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When it comes to making friends, it appears that dolphins are like us and form close friendships with other dolphins who share a common interest. The results, published in the Acts of the Royal Society B by an international team of researchers from the Universities of Bristol, Zurich and Western Australia, to better understand the social habits of these remarkable animals.
Shark Bay, a World Heritage area of Western Australia, is home to an emblematic population of bottlenose dolphins from the Indo-Pacific and the only place where dolphins have been observed using sea sponges as foraging tools. This learned technique, handed down from generation to generation, helps some dolphins, the "spongers", to find food in deep waters. Although the technique of using tools is well studied in females, this study is specifically interested in male dolphins.
Using photographic, behavioral and genetic data collected from 124 male dolphins during the winter months in Shark Bay over a nine-year period [2007 to 2015], the team analyzed a subset of 37 male dolphins, including 13 sponges and 24 non-sponges.
Male spongers spend more time using other male sponges than non-spongers, these links being based on similar foraging techniques and not on kinship or other factors.
Dr. Simon Allen, co-author of the study and senior research associate at the Bristol School of Biological Sciences, explains, "Foraging with a sponge is a time-consuming activity and is largely Shark Bay – invest time in forming close alliances with other males.This study suggests that, like their female counterparts and, just like humans, male dolphins form social bonds based on shared interests. "
The study provides new information on homophilic behavior in the social network of dolphins using tools.
Manuela Bizzozzero, lead author of the study at the University of Zurich, added: "Shark Bay's male dolphins present a fascinating social system of nested alliances that can last for decades and are essential to success. of each male.We were very excited to discover sponge cages, dolphins forming close friendships with others with similar traits. "
The study was funded by grants from the Swiss National Science Foundation, the National Geographic Society, the Australian Sea World Foundation for Research and Rescue (SWRRFI), W.V. Scott Foundation and A.H. Schultz Stiftung.
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Material provided by University of Bristol. Note: Content can be changed for style and length.
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