All in the Family: Bottlenose Dolphin Kin Recognition Using Signature Whistles

Abstract

Kin recognition aids in preventing incest as well as determining which conspecifics to compete with and which to give aid to. There are various kinds of kin recognition, and some of which have been shown to be more cognitively demanding. Kin recognition based on familiarity is cognitively demanding as it requires organisms to learn and remember certain characteristics of their kin in order to reach the level of individual recognition. To determine if dolphins use this cognitively demanding form of kin recognition, we scored the video and audio recordings from a playback study (Bruck 2013) based on behavior and acoustic responses. We found that a dolphin’s response is predicted by its degree of relatedness to the dolphin whose whistle is being played. This study is the first to provide evidence that Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncates) perform kin recognition based on familiarity and are able to recognize individuals.