Dear all,
We are pleased to announce our new publication:
King, S. L., Guarino, E., Keaton, L., Erb, L., &
Jaakkola, K. (2016). Maternal signature whistle use aids
mother-calf reunions in a bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops
truncatus. Behavioural Processes, 126, 64-70.
doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2016.03.005
Abstract:
Individual vocal signatures play an important role in
parent-offspring recognition in many animals. One species
that uses signature calls to accurately facilitate
individual recognition is the bottlenose dolphin. Female
dolphins and their calves will use their highly
individualised signature whistles to identify and maintain
contact with one another. Previous studies have shown high
signature whistle rates of both mothers and calves during
forced separations. In more natural settings, it appears
that the calf vocalises more frequently to initiate reunions
with its mother. However, little is known about the
mechanisms a female dolphin may employ when there is strong
motivation for her to reunite with her calf. In this study,
we conducted a series of experimental trials in which we
asked a female dolphin to retrieve either her wandering calf
or a series of inanimate objects (control). Our results show
that she used her vocal signature to actively recruit her
calf, and produced no such signal when asked to retrieve the
objects. This is the first study to clearly manipulate a
dolphin’s motivation to retrieve her calf with experimental
controls. The results highlight that signature whistles are
not only used in broadcasting individual identity, but that
maternal signature whistle use is important in facilitating
mother-calf reunions.
You can access the paper here -- http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0376635716300535
Or alternatively you can email us directly for a copy (stephanie.king@uwa.edu.au
or kelly@dolphins.org)
Cheers,
-- Kelly
Dr. Kelly Jaakkola
Dolphin Research Center
58901 Overseas Hwy.
Grassy Key, FL 33050