-For the young of many species, social play is an important aspect of development. Previous research has shown that bottlenose dolphin calves engage in social play early in life. Despite these observations, little is known about the development of social play in this species. The present study examined the social play behavior of three aquarium-housed bottlenose dolphin calves during their first year of life. We were particularly interested in the partner with whom each calf played as well as the initiator of social play bouts. Each calf was observed from birth until the end of its first year and all bouts of social and solitary play were recorded during observation sessions. While the calves engaged in both social and solitary play throughout their first year, play became increasingly social as they aged. The calves also became more likely to initiate social play interactions with increasing age. A calf's first social play partner was typically its mother, but other calves quickly replaced the mother as the most common play partner. When it came to play partner preferences, we found that calves of similar age were preferred as play partners, but age similarity became less characteristic of play partners as the calves grew older. These findings likely reflect changes in the developmental competence of each of the calves individually, and support the notion that calves use social play to challenge themselves. Keywords -Social play, Bottlenose dolphins; Development; Play partner preference; Tursiops truncatusSocial play, or play behavior directed at conspecifics (Burghardt, 2005), is evident in a variety of species and is especially salient in those with complex social structures. Social play has been reported in both human (e.g., Doyle, Connolly, & Rivest, 1980;Eckerman, Whatley, & Kutz, 1975;Fry, 2005) and non-human primates (e.g., Cordoni & Palagi, 2011;Harlow & Harlow, 1962;Hoff, Nadler, & Maple, 1981;de Oliveira, Ruiz-Miranda, Kleiman, & Beck, 2003), as well as a variety of terrestrial mammals (e.g., Byers, 1977;Drea, Hawk, & Glickman, 1996;Henry & Herrero, 1974;Lee, 1987;Wemmer & Fleming, 1974), aquatic mammals (e.g., Blomqvist, Mello, & Amundin, 2005Essapian, 1953;Gentry, 1974;Kuczaj, Makecha, Trone, Paulos, & Ramos, 2006;Mann & Smuts, 1999;McBride & Hebb, 1948;Renouf & Lawson, 1986; Spinelli, Nascimento, & Yamamato, 2002;Sylvestre, 1985), birds (e.g., Diamond & Bond, 2003; Pozis-Francios, Zahavi, & Zahavi, 2004), and even reptiles (e.g., Burghardt, 1998). The ubiquitous presence of social play in highly social species highlights the need for studies aimed at understanding the various aspects of this behavior and the role it plays in social interactions.One aquatic species in which social play is evident, but little studied, is the bottlenose dolphin,
1. Distance sampling principles were utilized to examine population density and abundance for bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Mississippi Sound. Information was collected during summer and winter to allow for examination of habitat utilization and abundance during two different seasons.2. Within the study area of the Mississippi Sound there are approximately 2225 bottlenose dolphins. The population was larger during the summer than during the winter months.3. Dolphins utilized coastal areas more during the summer, potentially as nursery grounds, as evidenced by larger numbers of calves and percentage of groups containing calves during this time. Bottlenose dolphin densities were lower in this area during the winter suggesting migration to deeper waters potentially in search of prey.4. As the Mississippi Sound is regularly utilized for a variety of human activities, the monitoring of dolphin populations in this area is critical to determine increasing or decreasing trends in population abundance due to potential anthropogenic factors that may affect animal populations.5. Similar studies around the world could provide evidence for areas that could be protected to ensure survival of species such as dolphins and other marine mammals.
Acute catastrophic events, such as hurricanes, have various degrees of impact on marine mammal populations. Although changes in environmental conditions of affected areas have been examined for many storms, little attention has been given to the ecological effects on top-level predators. A longitudinal study on bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus behavior and distribution in Mississippi Sound has been ongoing since 2003, allowing the unique opportunity to examine the impacts of the passage of Hurricane Katrina on this coastal dolphin population. Previous research showed an increase in reproductive rates within this population following Hurricane Katrina, most likely due to an increase in prey density following the sharp decline in commercial fishing efforts. In this paper, the frequency and distribution of dolphin foraging encounters in Mississippi Sound were examined from 2003 to 2009, revealing both short-and potentially long-term effects on dolphin foraging patterns following the hurricane. A pulse in dolphin foraging encounters was observed, which increased by ~15% in the 2 yr following the hurricane before returning to pre-Katrina levels. Statistically significant hot spots were identified through the use of the Getis-Ord Gi* hot spot analysis and revealed spatial shifts in foraging habitat consistent with prey selectivity. The results of this study support previous findings that coastal bottlenose dolphins in the southeastern United States are selective feeders, preferring to forage in deeper water known for soniferous prey species. Furthermore, this study presents important baseline information for future studies investigating other acute catastrophic events in Mississippi Sound, such as cumulative impacts following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
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