Dear All, Please take a note of the upcoming Special Symposium on Comparative Ecology and Behaviour, associated with the 17th Biennial Marine Mammal Conference. The symposium will take place on Wednesday, 28 November, at the T. H. Barry Lecture Theatre at the Iziko South African Museum, 25 Queen Victoria Street, Cape Town. There is going to be a modest registration fee (for details see: http://www.smmconference2007.org/special_symposium.php ) collectable at the door during registration (from 8:00 till 8:45). This fee includes tea/coffee breaks. You can also join us for lunch, which would require an additional R70 (US$10) per person, collectable at the time of registration. As we have still some space available, if you are interested in participating you are welcome to do so; in which case you need to respond no later than 22 November providing the following: Full Name: Institution Affiliation: Workshop: Marine Mammal Research and Conservation in Africa Lunch: No / Yes (your dietary preference) Your electronic RSVP should be directed to both of the following two addresses: karczmal@tamug.edu leszekkarczmarski@gmail.com Please make sure that on the day of the symposium you have the exact amount for registration/lunch, as we might not have change available (and there will not be credit card facility). See below the symposium agenda: Special Symposium: Comparative Ecology and Behaviour Date: 28 November 2007 Venue: Iziko South African Museum Organized by: Leszek Karczmarski (University of Pretoria, South Africa & Texas A&M University, USA) Hosted by: University of Pretoria and Iziko South African Museum Program: 8:00 – 8:45 Tea/Coffee & Registration 8:50 Welcome and Introduction 9:00 Opening Talk: Social Ecology of Sympatric Populations of Gorillas and Chimpanzees: Frugivory with Different Social Structures Juichi Yamagiwa, Kyoto University, Japan 9:30 Buddies and Bullies: The Role of Harassment in Structuring Mammalian Society; With an Overview of Ungulate Social Systems Elissa Z. Cameron, University of Pretoria, South Africa 9:50 Comparative Feeding Ecology of Dugongs and Manatees Helene Marsh, James Cook University, Australia 10:10 The Need for Testing Underlying Hypotheses Before Applying Them in a Comparative Context; An Example Using the Evolution of Social Organizations in Carnivora Fredrik Dalerum, University of Pretoria, South Africa 10:30 The Great White Shark: Behavioural Complexity of the Beast Leonard J.V. Compagno, South African Museum, Cape Town, South Africa 10:50 Delphinid Socioecology: A Comparative Perspective Leszek Karczmarski et al., University of Pretoria, South Africa and Texas A&M University, USA 11:10 – 11:30 Tea/Coffee/Muffin Break 11:30 Why is the Study of Animal Personality Important? Stan A. Kuczaj II & Lauren E. Highfill, University of Southern Mississippi, USA 11:45 Multiple Ecological Niches and Foraging Specialists: Variation Among Sympatric Populations of Killer Whales Robin W. Baird, Cascadia Research Collective, USA 12:00 Comparative Dolphin Sympatric Ecology in Tropical Habitats: Spotted and Bottlenose Dolphins in Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica and Venezuela's Central Coast Lenin Oviedo et al.,, Biotrópica, Venezuela and Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica 12:15 A Comparative Approach to Interpreting the Humpback Whale Breeding System Salvatore Cerchio, Wildlife Conservation Society & American Museum of Natural History, USA 12:30 The Implications of Rampant Consumerism by A Large Grey (Gray) Mammal: Not an Elephant David A. Duffus et al., University of Victoria, Canada 12:45 Changes in the Foraging Behaviour of Albatross, Sea Lions and Elephant Seals in Response to Changing Conditions in the North Pacific (2003-2007) Daniel P. Costa et al., University of California, Santa Cruz, USA 13:00 Sympatric Chinstrap Penguins and Antarctic Fur Seals: Can Life-History Theory Predict Variation in Foraging Effort and Reproductive Performance? John K. Jansen et al., National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, USA 13:15 MHC Loci in Polar Mammals: Potential Maladaptive Consequences for a Warming Globe? Diana S. Weber et al., American Museum of Natural History, USA 13:30 – 14:30 Lunch Break 14:30 Odontoceti Social Structure and Life History Parameters: Interspecific Comparison Masao Amano, Teikyo University of Science & Technology, Japan 14:45 Social Convergence Between Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops sp.) and Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): Focus on Female Reproductive Strategies Heidi C. Pearson, Texas A&M University, USA 15:00 Comparison of Dolphin and Bat Sonar: Do Physical and Ecological Constraints Make Them Different? Tomonari Akamatsu,Fisheries Research Agency, Japan 15:15 Evolution of Sounds in Toothed Whales: An Ecological Perspective Tadamichi Morisaka, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan 15:30 Physio-Mechanics of a Diving Pinniped: A Comparison of Stroking Patterns Yoko Mitani et al., Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan 15:45 Coordinated Foraging by Dusky Dolphins: A Comparison with Fish that Forage in Groups Robin L. Vaughn et al., Texas A&M University, USA 16:00 Ecological Risk to Cetaceans from Anthropogenic Ocean Sound: Characterization Analysis Using a Professional Judgment Approach to Uncertainty Amanda Truett, Montgomery College, USA Open Discussion Symposium closure time: approximately 17:00