Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Social Structure of Free-Ranging Bottlenose Dolphins

  • Chapter
Current Mammalogy

Abstract

A description of the social structure of a species is a first step toward understanding its social organization and, ultimately, the evolutionary processes that shaped its social system. Since the mid-1960s the rapid accumulation of information from field studies of terrestrial mammals has made it possible to propose models to explain the evolution of mammalian social systems. These models have examined the species distribution of characteristics such as group size, group compositions, spatial patterns of individuals, and social interactions in relation to environmental variables (for example, Crook and Gartlan, 1966; Eisenberg et al., 1972; Clutton-Brock, 1974; Jarman, 1974; Emlen and Oring, 1977; Wrangham, 1980). Predictable patterns of organization have been found which provide insights into the adaptive significance of the social systems. Until recently, available information for cetaceans has been inadequate to allow construction of comparable models. A surge of systematic field studies of the behavior and ecology of cetaceans is beginning to provide the requisite information for examination of cetacean societies within a general mammalian context. To this end, this chapter presents the results of one study of the social structure of the bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Asper, E. D., 1975, Techniques of live capture of smaller Cetacea, J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 32:1191–1196.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Balcomb, K. C., Boran, J. R., Osborne, R. W., and Haenel, N. J., 1980, Observations of Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) in Greater Puget Sound, State of Washington, National Technical Information Service PB-224728, U.S. Department of Commerce, Springfield, Virginia, pp. 1-42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bigg, M. A., 1982, An assessment of killer whale (Orcinus orca) stocks off Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Rep. Int. Whaling Comm. 32:655–666.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bigg, M. A., McAskie, I. B., and Ellis, G., 1976, Abundance and Movements of Killer Whales off Eastern and Southern Vancouver Island with Comments on Management, Preliminary Report, Arctic Biological Station, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, Canada.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, D. H., and Norris, K. S., 1956, Observations of captive and wild cetaceans, J. Mammal. 37:311–326.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caldwell, D. K., and Caldwell, M. C., 1972, The World of the Bottlenosed Dolphin, Lippincott, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caldwell, M. C, and Caldwell, D. K., 1972, Behavior of marine mammals, in: Mammals of the Sea: Biology and Medicine (S. H. Ridgway, ed.), C. C. Thomas, Springfield, Illinois, pp. 419–465.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caldwell, M. C, and Caldwell, D. K., 1977, Social interactions and reproduction in the Atlantic bottlenosed dolphin, in: Breeding Dolphins: Present Status, Suggestions for the Future (S. H. Ridgway and K. W. Benirschke, eds.), National Technical Information Service PB-273673, U. S. Department of Commerce, Springfield, Virginia, pp. 133–142.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clutton-Brock, T. H., 1974, Primate social organization and ecology, Nature 250:539–542.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crook, J. H., and Gartlan, J. S., 1966, Evolution of primate societies, Nature 210:1200–1203.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Crook, J. H., Ellis, J. E., and Goss-Custard, J. D., 1976, Mammalian social systems: Structure and function, Anim. Behav. 24:261–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Douglas-Hamilton, I., 1973, On the ecology and behaviour of the Lake Manyara elephants, East Afr. Wildl. J. 11:401–403.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Douglas-Hamilton, I., and Douglas-Hamilton, O., 1975, Among the Elephants, Penguin Books, Harmondsworth, England.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duffield, D. A. and Wells, R. S., 1986, Population Structure of Bottlenose Dolphins: (2) Genetic Studies of Bottlenose Dolphins Along the Central West Coast of Florida, Final Report to National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Fisheries Center, Contract No. 45-WCNF-5-00366, pp. 1-10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duffield, D. A., Chamberlin-Lea, J., Wells, R. S., and Scott, M. D., 1985, Inheritance of an extra chromosome in a resident female band of bottlenose dolphins in Sarasota, Florida (Abstract), in: Proceedings 6th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisenberg, J. F., 1981, The Mammalian Radiations, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisenberg, J. F., Muckenhirn, N. A., and Rudran, R., 1972, The relation between ecology and social structure in primates, Science 1976:863–874.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Emlen, S. T., and Oring, L. W., 1977, Ecology, sexual selection, and the evolution of mating systems, Science 197:215–223.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Goodall, J., 1983, Population dynamics during a 15 year period in one community of free-living chimpanzees in the Gombe National Park, Tanzania, Z. Tierpsychol. 61:1–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton, W. D., 1971, Geometry for the selfish herd, J. Theor. Biol. 31:295–311.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Harcourt, A. H., Harvey, P. H., Larson, S. G., and Short, R. V., 1981, Testis weight, body weight and breeding system in primates, Nature 293:55–57.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Harrison, R. J., and Ridgway, S. H., 1971, Gonadal activity in some bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), J. Zool. Lond. 165:355–366.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harrison, R. J., Brownell, R. L., Jr., and Boice, R. C, 1972, Reproduction and gonadal appearances in some odontocetes, in: Functional Anatomy of Marine Mammals, Volume 1 (R. J. Harrison, ed.), Academic Press, London, pp. 362–429.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harvey, P. H., and Harcourt, A. H., 1984, Sperm competition, testes size, and breeding systems in primates, in: Sperm Competition and the Evolution of Animal Mating Systems (R. L. Smith, ed.), Academic Press, Orlando, pp. 589–600.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hohn, A. A., 1980, Age determination and age related factors in the teeth of western North Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, Sci. Rep. Whales Res. Inst. 32:39–66.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hohn, A. A., 1985, Comparison of methods to estimate the average age at sexual maturation in dolphins (Abstract), in: Proceedings 6th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Irvine, A. B., and Wells, R. S., 1972, Results of attempts to tag Atlantic bottlenosed dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, Cetology 13:1–5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Irvine, A. B., Scott, M. D., Wells, R. S., and Kaufmann, J. H., 1981, Movements and activities of the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, near Sarasota, Florida, Fish. Bull. U. S. 79:671–688.

    Google Scholar 

  • Irvine, A. B., Wells, R. S., and Scott, M. D., 1982, An evaluation of techniques for tagging small odontocete cetaceans, Fish. Bull. U. S. 80:135–143.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jarman, P. J., 1974, The social organisation of antelope in relation to their ecology, Behaviour 58:215–267.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kasuya, T., and Marsh, H., 1984, Life history and reproductive biology of the short-finned pilot whale, Glohicephala macrorhynchus, off the Pacific coast of Japan, in: Reproduction in Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises (W. F. Perrin, R. L. Brownell, Jr., and D. P. DeMaster, eds.), Reports of the International Whaling Commission, Special Issue 6, Cambridge, England, pp. 259-310.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kenagy, G. J., and Trombulak, S. C, 1986, Size and function of mammalian testes in relation to body size, J. Mammal. 67:1–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kirby, V. L., and Ridgway, S. H., 1984, Hormonal evidence of spontaneous ovulation in captive dolphins, Tursiops truncatus and Delphinus delphis, in: Reproduction in Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises, (W. F. Perrin, R. L. Brownell, Jr., and D. P. DeMaster, eds.), Reports of the International Whaling Commission, Special Issue 6, Cambridge, England, pp. 459-464.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kleiman, D. C., and Eisenberg, J. F., 1973, Comparisons of canid and felid social systems from an evolutionary perspective, Anim. Behav. 21:637–659.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Leatherwood, J. S., 1977, Some preliminary impressions on the numbers and social behavior of free-swimming, bottlenosed dolphin calves (Tursiops truncatus) in the northern Gulf of Mexico, in: Breeding Dolphins: Present Status, Suggestions for the Future (S. H. Ridgway and K. W. Benirschke, eds.), National Technical Information Service PB-273673, U.S. Department of Commerce, Springfield, Virginia, pp. 143-167.

    Google Scholar 

  • LeBoeuf, B. J., 1978, Sex and evolution, in: Sex and Behavior (T. E. McGill, D. A. Dewsbury, and B. D. Sachs, eds.), Plenum Press, New York, pp. 3–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • McBride, A. F., 1940, Meet Mr. Porpoise, Nat. Hist. 45:16–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • McBride, A. F., and Hebb, D. O., 1948, Behavior of the captive bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, J. Comp. Physiol. Psychol. 41:111–123.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McBride, A. F., and Kritzler, H., 1951, Observations on pregnancy, parturition, and postnatal behavior in the bottlenose dolphin, J. Mammal. 32:251–266.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miyazaki, N., and Nishiwaki, M., 1978, School structure of the striped dolphin off the Pacific coast of Japan, Sci. Rep. Whales Res. Inst. 30:65–115.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norris, K. S., 1967, Aggressive behavior in Cetacea, in: Aggression and Defense (C. D. Clemente and D. B. Lindsley, eds.), University of California Press, Berkeley, pp. 225–241.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norris, K. S., and Dohl, T. P., 1980, The structure and functions of cetacean schools, in: Cetacean Behavior: Mechanisms and Functions (L. M. Herman, ed.) Wiley, New York, pp. 211–261.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norris, K. S., and Prescott, J. H., 1961, Observations on Pacific cetaceans of Californian and Mexican waters, Univ. Calif. Publ. Zool. 63:291–402.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norris, K. S., Würsig, B., Wells, R. S., Würsig, M., Brownlee, S. M., Johnson, C, and Solow, J., 1985, The Behavior of the Hawaiian Spinner Dolphin, Stenella longirostris, National Marine Fisheries Service, Southwest Fisheries Center Administrative Report LJ-85-06C.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ostman, J., 1985, An ethogram for dolphin social behavior, and observations on changes in aggressive and homosexual behavior among two subadult male bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in a captive colony, M. A. thesis, San Francisco State University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perrin, W. F., and Reilly, S. B., 1984, Reproductive parameters of dolphins and small whales of the family Delphinidae, in: Reproduction in Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises. (W. F. Perrin, R. L. Brownell, and D. P. DeMaster, eds.), Reports of the International Whaling Commission, Special Issue 6, Cambridge, England, pp. 97-133.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ralls, K., Brownell, R. L., Jr., and Ballou, J., 1980, Differential mortality by sex and age in mammals, with specific reference to the sperm whale, in: Reports of the International Whaling Commission, Special Issue 2, pp. 233-243.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ridgway, S. H., and Benirschke, K. (eds.), 1977, Breeding Dolphins: Present Status, Suggestions for the Future, National Technical Information Service PB-273673, U.S. Department of Commerce, Springfield, Virginia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ross, G. J. B., 1977, The taxonomy of bottlenosed dolphins Tursiops sp. in South African waters, with notes on their biology, Ann. Cape Prov. Mus. Nat. Hist. 11:135–194.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saayman, G. S., and Tayler, C. K., 1977, Observations on the sexual behavior of Indian Ocean bottlenosed dolphins (Tursiops aduncus), in: Breeding Dolphins: Present Status, Suggestions for the Future (S. H. Ridgway and K. W. Benirschke, eds.), National Technical Information Service PB-273673, U.S. Department of Commerce, Springfield, Virginia, pp. 113-129.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sawyer-Steffan, J. E., Kirby, V. L., and Gilmartin, W. C., 1983, Progesterone and estrogens in the pregnant and non-pregnant dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, and the effect of induced ovulation, Biol. Reprod. 28:897–901.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schaller, G. B., 1972, The Serengeti Lion: A Study of Predator-Prey Relations, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schroeder, J. P., Keller, K., and Kirby, V. L., 1983, Testosterone levels and sperm production in Tursiops truncatus (Abstract), in: Proceedings 5th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, Boston, p. 91.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sergeant, D. E., Caldwell, D. K., and Caldwell, M. C., 1973, Age, growth, and maturity of bottlenosed dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from northeast Florida, J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 30:1009–1011.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shane, S. H., Wells, R. S., and Wiirsig, B., 1986, Ecology, behavior, and social organization of the bottlenose dolphin: A review, Mar. Mammal Sci. 2:34–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, R. L., 1984, Human sperm competition, in: Sperm Competition and the Evolution of Animal Mating Systems (R. L. Smith, ed.), Academic Press, Orlando, pp. 601–659.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stirling, I., 1983, The evolution of mating systems in pinnipeds, in: Advances in the Study of Mammalian Behavior (J. F. Eisenberg and D. G. Kleiman, eds.), American Society of Mammalogists, pp. 489-527.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tavolga, M. C, 1966, Behavior of the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus): Social interactions in a captive colony, in: Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises (K. S. Norris, ed.), University of California Press, Berkeley, pp. 718–730.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tavolga, M. C., and Essapian, F. S., 1957, The behavior of the bottlenosed dolphin (Tursiops truncatus): Mating, pregnancy, parturition and mother-infant behavior, Zoologica 42:11–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tayler, C. K., and Saayman, G. S., 1972, The social organization of dolphins, (Tursiops aduncus) and baboons (Papio ursinus): Some comparisons and assessments, Ann. Cape Prov. Mus. Nat. Hist. 9:11–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trivers, R. L., 1972, Parental investment and sexual selection, in: Sexual Selection and the Descent of Man 1871–1971 (B. Campbell, ed.), Aldine, Chicago, pp. 136-179.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trivers, R. L., 1985, Social Evolution, Benjamin/Cummings, Menlo Park, California.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tutin, C. E. G., 1979, Mating patterns and reproductive strategies in a community of wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii), Behav. Ecol. Sociohiol. 6:29–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wells, R. S., 1978, Home range characteristics and group composition of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, on the west coast of Florida, M. Sc. thesis, University of Florida, Gainesville.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wells, R. S., 1984, Reproductive behavior and hormonal correlates in Hawaiian spinner dolphins, Stenella Iongirostris, in: Reproduction in Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises (W. F. Perrin, R. L. Brownell, and D. P. DeMaster, eds.), Reports of the International Whaling Commission, Special Issue 6, Cambridge, England, pp. 465-472.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wells, R. S., 1986, Population structure of bottlenose dolphins: (1) Behavioral studies along the central west coast of Florida, Final Report to the National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Fisheries Center, Contract No. 45-WCNF-5-00366, pp. 1-70.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wells, R. S., Irvine, A. B., and Scott, M. D., 1980, The social ecology of inshore odontocetes, in: Cetacean Behavior: Mechanisms and Functions (L. M. Herman, ed.), Wiley, New York, pp. 263–317.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, G. C, 1964, Measurement of consociation among fishes and comments on the evolution of schooling, Mich. State Mus. Publ. Biol Sci. 2:351–383.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, E. O., 1975, Sociobiology: The New Synthesis, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wood, F. G., 1977, Births of dolphins at Marineland of Florida, 1939–1969, and comments on problems involved in breeding of small Cetacea, in: Breeding Dolphins: Present Status, Suggestions for the Future (S. H. Ridgway and K. W. Benirschke, eds.), National Technical Information Service PB-273673, U.S. Department of Commerce, Springfield, Virginia, pp. 47-60.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wrangham, R. W., 1980, An ecological model of female-bonded primate groups, Behaviour 75:262–299.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiirsig, B., 1978, Occurrence and group organization of Atlantic bottlenose porpoises (Tursiops truncatus) in an Argentine Bay, Biol. Bull. 154:348–359.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiirsig, B., and Wiirsig, M., 1977, The photographic determination of group size, composition, and stability of coastal porpoises (Tursiops truncatus), Science 198:755–756.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zar, J. H., 1974, Biostatistical Analysis, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dolphin Biology Research Associates, Sarasota, Florida, 34242, USA

    Randall S. Wells, Michael D. Scott & A. Blair Irvine

  2. Long Marine Laboratory, Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, 95060, USA

    Randall S. Wells

  3. Inter American Tropical Tuna Commission, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, La Jolla, California, 92038, USA

    Michael D. Scott

  4. Department of School and Community Health Education, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, 97401, USA

    A. Blair Irvine

Authors
  1. Randall S. Wells
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Michael D. Scott
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. A. Blair Irvine
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Nebraska State Museum, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

    Hugh H. Genoways

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1987 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Wells, R.S., Scott, M.D., Irvine, A.B. (1987). The Social Structure of Free-Ranging Bottlenose Dolphins. In: Genoways, H.H. (eds) Current Mammalogy. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9909-5_7

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-9909-5_7

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4757-9911-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-9909-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation