Babysitting, Dive Synchrony, and Indications of Alloparental Care in Sperm Whales

Publication Type:Journal Article
Year of Publication:1996
Authors:Whitehead, H
Journal:Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
Volume:38
Pagination:237-244
Date Published:1996
ISBN Number:03405443
Keywords:Physeter catodon
Abstract:

Young sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) serially accompany different members of their social group at the surface while the majority of the group is foraging at depth. The presence of a nearby larger whale is likely to increase the survival prospects of the young animal. In studies off the Galápagos Islands, first-year calves were less likely to be seen at the surface alone than were larger whales, and groups containing calves showed less synchronous diving behaviour - shorter intervals with no larger whales at the surface - than those without calves. This difference in diving synchrony was not solely the result of behaviour by individuals assumed to be the mothers of calves (as they spent a disproportionate amount of time accompanying them). Thus babysitting in sperm whales seems to be a form of alloparental care. Its benefit may have been an important factor in the evolution of sociality in female sperm whales.

URL:http://www.jstor.org/stable/4601198
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