![]() ![]() In summary, bottlenose dolphins produce stereotyped, individually distinctive whistle contours called signature whistles, which function in individual recognition and in maintaining group cohesion. Janik, in Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior (Second Edition), 2019 Summary and Conclusion Last, and most relevant to the dolphins, use of sponges opens a new feeding niche to those employing sponges as tools the diet of sponge-carrying dolphins varies markedly from that of dolphins living in the same area that have not learned to use sponges ( Krützen et al., 2014), another instance of social learning opening a new feeding niche to social learners. Further, because only some of the many female dolphins that forage in deep-water channels use sponges while foraging there, it is unlikely that exposure to deep channels in itself results in sponge use ( Mann and Sargeant, 2003). ![]() Although a genetic explanation of the pattern of sponge use at Shark Bay seems plausible, examination of several possible modes of genetic inheritance make it unlikely that a genetic propensity is responsible for the observed distribution of the behavior. ![]() While foraging in deep-water channels, some adult female dolphins carry marine sponges thus protecting their noses while probing the sea floor to locate small, bottom-dwelling fish.Īt Shark Bay in Western Australia, the only study site where sponge carrying has been observed, the behavior occurs almost exclusively within a single maternal line, with most daughters (and a few sons) of sponge-carrying females adopting the habit. In the wild, young dolphins and their mothers forage together for several years giving the young ample opportunity to learn complex foraging behaviors from their mothers. White, in Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior (Second Edition), 2019 Bottlenose Dolphins Using Tools to Forageīottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops sp.) like rats and red squirrels can learn socially to exploit a new feeding niche, though the way in which they do so is quite different from that seen in rodents. ![]()
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