- Female bottlenose dolphins recognize male signature whistles like names to identify individuals
- Females steer clear of males known for coercive mating tactics upon hearing their whistles
- Male dolphins form alliances to guard and pursue females during mating season
Recent research has revealed that female bottlenose dolphins aren't just swimming away from aggressive, 'troublesome' suitors; they're actively listening for who's coming and changing course when they hear the "name" of a male known for pushy behaviour, Phys.org reported. Researchers studying Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay, Western Australia, found that females use signature whistles to identify individual males, much like humans use names. When a female hears the whistle of a male with a history of coercive mating tactics, she's more likely to steer clear.
Male dolphins in Shark Bay often form alliances to guard and pursue females during mating season. If a female tries to escape, males may bite, slam into her, or slap her with their tails.
Scientists have long studied male behaviour, but a new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows females aren't passive in these encounters.
Also read | Watch: Foreigner's Honest Take On India Goes Viral, Calls Indians "Most Hospitable"
The team combined decades of behavioural data with a playback experiment. They recorded the signature whistles of 11 adult males and played them to 17 wild females through underwater speakers while flying a drone overhead to track reactions.
Females consistently responded more strongly to the whistles of males with higher consortship rates, which is a proxy for how coercive a male tends to be.
Reproductively available females showed the strongest avoidance. Instead of waiting to see who showed up, they used the sound cue to anticipate trouble and changed their path.
By linking a male's whistle to past experiences with him, females can manage costly social interactions before they happen.
Also read | Employee Shares Emotional Video Of Bringing Parents To Amazon Office, Calls It "Every Girl's Dream"
The findings add to evidence that dolphins have a sophisticated communication system. Signature whistles are learned, not innate, and dolphins have been shown to recognise their own "name" and copy others' to reunite.
This study suggests they also use those labels to track reputations and make socially informed choices, a cognitive skill once thought to be largely human.
Scientists say more work is needed to understand whether females also approach certain males based on their whistles, and how those preferences influence mating success.
"We demonstrate that females can use individual vocal labels to differentiate between males based on their past behavior, enabling them to anticipate and avoid coercive interactions," the researchers said.
