Sponge Carrying by Dolphins (Delphinidae, Tursiops sp.): A Foraging Specialization Involving Tool Use?
dc.contributor.author | Smolker, Rachel A. | en_US |
dc.contributor.author | Richards, Andrew | en_US |
dc.contributor.author | Connor, Richard | en_US |
dc.contributor.author | Mann, Janet | en_US |
dc.contributor.author | Berggren, Per | en_US |
dc.date.accessioned | 2010-06-01T18:44:19Z | |
dc.date.available | 2010-06-01T18:44:19Z | |
dc.date.issued | 1997-06 | en_US |
dc.identifier.citation | Smolker, Rachel; Richards, Andrew; Connor, Richard; Mann, Janet; Berggren, Per (1997). "Sponge Carrying by Dolphins (Delphinidae, Tursiops sp.): A Foraging Specialization Involving Tool Use?." Ethology 103(6): 454-465. <http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/71936> | en_US |
dc.identifier.issn | 0179-1613 | en_US |
dc.identifier.issn | 1439-0310 | en_US |
dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/71936 | |
dc.description.abstract | During long-term research on bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops sp.) in Shark Bay, Western Australia, several individuals were observed carrying sponges, Echinodictyum mesenterinum , on their rostra. Over multiple years, five regularly sighted individuals were usually carrying sponges when encountered (67–100% of encounters). Four additional regularly sighted individuals were observed with sponges just one time each. All five individuals that routinely carried sponges were female. Two of the anomalous, one-time carriers were female, one was likely female, and one was male. Most observations of sponge carrying occurred within a restricted area, a relatively deep water channel (8–10 m deep). Surface observations of sponge carrying, including focal animal observations, revealed a stereotyped surfacing and diving pattern, and occasional indications of prey consumption. Three hypotheses are considered regarding the function of sponge carrying: 1. dolphins were playing with the sponges; 2. the sponges contain some compound of use to the dolphins (e.g. for medicinal purposes); and 3. the sponges were used as a tool to aid in foraging. The foraging tool hypothesis is best supported, but the exact manner in which sponges are used remains to be discovered. Sponge carrying is a behavioural specialization, probably involving foraging, and regularly engaged in by only a small proportion of female dolphins in Shark Bay. | en_US |
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dc.format.extent | 3109 bytes | |
dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | |
dc.format.mimetype | text/plain | |
dc.publisher | Blackwell Publishing Ltd | en_US |
dc.rights | 1997 Blackwell Verlag | en_US |
dc.title | Sponge Carrying by Dolphins (Delphinidae, Tursiops sp.): A Foraging Specialization Involving Tool Use? | en_US |
dc.type | Article | en_US |
dc.subject.hlbsecondlevel | Natural Resources and Environment | en_US |
dc.subject.hlbtoplevel | Science | en_US |
dc.description.peerreviewed | Peer Reviewed | en_US |
dc.contributor.affiliationum | Museum of Zoology and Biology Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Psychology Department, Georgetown University, Washington, DC and Zoology Department, Stockholm University, Stockholm | en_US |
dc.description.bitstreamurl | http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/71936/1/j.1439-0310.1997.tb00160.x.pdf | |
dc.identifier.doi | 10.1111/j.1439-0310.1997.tb00160.x | en_US |
dc.identifier.source | Ethology | en_US |
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dc.owningcollname | Interdisciplinary and Peer-Reviewed |
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