A Novel Case of Non-Offspring Adoption in a Free-Ranging Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin (&lt;I&gt;Tursiops truncatus&lt;/I&gt;) Inhabiting the Indian River Lagoon, Florida

Howells, Elisabeth; Reif, John S.; Bechdel, Sarah E.; Murdoch, M. Elizabeth; Bossart, Gregory D.; McCulloch, Stephen D.; Mazzoil, Marilyn

doi:10.1578/am.35.1.2009.43

Cited by 12 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…chimpanzees: [ 12 ]; cercopithecines: [ 13 ]; muriquis: [ 14 ]; phocid seals: [ 15 ]), or unfamiliar or seemingly unfamiliar non-kin (e.g. dolphins: [ 16 ]; Barbary macaques: [ 17 ]; Rhesus macaques: [ 18 ]). In humans, the adoption of kin or non-kin children is well described in both traditional and modern industrial societies around the world [ 19 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-kin adoption in the common vampire bat

et al. 2021

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Individual animals across many different species occasionally ‘adopt’ unrelated, orphaned offspring. Although adoption may be best explained as a by-product of adaptive traits that enhance parental care or promote the development of parental skills, one factor that is possibly important for the likelihood of adoption is the history of cooperative interactions between the mother, adopted offspring and adopter. Using 652 h of behavioural samples collected over four months, we describe patterns of allogrooming and food sharing before and after an instance of non-kin adoption between two adult female common vampire bats ( Desmodus rotundus ) that were captured from distant sites (340 km apart) and introduced to one another in captivity. The first female died from an illness 19 days after giving birth. The second female groomed and regurgitated food to the mother more often than any other group member, then groomed, nursed and regurgitated food to the orphaned, female pup. The substantial increase in alloparental care by this female after the mother's death was not observed among the 20 other adult females that were present in the colony. Our findings corroborate previous reports of non-kin adoption in common vampire bats and are consistent with the hypothesis that non-kin adoption can be motivated, in part, by a history of cooperative interactions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-kin adoption in the common vampire bat

et al. 2021

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“…Before 2016, Billie was detected three times assisting common dolphin births, leading newborns to the surface and offering alloparental care for only a few minutes after labour and always accompanied by other common dolphins. Allomaternal care often occurs among bottlenose dolphins [19, 20] and has been described in captivity and in the wild [21, 22]. However, it is uncommon to observe a bottlenose dolphin calf adopted by a common dolphin, although it has been previously reported in the northern Adriatic waters [23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hybridization in the wild between Tursiops truncatus (Montagu 1821) and Delphinus delphis (Linnaeus 1758)

Espada

Olaya‐Ponzone

Haasova³

et al. 2019

PLoS ONE

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A case of intergeneric hybridization in the wild between a female bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ) and a short-beaked common dolphin ( Delphinus delphis ), considered members of ‘ vulnerable’ and ‘endangered’ subpopulations in the Mediterranean, respectively, by the International Union of Conservation of Nature is described in this paper. The birth of the hybrid was registered in the Bay of Algeciras (southern Spain) in August 2016, and the animal has been tracked on frequent trips aboard dolphin-watching platforms. This unique occurrence is the result of an apparent ongoing interaction (10 years) between a female bottlenose dolphin and common dolphins. The calf has a robust body with length similar to Tursiops , while its lateral striping and coloration are typical of Delphinus . It displays the common dolphin’s ‘criss-cross’ pattern. However, the thoracic patch is lighter than in D . delphis and its dorsal area is light grey, with a ‘V’ shape under the dorsal fin. This paper also provides a comprehensive mini-review of hybridizations of T . truncatus with other species.

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“…Complete adoptions (i.e., when alloparents provide exclusive parental care for another’s offspring until death or disappearance of the calf) are poorly documented in non‐human mammals despite several published reports (e.g., Riedman & LeBoeuf, ; Thierry & Anderson, ; Agoramoorthy & Rudran, ; Pluháček, Bartošová, & Bartoš, ) including cetaceans (e.g., Tursiops sp., Howells et al, ). All these reports involved intraspecific adoptions with one exception documented in wild, artificially provisioned capuchin monkeys ([ Cebus libidinosus ] Izar et al, ) where an infant young marmoset ( Callithrix jacchus ) appeared to be socially integrated into the capuchin’s group during a 14‐month period and benefitted from nurturant behaviors displayed by two successive adoptive “mothers” and strong tolerance from all members of the group.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…allomaternal behavior, allonursing, dolphin, non-adaptive behavior, Peponocephala electra, Tursiops truncatus Pluháček, Bartošová, & Bartoš, 2011) including cetaceans (e.g., Tursiops sp., Howells et al, 2009). All these reports involved intraspecific adoptions with one exception documented in wild, artificially provisioned capuchin monkeys ([Cebus libidinosus] Izar et al, 2006) where an infant young marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) appeared to be socially integrated into the capuchin's group during a 14-month period and benefitted from nurturant behaviors displayed by two successive adoptive "mothers" and strong tolerance from all members of the group.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cross‐genus adoptions in delphinids: One example with taxonomic discussion

et al. 2019

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Although relatively rare, adoptions have been reported in a number of mammals, involving almost exclusively individuals of the same species, and hardly ever between species or across genera. Adoption remains poorly documented and its proximate causes are controversial. Here, we describe a unique case of a cross‐genus adoption within a small community of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) at Rangiroa Atoll in French Polynesia. It involves a foster female adopting a presumed melon‐headed whale (Peponocephala electra) calf while already mothering its presumed biological offspring. While the inclusive fitness hypothesis can be rejected for this adult female mother, acquisition of parental skills is also unlikely to have driven adoption in parallel to natural motherhood. We argue that the primiparous foster mother’s inexperience and personality may have contributed to factors driving such non‐adaptive behavior. We also propose that the adoptee’s persistence in initiating and maintaining an association with the adult female bottlenose dolphin could have played a major role in the adoption’s ultimate success, as well as the persistence of this cross‐genus adoption after the disappearance of the biological offspring. A brief discussion of adoption and hybridization within the Delphinidae taxon is included to identify how this cross‐genus adoption fits into context of marine mammal parental care.

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A Novel Case of Non-Offspring Adoption in a Free-Ranging Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin (<I>Tursiops truncatus</I>) Inhabiting the Indian River Lagoon, Florida

Cited by 12 publications

References 17 publications

Non-kin adoption in the common vampire bat

Non-kin adoption in the common vampire bat

Hybridization in the wild between Tursiops truncatus (Montagu 1821) and Delphinus delphis (Linnaeus 1758)

Cross‐genus adoptions in delphinids: One example with taxonomic discussion

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