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Evidence of male alliance formation in a small dolphin community

Chabanne, Delphine B H; Krützen, Michael; Finn, Hugh; Allen, Simon J (2022). Evidence of male alliance formation in a small dolphin community. Mammalian Biology - Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde, 102(4):1285-1298.

Abstract

The photo-identification of uniquely marked individuals has revealed much about mammalian behaviour and social structure in recent decades. In bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops spp.), for example, the long-term tracking of individuals has unveiled considerable variation in social structure among populations and various spatio-temporal aspects of group formation. In this study, we investigated associations among individual males in a small community of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (T. aduncus) residing in an urbanized estuary in southwestern Australia. Given the relative proximity of our study area to other populations in which complex male alliances form for the purpose of mate acquisition, we used long-term photo-identification records and social analyses to assess whether such alliances also occur in smaller and more isolated settings. Our work revealed strong social bonds and long-term, non-random associations among individual males, suggesting the occurrence of male alliances. Behavioural observations of alliances interacting with potentially receptive adult females from the estuary community and from adjacent communities, and exhibiting sexual display behaviours near females, suggest that these alliances occur in a reproductive context. As the first formal analysis indicating the occurrence of male alliances outside Shark Bay along the vast western coastline of Australia, this study complements previous research and extends our understanding of the evolutionary and ecological processes that drive alliance formation.

Additional indexing

Item Type:Journal Article, refereed, original work
Communities & Collections:07 Faculty of Science > Department of Evolutionary Anthropology
Dewey Decimal Classification:300 Social sciences, sociology & anthropology
Scopus Subject Areas:Life Sciences > Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Life Sciences > Animal Science and Zoology
Uncontrolled Keywords:Animal Science and Zoology, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Language:English
Date:31 October 2022
Deposited On:06 Feb 2023 16:16
Last Modified:29 Oct 2024 02:35
Publisher:Springer
ISSN:1616-5047
OA Status:Hybrid
Free access at:Publisher DOI. An embargo period may apply.
Publisher DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/s42991-022-00295-7
Project Information:
  • Funder: Swan River Trust
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  • Funder: Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions
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  • Funder: Australian Postgraduate Award, Murdoch University
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  • Funder: Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship
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  • Funder: Murdoch University
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  • Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

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