Patterns of Social Affiliation and Group Composition for Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in San Luis Pass, Texas

Maze-Foley, Katherine; Würsig, Bernd

doi:10.18785/goms.2002.05

Cited by 14 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…The largest group sizes occurred during socializing and smallest during traveling activities, although the difference was marginally significant. Similarly, as seen in bottlenose dolphins along the coast of the southern United States (Maze‐Foley and Würsig 2002, Shane 2004), the S. guianensis at Guanabara Bay also showed largest groups during socializing activities (Azevedo et al 2005). In contrast, in other areas (Lodi 2003, Daura‐Jorge et al 2005) the larger groups of S. guianensis were observed during foraging/feeding.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 58%

Aspects of behavioral ecology of Sotalia guianensis in Sepetiba Bay, southeast Brazil

Flach

Chiarello

2008

Marine Mammal Science

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Boat‐based surveys were conducted from August 2002 to July 2003 to study the activity patterns, spatial pattern of area use, and group characteristics of Sotalia guianensis in Sepetiba Bay, southeast Brazil. Predetermined routes covered the entrance and interior of the bay, resulting in 210 dolphin sightings during 3,300 km total effort. Data on activity were collected using scan group sampling with instantaneous recording after 5 min of observation. Dolphins were sighted more frequently in the entrance of the bay, where water is deeper, and salinity and transparency are higher, than in the interior of the bay, where the environment is more influenced by freshwater inputs. Foraging and feeding were the most frequent activities, and occurred predominantly between 0600 and 1000. Foraging and feeding peaked during ebbing, low, and flooding tides, while socializing predominated at high tide. Mean group size was larger in the interior of the bay and when seabirds were present. Large aggregations containing >100 individuals of Sotalia guianensis seen year‐round indicate that Sepetiba Bay is an important area for this species in coastal Brazil.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 58%

Aspects of behavioral ecology of Sotalia guianensis in Sepetiba Bay, southeast Brazil

Flach

Chiarello

2008

Marine Mammal Science

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“…Association patterns were estimated by the Half Weight Index (HWI; see Cairns & Schwager, 1987;Maze-Foley & Wu ¨rsig, 2002). This index was selected because it produces a very low mean square error when sample size is large (Cairns & Schwager, 1987) and it is also widely used in cetacean research.…”

Section: Measurement Of Association Patternsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coordinated breathing in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) as cooperation: Integrating proximate and ultimate explanations.

Perelberg

Schuster

2008

Journal of Comparative Psychology

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In this study, coordinated breathing was studied in 13 common bottlenose dolphins because of its links with spontaneous coordinated behaviors (e.g., swimming, foraging, and playing). A strong link was shown between dyadic coordination levels and age/sex categories when both association patterns and spatial formation are considered. This is consistent with a significant influence of social relationships on cooperating and contrasts with an economic perspective based on immediate material outcomes alone. This cooperation bias is explained by linking proximate processes that evoke performance with ultimate evolutionary processes driven by long-term adaptive outcomes. Proximate processes can include 2 kinds of immediate outcomes: material reinforcements and affective states associated with acts of cooperating that can provide positive reinforcement regardless of immediate material benefits (e.g., when there is a time lag between cooperative acts and material outcomes). Affective states can then be adaptive by strengthening social relationships that lead to eventual gains in fitness.

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“…Aya and Guama's behaviors may be related to acquired habituation (none of the objects provided was new to them) and/or to their social roles in the group [Lusseau, ]. In fact, males usually swim in dyads with a partner of the same gender and of a similar age [Connor et al, ; Maze‐Foley and Würsig, ]. At the time of the study, Guama was the only adult male in Asterix Park.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the effectiveness of environmental enrichment in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)

Delfour¹,

Beyer

2011

Zoo Biology

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Environmental enrichment is often used to improve well-being and reduce stereotyped behaviors in animals under human care. However, the use of objects to enrich animal environments should not be considered to be effective until its success has been scientifically demonstrated. This study was conducted at Asterix Park in France in April 2009. The study investigated the use of 21 familiar objects with a group of six bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). The dolphin trainers introduced four different objects into the dolphin pool every day on a rotating basis. Using a focal-object sampling method, we collected and analyzed data from twenty-one 15 min sessions. The results revealed a positive correlation between interest behaviors and interactive behaviors. Some dolphins had "favorite toys". However, only 50% of objects elicited manipulative behaviors. These findings demonstrate that dolphins do not treat all objects provided to them as "toys". Behavioral changes in the animals subsequent to the introduction of objects do not necessarily indicate an enrichment effect of the objects; rather, the motivation for the dolphins' behaviors toward the objects must be investigated. The animals' behavior must be considered in light of the social context and of the animals' individual behavioral profiles. The relevance of a constructivist approach to evaluating the effectiveness of enrichment programs is discussed.

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Patterns of Social Affiliation and Group Composition for Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in San Luis Pass, Texas

Cited by 14 publications

References 9 publications

Aspects of behavioral ecology of Sotalia guianensis in Sepetiba Bay, southeast Brazil

Aspects of behavioral ecology of Sotalia guianensis in Sepetiba Bay, southeast Brazil

Coordinated breathing in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) as cooperation: Integrating proximate and ultimate explanations.

Assessing the effectiveness of environmental enrichment in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)

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