Call repertoire and inferred ecotype presence of killer whales (Orcinus orca) recorded in the southeastern Chukchi Sea

2021 ◽  
Vol 150 (4) ◽  
pp. A284-A284
Author(s):  
Brijonnay Madrigal ◽  
Jessica Crance ◽  
Catherine Berchok ◽  
Alison Stimpert
Keyword(s):  
Chukchi Sea ◽  
Orcinus Orca ◽  
Killer Whales ◽  
Call Repertoire

Call repertoire and inferred ecotype presence of killer whales (Orcinus orca) recorded in the southeastern Chukchi Sea

2021 ◽  
Vol 150 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-158
Author(s):  
Brijonnay C. Madrigal ◽  
Jessica L. Crance ◽  
Catherine L. Berchok ◽  
Alison K. Stimpert
Keyword(s):  
Chukchi Sea ◽  
Orcinus Orca ◽  
Killer Whales ◽  
Call Repertoire

Vocal traditions among resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) in coastal waters of British Columbia

1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
pp. 1454-1483 ◽  
Author(s):  
John K. B. Ford
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Coastal Waters ◽  
Vocal Communication ◽  
Orcinus Orca ◽  
Killer Whales ◽  
Structural Variations ◽  
Ancestral Group ◽  
Discrete Calls ◽  
Social Associations ◽  
Call Repertoire

Underwater vocalizations were recorded during repeated encounters with 16 pods, or stable kin groups, of resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) off the coast of British Columbia. Pods were identified from unique natural markings on individuals. Vocal exchanges within pods were dominated by repetitious, discrete calls. Pods each produced 7–17 (mean 10.7) types of discrete calls. Individuals appear to acquire their pod's call repertoire by learning, and repertoires can persist with little change for over 25 years. Call repertoires differed significantly among pods in the resident population. The 16 pods formed four distinct acoustic associations, or clans, each having a unique repertoire of discrete calls, or vocal tradition. Pods within a clan shared several call types, but no sharing took place among clans. Shared calls often contained structural variations specific to each pod or group of pods in the clan. These variants and other differences in acoustic behaviour formed a system of related pod-specific dialects within the vocal tradition of each clan. Pods from different clans often travelled together, but observed patterns of social associations were often independent of acoustic relationships. It is proposed that each clan comprises related pods that have descended from a common ancestral group. New pods formed from this ancestral group through growth and matrilineal division of the lineage. The formation of new pods was accompanied by divergence of the call repertoire of the founding group. Such divergence resulted from the accumulation of errors in call learning across generations, call innovation, and call extinction. Pod-specific repertoires probably serve to enhance the efficiency of vocal communication within the group and act as behavioural indicators of pod affiliation. The striking differences among the vocal traditions of different clans suggest that each is an independent matriline.

scholarly journals Perspectives on the Function of Behaviors Synchronized with Calling in Female Killer Whales, Orcinus orca: Patterns of Bubbling and Nodding in Bouts

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann E. Bowles ◽  
Whitney B. Musser ◽  
Kelly Flaherty Clark ◽  
Samuel L. Denes ◽  
Dawn M. Grebner
Keyword(s):  
General Linear Model ◽  
Orcinus Orca ◽  
Killer Whales ◽  
Relative Odds ◽  
Multimodal Signals ◽  
Behavioral Observations ◽  
Signal Value ◽  
General Linear Model Analysis ◽  
The Social ◽  
Call Repertoire

In odontocetes, synchronous visible displays accompany a small proportion of vocalizations but the function of these multimodal signals is still unclear. Bouts of stereotyped pulsed calls were collected from two adult female killer whales (Orcinus orca) concurrently with behavioral observations and the incidence of two synchronous behaviors, bubble streams and nodding, were measured. Thirty-four hours of focal individual data were collected in the presence of dependent calves in 1993 and 1994. Overall, 471 pulsed calls were attributed to the two subjects using synchronous behaviors or independent cues (proximity, localization by ear in air). Both subjects used the same stereotyped pulsed call repertoire and they ordered calls within bouts similarly, despite dissimilar previous histories. Both nodding and bubble streams were disproportionately associated with a subset of stereotyped pulsed calls, but the subset was different for the two behaviors. General Linear Model analysis was used to predict the relative odds that the subjects would be swimming with calves given call class and attribution cue. Bubbling was not associated with significant odds that a subject would be swimming with one or more calves, but nodding was associated with significantly higher odds and resting calls with lower odds. Given these observations, synchronous behaviors in the presence of calves could function in one or more of the following ways: altering the signal value of calls, emphasizing an aspect of the social context, and facilitating learning. All are possibilities at the interface between cognition and communication that would have interested Stan Kuczaj.

Personality in captive killer whales (Orcinus orca): A rating approach based on the five-factor model.

2019 ◽  
Vol 133 (2) ◽  
pp. 252-261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yulán Úbeda ◽  
Sara Ortín ◽  
Judy St. Leger ◽  
Miquel Llorente ◽  
Javier Almunia
Keyword(s):  
Factor Model ◽  
Five Factor Model ◽  
Orcinus Orca ◽  
Killer Whales

scholarly journals Family feud: permanent group splitting in a highly philopatric mammal, the killer whale (Orcinus orca)

2021 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva H. Stredulinsky ◽  
Chris T. Darimont ◽  
Lance Barrett-Lennard ◽  
Graeme M. Ellis ◽  
John K. B. Ford
Keyword(s):  
Killer Whale ◽  
Group Structure ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Orcinus Orca ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Killer Whales ◽  
Internal Factors ◽  
Individual Fitness ◽  
Leadership Experience

Abstract For animals that tend to remain with their natal group rather than individually disperse, group sizes may become too large to benefit individual fitness. In such cases, group splitting (or fission) allows philopatric animals to form more optimal group sizes without sacrificing all familiar social relationships. Although permanent group splitting is observed in many mammals, it occurs relatively infrequently. Here, we use combined generalized modeling and machine learning approaches to provide a comprehensive examination of group splitting in a population of killer whales (Orcinus orca) that occurred over three decades. Fission occurred both along and across maternal lines, where animals dispersed in parallel with their closest maternal kin. Group splitting was more common: (1) in larger natal groups, (2) when the common maternal ancestor was no longer alive, and (3) among groups with greater substructuring. The death of a matriarch did not appear to immediately trigger splitting. Our data suggest intragroup competition for food, leadership experience and kinship are important factors that influence group splitting in this population. Our approach provides a foundation for future studies to examine the dynamics and consequences of matrilineal fission in killer whales and other taxa. Significance statement Group living among mammals often involves long-term social affiliation, strengthened by kinship and cooperative behaviours. As such, changes in group membership may have significant consequences for individuals’ fitness and a population’s genetic structure. Permanent group splitting is a complex and relatively rare phenomenon that has yet to be examined in detail in killer whales. In the context of a growing population, in which offspring of both sexes remain with their mothers for life, we provide the first in-depth examination of group splitting in killer whales, where splitting occurs both along and across maternal lines. We also undertake the first comprehensive assessment of how killer whale intragroup cohesion is influenced by both external and internal factors, including group structure, population and group demography, and resource abundance.

Sounds associated with foraging and prey capture in individual fish-eating killer whales, Orcinus orca

2019 ◽  
Vol 146 (5) ◽  
pp. 3475-3486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marla M. Holt ◽  
M. Bradley Hanson ◽  
Candice K. Emmons ◽  
David K. Haas ◽  
Deborah A. Giles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prey Capture ◽  
Orcinus Orca ◽  
Killer Whales ◽  
Individual Fish

scholarly journals Evaluating potential infectious disease threats for southern resident killer whales, Orcinus orca: a model for endangered species

2004 ◽  
Vol 117 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph K. Gaydos ◽  
Kenneth C. Balcomb ◽  
Richard W. Osborne ◽  
Leslie Dierauf
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Endangered Species ◽  
Orcinus Orca ◽  
Killer Whales
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