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Adult male Cuvier's beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) engage in prolonged bouts of synchronous diving

Publication ,  Journal Article
Cioffi, WR; Quick, NJ; Foley, HJ; Waples, DM; Swaim, ZT; Shearer, JM; Webster, DL; Friedlaender, AS; Southall, BL; Baird, RW; Nowacek, DP; Read, AJ
Published in: Marine Mammal Science
July 1, 2021

Studies of the social behavior of Cuvier's beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) are challenging because of their deep-water habitat usually far from shore and the limited time they spend at the surface. The sociality of these deepest diving mammals is of interest, however, especially for our understanding of how social systems evolve in extreme habitats. High levels of scarring suggest that males compete agonistically for access to females and so we predicted that associations among adult males would be unstable due to competitive exclusion. We tested this prediction by evaluating the diving behavior of animals within social groups off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, considering diving synchrony a proxy for group membership. Using data from satellite-linked depth-recording tags, we found that adult male–male pairs showed extended periods of synchrony in diving behavior, while all pairs that included an adult male with an individual of another age and/or sex dove synchronously for less than a day. We assessed three hypotheses to explain these surprising results: sexual segregation; extended bouts of male–male competition; and the presence of male alliances. Finally, we considered testable predictions to distinguish among these explanations.

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Published In

Marine Mammal Science

DOI

EISSN

1748-7692

ISSN

0824-0469

Publication Date

July 1, 2021

Volume

37

Issue

3

Start / End Page

1085 / 1100

Related Subject Headings

  • Marine Biology & Hydrobiology
  • 4102 Ecological applications
  • 3109 Zoology
  • 3103 Ecology
  • 0608 Zoology
  • 0603 Evolutionary Biology
  • 0602 Ecology
 

Citation

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MLA
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Cioffi, W. R., Quick, N. J., Foley, H. J., Waples, D. M., Swaim, Z. T., Shearer, J. M., … Read, A. J. (2021). Adult male Cuvier's beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) engage in prolonged bouts of synchronous diving. Marine Mammal Science, 37(3), 1085–1100. https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12799
Cioffi, W. R., N. J. Quick, H. J. Foley, D. M. Waples, Z. T. Swaim, J. M. Shearer, D. L. Webster, et al. “Adult male Cuvier's beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) engage in prolonged bouts of synchronous diving.” Marine Mammal Science 37, no. 3 (July 1, 2021): 1085–1100. https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12799.
Cioffi WR, Quick NJ, Foley HJ, Waples DM, Swaim ZT, Shearer JM, et al. Adult male Cuvier's beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) engage in prolonged bouts of synchronous diving. Marine Mammal Science. 2021 Jul 1;37(3):1085–100.
Cioffi, W. R., et al. “Adult male Cuvier's beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) engage in prolonged bouts of synchronous diving.” Marine Mammal Science, vol. 37, no. 3, July 2021, pp. 1085–100. Scopus, doi:10.1111/mms.12799.
Cioffi WR, Quick NJ, Foley HJ, Waples DM, Swaim ZT, Shearer JM, Webster DL, Friedlaender AS, Southall BL, Baird RW, Nowacek DP, Read AJ. Adult male Cuvier's beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) engage in prolonged bouts of synchronous diving. Marine Mammal Science. 2021 Jul 1;37(3):1085–1100.
Journal cover image

Published In

Marine Mammal Science

DOI

EISSN

1748-7692

ISSN

0824-0469

Publication Date

July 1, 2021

Volume

37

Issue

3

Start / End Page

1085 / 1100

Related Subject Headings

  • Marine Biology & Hydrobiology
  • 4102 Ecological applications
  • 3109 Zoology
  • 3103 Ecology
  • 0608 Zoology
  • 0603 Evolutionary Biology
  • 0602 Ecology