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Temporal and Contextual Patterns of Killer Whale ( Orcinus orca) Call Type Production.
- Source :
-
Ethology . Jun2008, Vol. 114 Issue 6, p599-606. 8p. 3 Charts, 3 Graphs. - Publication Year :
- 2008
-
Abstract
- Fish-eating killer whales Orcinus orca in the northeastern Pacific live in highly stable matrifocal social groups called pods. Each pod produces a repertoire of seven or more stereotyped call types. We compared the relative production of call types of free-ranging killer whale pods over time and between social contexts. The relative production of call types by each pod during directional travel was distinct over a 27-yr period; however, both temporal stability and pod distinctiveness were strongly influenced by a subset of dominant call types within the repertoire of each pod. Some call types within the repertoires contain biphonation (two overlapping independently modulated tones) and have a higher estimated active space than call types containing just one tone. In multi-pod aggregations the relative production of the dominant call types of each pod decreased and the relative production of a subset of call types that are rarely recorded from single-pod groupings increased. The majority of these contained biphonation. The data suggest a distinction between a subset of dominant call types that may function to identify the pod and a subset of less common call types including several call types containing biphonation that are more commonly produced during inter-pod affiliations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- *KILLER whale
*SOCIAL groups
*SEED pods
*VOICE disorders
*ANIMAL calls
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 01791613
- Volume :
- 114
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Ethology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 32006406
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0310.2008.01496.x