Abstract
Signature whistles of 42 free-ranging bottle-nose dophin calves were compared to those of their mothers. Humans judged their similarity by inspection of spectrograms. There was a sex difference in the tendency of calves to produce whistles similar to or different from those of their mothers; most female calves produced whistles that were different from those of their mothers, whereas male calves were more likely to produce whistles that were similar to those of their mothers. Because matrilineally related females associate together and use signature whistles to establish and/or maintain contact with their calves, there may be a selective pressure for females to produce whistles that are distinct from those of their mothers. There may be fewer constraints governing whistle development in males, with the result that some males produce whistles similar to those of their mothers and others do not.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bowyer RT, Kitchen DW (1987) Sex and age class differences in vocalizations of Roosevelt elk during rut. Am Midl Nat 118: 225–235
Caldwell MC, Caldwell DK (1965) Individualized whistle contours in bottlenosed dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Nature 207:434–435
Caldwell MC, Caldwell DK (1968) Vocalization of naive captive dolphins in small groups. Science 159:1121–1123
Caldwell MC, Caldwell DK (1970) Statistical evidence for individual signature whistles in the Pacific whitesided dolphin, Lagenorhynchus obliquidens (Technical report 9). Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History Foundation, Los Angeles.
Caldwell MC, Caldwell DK, Miller JF (1973) Statistical evidence for individual signature whistles in the spotted dolphin, Stenella plagiodon. Cetology 16:1–21
Clark CW Marler P, Beeman K (1987) Quantitative analysis of animal vocal phonology: an application to swamp sparrow song. Ethology 76:101–115
Ford JKB (1991) Vocal traditions among resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) in coastal waters of British Columbia. Can J Zool 69:1454–1483
Gould E (1983) Mechanisms of mammalian auditory communication. In: Eisenberg JF, Kleiman DG (eds) Advances in the study of mammalian behavior (Special publication 7). American Society of Mammologists, Washington, pp 265–342
Gouzoules H, Gouzoules S (1989) Sex differences in the acquisition of communicative competence by pigtail macaques (Macaca nemestrina). Am J Primatol 19:163–174
Gouzoules H, Gouzoules S (1990) Matrilineal signatures in the recruitment screams of pigtail macaques, Macaca nemestrina. Behaviour 115:327–347
Gouzoules H, Gouzoules S, Marler P (1985) External reference and affective signaling in mammalian vocal communication. In: Zivin G (ed) The development of expressive behavior. Academic Press, New York, pp 77–101
Graycar PJ (1976) Whistle dialects of the Atlantic bottlenosed dolphin, Tursiops truncatus. PhD thesis, University of Florida
Green SM (1981) Sex differences and age gradations in vocalizations of Japanese and lion-tailed monkeys (Macaca fuscata and Macaca silenus). Am Zool 21:165–183
Irvine AB, Scott MD, Wells RS, Kaufmann JH (1981) Movements and activities of the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, near Sarasota, Florida. Fish Bull US 79:671–688
Mayr E (1974) Behavior programs and evolutionary strategies. Am Sci 62:650–659
Murry T, Singh S (1980) Multidimensional analysis of male and female voices. J Acoust Soc Am 68:1294–1300
Naito H, Tonoue T (1987) Sex difference in ultrasound distress call by rat pups. Behav Brain Res 25:13–21
Rosenthal R (1982) Conducting judgement studies. In: Scherer KR, Ekman P (eds) Handbook of methods in nonverbal behavior research. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 287–361
Sayigh LS, Tyack PL, Wells RS, Scott MD (1990) Signature whistles of free-ranging bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus: stability and mother-offspring comparisons. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 26:247–260
Scott MD, Wells RS, Irvine AB (1990) A long-term study of bottlenose dolphins on the west coast of Florida. In: Leatherwood S, Reeves R (eds) The bottlenose dolphin. Academic Press, New York, pp 235–244
Sherman PW (1977) Nepotism and the evolution of alarm calls. Science 197:1246–1253
Singh S, Murry T (1978) Multidimensional classification of normal voice qualities. J Acoust Soc Am 64:81–87
Smolker RA, Richards AF, Connor RC, Pepper JW (1992) Sex differences in patterns of association among Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphins. Behaviour 123:38–69
Tyack P (1985) An optical telemetry device to identify which dolphin produces a sound. J Acoust Soc Am 78: 1892–1895
Tyack P (1991) If you need me, whistle. Nat Hist 8/91:60–61
Walters JR, Seyfarth RM (1986) Conflict and cooperation. In Smuts BB, Cheney DL, Seyfarth RM, Wrangham RW Struhsaker TT (eds) Primate societies. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp 306–317
Watkins WA, Schevill WE (1977) Sperm whale codas. J Acoust Soc Am 62:1485–1490
Wells RS (1991) The role of long-term study in understanding the social structure of a bottlenose dolphin community. In: Pryor K, Norris KS (eds) Dolphin societies. University of California Press, Berkeley, pp 199–235
Wells RS, Scott MD, Irvine AB (1987) The social structure of free-ranging bottlenose dolphins. Curr Mammal 1:247–305
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sayigh, L.S., Tyack, P.L., Wells, R.S. et al. Sex difference in signature whistle production of free-ranging bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncates . Behav Ecol Sociobiol 36, 171–177 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00177793
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00177793