'Popular' male dolphins have more babies and can stay popular just by talking

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2022-03-25 02:00

Australia; NSW; WA

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In the dolphin world, it pays to be a good talker according to two papers from Aussie researchers which found that the more popular a male dolphin is with his mates the more successful he is when mating, and popularity can be maintained simply through vocal exchanges. The first study found that groups of male bottlenose dolphins will work together to compete with rival groups over access to females, with the most popular males in the group having the best mating success. The second study found that male dolphins are able to stay popular by using vocal exchanges with other males as a low-cost way to maintain their alliances, rather than through other physical bonding activities, which they say is an important interaction to maintain when groups become larger and competition over resources increases. Vocal exchanges can function as a replacement of physical bonding activities for individuals to maintain important social relationships.

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Research Cell Press, Web page Paper 1. The URL will go live after the embargo ends

Research Cell Press, Web page Paper 2. The URL will go live after the embargo ends

Journal/
conference: Cell Current Biology

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: The University of New South Wales, The University of Western Australia

Funder: This research was funded by a Swiss National Science Foundation grant (31003A_149956), Seaworld Research & Rescue Foundation (SWRRFI) Australia, National Geographic Society, A.H. Schultz Stiftung, Claraz-Schenkung, Julius-Klaus Stiftung, and the W.V. Scott Charitable Trust (all to M.K.). Further financial assistance was provided by grants from the Australian Research Council (A19701144, DP0346313), National Science Foundation (1316800, BNS 8601475), Eppley Foundation for Research, Ann & Gordon Getty Foundation, Francis V.R. Seebie Charitable Trust, US National Institutes of Health Fellowship, Fulbright Fellowship to Australia, Rackham pre-doctoral Grant, University of Michigan, and the University of Zurich. S.L.K. was supported by The Branco Weiss Fellowship—Society in Science and by grants from the National Geographic Society (050R-17 and 59136R-19). W.R.F. was supported by a grant from the National Geographic Society (9301-13).

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