Affiliation history and age similarity predict alliance formation in adult male bottlenose dolphins.

ABSTRACT: Male alliances are an intriguing phenomenon in the context of reproduction since, in most taxa, males compete over an indivisible resource, female fertilization. Adult male bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) in Shark Bay, Western Australia, form long-term, multilevel alliances to sequester estrus females. These alliances are therefore critical to male reproductive success. Yet, the long-term processes leading to the formation of such complex social bonds are still poorly understood. To identify the criteria by which male dolphins form social bonds with other males, we adopted a long-term approach by investigating the ontogeny of alliance formation. We followed the individual careers of 59 males for 14 years while they transitioned from adolescence (8-14 years of age) to adulthoo

SUBMITTER: Gerber L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7083095 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar-Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature