Abstract:
The common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is a cosmopolitan species inhabiting tropical and temperate waters. Some populations of coastal bottlenose dolphin (both T. truncatus and Tursiops aduncus) are among the better studied cetacean societies. Living within semi-discrete population units, both species organize in fissionfusion societies where kinship, age, sex, reproductive status, and ecological features modulate the interactions among their members (Wells et al., 1987; McHugh, 2019; Connor et al., 2000). Long-term studies have attempted to decode the complex bottlenose dolphin societies in different parts of the world by monitoring known animals at different life stages; this has provided details of the diverse roles individuals play within dolphin society (Wells, 2014; Connor et al., 2019). Adult females play an important role within the bottlenose dolphin society that is not limited to their reproductive phase but probably extends into senescence when their experience and knowledge would become valuable societal assets, similar to other long-lived mammals (e.g., McComb et al., 2001; Foster et al., 2012). For some populations, male bottlenose dolphins maintain long-lasting associations with other males to improve status and access to receptive females (Wells et al., 1987; Connor et al., 1992). In such complex societies, effective bonds created in early development likely exceed those benefits associated with defense, food procurement, and reproduction (Stanton & Mann, 2012).