecology 73(1): 190-196. ISSN: 0021-8790.
NAL Call Number: 410 J826
Abstract: 1. The population of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) in the South Pacific is divided into at least five sympatric vocal clans that almost certainly reflect cultural variation. 2. We investigated differences in movements and feeding success of groups from different clans off the Galapagos Islands and northern Chile, using data from 87 days spent tracking groups of known clan. 3. Groups from different clans showed different use of habitat and movement patterns. Off the Galapagos Islands, 'Plus-one' clan groups moved in relatively straight lines while 'Regular' clan groups had more convoluted tracks and a more inshore distribution, patterns which were consistent across years. 4. Groups from different clans had different defecation rates, indicating between-clan variation in feeding success. Off the Galapagos Islands, 'Plus-one' clan groups were more successful in the depauperate ENSO ('El Niflo/Southern Oscillation') conditions of 1987. However, in the cooler conditions of 1989, groups of the 'Regular' clan had much higher feeding success than those of the 'Plus-one' clan. 5. Thus we suggest that cultural inheritance in sperm whales incorporates foraging strategy as well as vocal patterns, and that clan membership has fitness consequences. 6. That clans seem differentially affected by altered climate conditions has implications for the effects of global warming on sperm whales. 7. The results also support the hypothesis that culturally determined differences in fitness may have affected genetic evolution through the process of cultural hitchhiking.
Descriptors: Physeter macrocephalus, foraging, feeding success, behavioral variation, cultural clans, social organization, north Pacific and south Pacific, habitat preference, north Pacific, south Pacific, Galapagos Islands, vocal clans cultural variation, foraging success, habitat use and movment patterns.
Whitehead, H. and L. Weilgart (2000). The sperm whale: social females and roving males. In: J. Mann, R.C. Connor, P.L. Tyack and H. Whitehead (Editors), Cetacean Societies: Field Studies of Dolphins and Whales, Chicago University Press: Chicago & London, p. 154-172. ISBN: 0226503410.
NAL Call Number: QL737.C4C39 2000
Descriptors: Physeter macrocephalus, endangered status, conservation status, literature review, social behavior, field studies, review.
Winn, H.E. and B.L. Olla (1972). Behavior of Marine Animals: Current Perspectives in Research, Vol. 1-3, Plenum Press: New York, ISBN: 0306375710 (v. 1).
NAL Call Number: QL121.W5
Descriptors: marine fauna, behavior, marine animals, research.
Wisdom, S., A.E. Bowles, and K.E. Anderson (2001). Development of behavior and sound repertoire of a rehabilitating gray whale calf. Aquatic Mammals 27(3): 239-255. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Descriptors: Eschrichtius robustus, gray whale, young, development, rehabilitating, acoustic signals, behavior in captivity, behavior, sound, repertoire.
Wuersig, B. (1988). Les baleines: des mammiferes tres sociaux. [Social behavior of whales]. Pour La Science (128): 90-97. ISSN: 0153-4092.
Descriptors: whales, social behavior, feeding habits, sexual behavior, animals, aquatic animals, aquatic mammals, aquatic organisms, behavior, Cetacea, ISSCAAP group b 61, ISSCAAP group b 62, ISSCAAP groups of species, mammals, meat animals, oil producing animals, vertebrates.
Xitco Jr., M.J., J.D. Gory, and S.A. Kuczaj II (2004). Dolphin pointing is linked to the attentional behavior of a receiver. Animal Cognition 7(4): 231-238. ISSN: 1435-9448.
Abstract: In 2001, Xitco et al. (Animal Cognition 4:115-123) described spontaneous behaviors in two bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) that resembled pointing and gaze alternation. The dolphins' spontaneous behavior was influenced by the presence of a potential receiver, and the distance between the dolphin and the receiver. The present study adapted the technique of Call and Tomasello ((1994) Journal of Comparative Psychology 108:307-317), used with orangutans to test the effect of the receiver's orientation on pointing in these same dolphins. The dolphins directed more points and monitoring behavior at receivers whose orientation was consistent with attending to the dolphins. The results demonstrated that the dolphins' pointing and monitoring behavior, like that of apes and infants, was linked to the attentional behavior of the receiver.
Descriptors: Tursiops truncatus, behavior, cognition, pointing and monitoring behavior, receiver attentional behavior significance.
Yang, J., X. Zhang, Y. Hari, and A. Fujimoto (1998). Observations of parturition and related behaviour of finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides) in Enoshima Aquarium, Japan. Oceanologia Et Limnologia Sinica 29(1): 41-46. ISSN: 0029-814X.
Descriptors: animal behavior, parturition, respiration rate, zoo animals, dolphins.
Yano, K. and M.E. Dahlheim (1995). Behavior of killer whales Orcinus orca during longline fishery interactions in the southeastern Bering sea and adjacent waters. Fisheries Science (Tokyo) 61(4): 584-589. ISSN: 0919-9268.
Descriptors: anoplopoma, line fishing, dolphins, Bering Sea, behavior, predation, pleuronectoidei, exploratory fishing, Japan, USA, America, Asia, bony fishes, Cetacea, cottoidei, East Asia, Eastern Pacific, fishes, fishing methods, fishing operations, mammals, marine areas, North America, North Pacific, Northeast Pacific, Northwest Pacific, Pacific Ocean, Western Pacific.
Language of Text: English summary.
Yu, D., W. Jiang, and L. Mi (2003). Preliminary observations on feeding behavior of finless porpoises in a semi-nature reserve of Yangtze River. Acta Theriologica Sinica 23(3): 198-202. ISSN: 1000-1050.
Descriptors: Neophocaena phocaenoides asiaeorientalis, feeding rate, feeding behavior, river, China, Yangtze River, feeding habits, semi nature reserve.
Yurk, H. (2003). Do killer whales have culture? In: F.B.M. de Waal and P.L. Tyack (Editors), Animal Social Complexity: Intelligence, Culture, and Individualized Societies, Harvard University Press: Cambridge & London, p. 465-469. ISBN: 0674009290.
Descriptors: Orcinus orca, social behavior, culture, existence, discussion.
Zhuo, W., W. Ding, K. Xinan, W. Kexiong, W. Xiaoqiang, X. Jiangqiang, Z. Qingzhong, and Z. Xianfeng (2002). Observations on behavior and ecology of the Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides asiaeorientalis) group at Tian-e-Zhou Oxbow of the Yangtze River. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 10: 97-103.
Descriptors: behavior, freshwater ecology, reproduction, breath intervals, conservation biology, gestation, Oxbow Rivers, habitat, reproductive behavior, stream ecology, swimming behavior, Yangtze finless porpoise.