Two studies show that male bottlenose dolphins boost their social lives by whistling at each other and that they rely on wingmen to attract potential mates. The high-pitched vocals tell other dolphins they wish to make contact with them. They become more popular simply through vocal exchanges that help them maintain vital social relationships.
More so, male bottlenose dolphins will work together to compete with rival groups over the success of mating with females, wherein the most popular males tend to have the best mating success.
Male Dolphins Become Popular Using High-Pitched Vocal Exchanges
According to a new study, male dolphins can stay popular in their group by using high-pitched vocal exchanges with other males to maintain their bond.
Researchers from the University of Bristol said this is an important interaction to maintain when groups become larger and competition increases. Study lead author Emma Chereskin, a student at the university, pointed out that many animals use tactile contact to strengthen and reaffirm relationships, but this could be demanding for some relationships to maintain.
On the other hand, male bottlenose dolphins form strategic, multi-level alliances that maintain this bond even in large groups. According to MailOnline, this species of dolphin rely on less time-demanding vocal exchanges to remain connected with weaker allies.
Researchers have been observing bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay, Western Australia and recorded the behavior that helped them assess how male dolphins bonded with each other. A group of male bottlenose dolphins, usually around 10 to 30 members, protect their group from predators.
Dr. Stephanie King, the senior author of the study, said that within the core dolphin alliances are strong bonded allies engaged in more affiliative contact behavior, like petting and rubbing, while vocal exchanges are for weaker members.
Chereskin noted that the findings provide new evidence that vocal exchanges serve as a bonding function as a replacement for physical bonding to allow allied male dolphins to bond even from a distance. She added that this support the social bonding hypothesis outside of the primates that raise new questions on the origin of the language across species.
The study titled "Allied Male Dolphins Use Vocal Exchanges to "Bond at a Distance" was published in the journal Current Biology.
Male Dolphins Synchronize Vocalizations to Attract Females
Speaking of bonding, male bottlenose dolphins rely on their wingmen to woo potential mates. According to another study titled "Acoustic Coordination by Allied Male Dolphins in a Cooperative Context," published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, male dolphins coordinate their vocalizations to attract females.
King and her colleagues studied seven groups of male bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay between 2016 and 2018 and recorded individual dolphins while trying to woo females. The team found that they create clicking noises called "pops" every six to 12 seconds. But the intense competition pushes them to rely on their wingmen to work together to attract females.
New Scientist reported that male dolphins from Shark Bay could form alliances that can last for decades. Each member of the pod plays a different role in the group. The recordings show that animals synchronized their pops to match each other's tempo.
King said that the acoustic coordination could apply to other populations of dolphins, like those in Florida that are in pairs. Although it is unclear whether harmonizing results in ore reproductive success, it maintains social bonds and reduces strength due to the release of oxytocin.
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