Spatiotemporal dynamics of the social structure of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins ( Sousa chinensis) in Xiamen waters from 2007 to 2019.

ABSTRACT: As highly social animals, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins ( Sousa chinensis) exhibit community differentiation. Nevertheless, our understanding of the external and internal factors influencing these dynamics, as well as their spatiotemporal variations, is still limited. In the present study, variations in the social structure of an endangered Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin population in Xiamen Bay, China, were monitored over two distinct periods (2007-2010 and 2017-2019) to analyze the effects of habitat utilization and the composition of individuals within the population. In both periods, the population demonstrated a strikingly similar pattern of social differentiation, characterized by the division of individuals into two main clusters and one small cluster. Spatially, the two prim

SUBMITTER: Lu Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11017072 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature