New paper - Dolphins and African apes: comparisons of sympatric socio-ecology
Dear Colleagues, This is to announce a new paper in the current issue of Contributions of Zoology entitled " Dolphins and African apes: comparisons of sympatric socio-ecology " co-authored by myself and Craig B. Stanford. Abstract Dolphins and African apes are distantly related mammalian taxa that exhibit striking convergences in their socioecology. In both cetaceans and African apes, two or more closely related species sometimes occur in sympatry. However, detailed reviews of the ways in which sympatric associations of dolphins and apes are similar have not been done. As fi eld studies of dolphins and apes have accumulated, comparisons of how the two groups avoid direct food competition when in sympatry have become possible. In this paper we review sympatric ecology among dolphins and African apes, and examine convergences in species-associations in each taxa. We review evidence for hypotheses that seek to explain avoidance of food competition, and consider whether ape-dolphin similarities in this area may be related to the way in which social groups in both taxa optimally exploit their food resources. For a free PDF copy please visit: http://dpc.uba.uva.nl/cgi/t/text/get-pdf?c=ctz;idno=7604a03 or send requests to: mbearzi@earthlink.net Regards, Maddalena Bearzi ______________________________ Maddalena Bearzi, Ph.D. Ocean Conservation Society, President P.O. Box 12860 Marina del Rey, CA 90295 - USA ph.310.8225205, fax 310.8225729 mbearzi@earthlink.net http://www.oceanconservation.org
Dear Colleagues, This is to announce a new book entitled "Beautiful Minds: The Parallel Lives of Great Apes and Dolphins " co-authored by myself and Craig Stanford: Bearzi, Maddalena & Craig Stanford. 2008. Beautiful Minds: The Parallel Lives of Great Apes and Dolphins. Harvard University Press. 300 pp. Summary Apes and dolphins: primates and cetaceans. Could any creatures appear to be more different? Yet both are large-brained intelligent mammals with complex communication and social interaction. In the first book to study apes and dolphins side by side, Maddalena Bearzi and Craig B. Stanford, a dolphin biologist and a primatologist who have spent their careers studying these animals in the wild, combine their insights. Beautiful Minds explains how and why apes and dolphins are so distantly related yet so cognitively alike and what this teaches us about another large-brained mammal: Homo sapiens. Noting that apes and dolphins have had no common ancestor in nearly 100 million years, Bearzi and Stanford describe the parallel evolution that gave rise to their intelligence. And they closely observe that intelligence in action, in the territorial grassland and rainforest communities of chimpanzees and other apes, and in groups of dolphins moving freely through open coastal waters. The authors detail their subjects¹ ability to develop family bonds, form alliances, and care for their young. They offer an understanding of their culture, politics, social structure, personality, and capacity for emotion. The resulting dual portraitwith striking overlaps in behavioris key to understanding the nature of ³beautiful minds.² The book is now available in bookstores and online: http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/BEABEA.html http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?ATH=Maddalena+Bearzi http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Minds-Parallel-Lives-Dolphins/dp/0674027817 Regards, Maddalena Bearzi ______________________________ Maddalena Bearzi, Ph.D. Ocean Conservation Society, President P.O. Box 12860 Marina del Rey, CA 90295 - USA ph.310.8225205, fax 310.8225729 mbearzi@earthlink.net http://www.oceanconservation.org
Dear Colleagues,
This is to announce a new paper in the current issue of Marine and Freshwater Research entitled "Ecology and comparison of coastal and offshore bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in California² (M. Bearzi, C.A. Saylan and A. Hwang)
Abstract Populations of coastal and offshore bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are considered to differ ecologically, with implications for their protection and management. We assessed occurrence, distribution and behaviour of coastal and offshore populations of dolphins during a photo-identification study in Santa Monica Bay and nearby areas (19972007). Bottlenose dolphins occurred year-round and were encountered on 44.2% of all surveys (n = 425). We photo-identified 647 individuals; of these, 375 (58.0%) were coastal (<1 km from shore), 241 (37.2%) offshore (165 km from shore) and 31 were both (4.8%). Dolphins mostly travel (69.0%) and travel-dive (61.5%), with offshore dolphins socialising more (22.6%) than coastal. There were low re-sighting rates for both coastal and offshore dolphins. Low re-sighting rates of coastal individuals provide little evidence of year-round site fidelity, suggesting their range is greater than the study area. Several individuals were re-sighted between and over 1-year periods, often foraging. This suggests that coastal dolphins: (1) are highly mobile within inshore waters, but spend time foraging in the study area, and (2) range >1 km from shore, contrary to what has been previously reported.
The article is available on the journal site: http://www.publish.csiro.au/nid/126/paper/MF08279.htm
Regards,
Maddalena Bearzi
______________________________ Maddalena Bearzi, Ph.D. Ocean Conservation Society, President P.O. Box 12860 Marina del Rey, CA 90295 - USA ph.310.8225205, fax 310.8225729 mbearzi@earthlink.net http://www.oceanconservation.org
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Maddalena Bearzi