Dolphins are known to be good at maintaining relationships, but a new study suggests their personality may extend beyond their own circles.
Two communities of Atlantic spotted dolphins have formed their own complex society in a rare alliance. The team of researchers expected to see a full merger, since only some dolphins from one group mingle with the other.
"We'll see small groups, maybe a couple of younger males, that will move between areas." Two large groups coming together is very surprising.
The fact that the dolphins from the two different groups swim together, exhibit bonding behaviors and possibly even mate probably means that the dolphins have adapted over time, learning to let their guard down. dolphins form alliances to keep their group together for protection and to ward off other dolphins that might try to gain access to a group's female population for mating She noticed something different when she was watching a group of dolphins. She noticed a lot of things she had not seen before.
One group of Atlantic spotted dolphins was known to frequent the waters near Bimini while the other was located near White Sand Ridge. The Dolphin Communication Project is a collaborative team of scientists who have been observing, studying and photographing dolphins in these areas for more than twenty years.
The newcomers that appeared to be friends with the Bimini dolphins were being photographed by Danaher-Garcia. The photos were compared to photos from other research trips. They were able to match the dolphins and others to pictures taken from White Sand Ridge. Danaher-Garcia's research was sent in a different direction.
After five years of collecting data, the team stopped their fieldwork due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. They observed mixed groups throughout the field season and no intergroup aggression which is common among dolphins. The dolphins showed bonding behaviors that indicated they welcomed the outsiders.
Scientists don't know what drives this integration. It is possible that the groups are spending more time together out of view, working together to fend off predatory animals. It could be related to the environment. There is an evolution of social tolerance among spotted dolphins.
The dolphins gave the researchers more to think about.
A lot of species are being affected by the climate change. Groups will likely have to share the same space. Group mergers will affect the species. We can imagine that habitat loss will have a negative effect on population sizes, but we don't know if mixing social groups will put them at risk.
This week, the research findings were published.
More information: Nicole Danaher-Garcia et al, The partial merger of two dolphin societies, Royal Society Open Science (2022). DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211963 Journal information: Royal Society Open Science
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