Dear Marmamers,
We are pleased to announce the publication of the following
article in Behavioral Ecology:
Abstract:
Although the details of the various systems of allocare in
primates, rodents, and carnivores have been well described, little
is known about the existence of alloparental care in cetaceans.
It is believed that the matrilineal social organization of the sperm
whale functions to provide vigilant allomothers for calves at the surface
while mothers make deep dives for food. Sperm whale females do have
a system of allocare, but details are unknown. This study aimed to
elucidate sperm whale allocare, in particular: who escorts whose
calf and whether or not calves suckle from nonparent females. Using
photo identification and behavioral calf follows, we examined
patterns of adult–infant interactions for 23 sperm whale
calves in the Sargasso and Caribbean Seas. Although multiple
individuals of both sexes escorted the calves, the system of
escorting differed between the 2 sites. For all calves studied in
the Caribbean, we found that 1 female provided most of the allocare
but did not nurse the calf, whereas in the Sargasso, multiple
females provided care for, and nursed, the young. We discuss
differences between populations that may have resulted in the
observed differences in these 2 systems of allocare and how these
findings fit with current hypotheses on the roles of kin selection
and reciprocal altruism in cooperative care in mammals.
The article may be downloaded directly from the Behavioral
Ecology website
Otherwise please contact me for preprints.
Cheers,
Shane
**********************************
Shane Gero, M.Sc.
NSERC Ph.D. Candidate
Killam Scholar
Whitehead Lab
Biology Dept.
Dalhousie University
Halifax, NS
B3H 4J1 Canada
Tel: (902) 494-3723
Fax: (902) 494-3736
sgero@dal.ca
http://whitelab.biology.dal.ca/sge/