Abstract
Vocal learning is a rare skill in mammals, and we have limited information about the contexts in which they use it. Previous studies suggested that cetaceans in general are skilled at imitating sounds, but only few species have been studied to date. To expand this investigation to another species and to investigate the possible influence of the social environment on vocal learning, we studied the whistle repertoire of a female Risso’s dolphin (Grampus griseus) that was stranded at an early age and was subsequently raised in a group of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). We show that this cross-fostered animal produced vocal signals more akin to those of its Tursiops poolmates than those of Risso’s dolphins in the wild. This is one of very few systematic cross-fostering studies in cetaceans and the first to suggest vocal production learning in the Risso’s dolphin. Our findings also suggest that social experience is a major factor in the development of the vocal repertoire in this species.
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Acknowledgments
We would like to thank the marine mammal staff of the Oltremare Marine Park, especially Daniele Zanzi and Barbara Biancani. We are also grateful to Giulia Bemporad for help with data collection, Thomas Götz and Volker Deecke for providing helpful comments and Olivier Pierre Friard for technical support. Livio Favaro was supported by the University of Torino through a MIUR PhD scholarship. All procedures involving animals were in accordance with the current laws of Italy and the UK, the ethical standards of the University of St Andrews, and the guidelines issued by the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour and the Animal Behaviour Society. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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Favaro, L., Neves, S., Furlati, S. et al. Evidence suggests vocal production learning in a cross-fostered Risso’s dolphin (Grampus griseus). Anim Cogn 19, 847–853 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-016-0961-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-016-0961-x