Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:20:54 -0000
From: "Luke Rendell" <>
The following paper is now available online at Animal Behaviour; full
text is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2008.07.032,
or by emailing me :
Overlapping and matching of codas in vocal interactions between sperm
whales: insights into communication function
Tyler M. Schulz, Hal Whitehead, Shane Gero & Luke Rendell
Abstract:
Many animals engage in dyadic vocal exchanges. Studying the patterns
of vocal output and spatial arrangement of individuals in these
interactions can often reveal information concerning their function.
Sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalus, frequently exchange short
sequences of clicks, termed codas, in social contexts. We analysed
the coda vocalizations of sperm whale social units encountered in two
different oceans to test hypotheses about how coda exchanges are
organized. We also used a dynamic recording array to estimate the
spatial scale of these vocal interactions. Coda production was
influenced by the timing and types of codas produced by other unit
members, resulting in the production of duet-like sequences of coda
exchanges between pairs of whales. Codas were more likely to be made
within 2 s of another coda than expected by chance, and whales were
more likely to match previously produced codas than expected by
chance, although matching appeared to be largely a result of the
matching of one particular coda type within each social unit.
Patterns of overlapping and matching exchanges did not seem to be
correlated with relatedness or social affiliation. These exchanges
occurred over a range of spatial scales, and are thus likely to be
functional both between whales that are near and between those that
are comparatively far from one another. The context of these
exchanges, reciprocity in coda overlapping, and the sequencing of
exchanges into duet-like chains all suggest that coda overlapping and
matching function to reinforce social bonds between whales.
-- Dr. Luke Rendell Post-Doctoral Research Fellow Tel: (44)(0)1334 463499 E-mail: WWW: http://bio.st-andrews.ac.uk/staff/ler4.htm School of Biology, University of St. Andrews Bute Medical Building, Queen's Terrace St. Andrews, Fife KY16 9TS U.K. Social Learning Strategies Tournament - 10,000 Euro prize: http://www.intercult.su.se/cultaptation/tournament.php The University of St Andrews is a charity registered in Scotland : No SC013532
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