6 research outputs found
Multimodal imitative learning and synchrony in cetaceans: A model for speech and singing evolution
Multimodal imitation of actions, gestures and vocal production is a hallmark of the evolution of human communication, as both, vocal learning and visual-gestural imitation, were crucial factors that facilitated the evolution of speech and singing. Comparative evidence has revealed that humans are an odd case in this respect, as the case for multimodal imitation is barely documented in non-human animals. While there is evidence of vocal learning in birds and in mammals like bats, elephants and marine mammals, evidence in both domains, vocal and gestural, exists for two Psittacine birds (budgerigars and grey parrots) and cetaceans only. Moreover, it draws attention to the apparent absence of vocal imitation (with just a few cases reported for vocal fold control in an orangutan and a gorilla and a prolonged development of vocal plasticity in marmosets) and even for imitation of intransitive actions (not object related) in monkeys and apes in the wild. Even after training, the evidence for productive or âtrue imitationâ (copy of a novel behavior, i.e., not pre-existent in the observerâs behavioral repertoire) in both domains is scarce. Here we review the evidence of multimodal imitation in cetaceans, one of the few living mammalian species that have been reported to display multimodal imitative learning besides humans, and their role in sociality, communication and group cultures. We propose that cetacean multimodal imitation was acquired in parallel with the evolution and development of behavioral synchrony and multimodal organization of sensorimotor information, supporting volitional motor control of their vocal system and audio-echoic-visual voices, body posture and movement integration
Imitation of novel intransitive body actions in a Beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas): A "do as other does" study
<p>Video S1 Training Session; Video S2 Dance DA; Video S3 Squirt SQ; Video S4 Ventral Leap VL; Video S5 Fluke Present FP; Video S6 Tail Splash TS; Video S7 Fluke Present FP 0,5 and FP correct; Video S8 Lateral Splash LS; Video S9 Pec Mimic PM; Video S10 Back Leap BL.</p>
Imitation of Novel Intransitive Body Actions in a Beluga Whale (Delphinapterus leucas): A âDo as Other Doesâ Study
Author Contributions: Conceptualization, J.Z.-A.; methodology, M.V.H.-L.; validation, J.Z.-A. and M.V.H.-L.; formal analysis, M.V.H.-L.; investigation, J.Z.-A. and M.V.H.-L.; resources, J.Z.-A.; data curation, J.Z.-A. and M.V.H.-L.; writingâoriginal draft preparation, J.Z.-A. and M.V.H.-L.; writing âreview and editing, J.Z.-A. and M.V.H.-L.; visualization, J.Z.-A. and M.V.H.-L.; supervision, J.Z.-A.; project administration, J.Z.-A.; funding acquisition, J.Z.-A. All authors have read and agreed to the
published version of the manuscript.Cetaceans are well known for their unique behavioral habits, such as calls and tactics. The possibility that these are acquired through social learning continues to be explored. This study investigates the ability of a young beluga whale to imitate novel behaviors. Using a do-as-other-does paradigm, the subject observed the performance of a conspecific demonstrator involving familiar and novel behaviors. The subject: (1) learned a specific âcopyâ command; (2) copied 100% of the demonstratorâs familiar behaviors and accurately reproduced two out of three novel actions; (3) achieved full matches on the first trial for a subset of familiar behaviors; and (4) demonstrated proficiency in coping with each familiar behavior as well as the two novel behaviors. This study provides the first experimental evidence of a beluga whaleâs ability to imitate novel intransitive (non-object-oriented) body movements on command. These results contribute to our understanding of the remarkable ability of cetaceans, including dolphins, orcas, and now beluga whales, to engage in multimodal imitation involving sounds and movements. This ability, rarely documented in non-human animals, has significant implications for the development of survival strategies, such as the acquisition of knowledge about natal philopatry, migration routes, and traditional feeding areas, among these marine mammals.Simple Summary: Cetaceans, including beluga whales, are known for their unique habits and behaviors that they display within their social groups, such as group-specific tactics or vocalizations. One of the questions that has attracted the attention of researchers is whether these behaviors are learned socially, i.e., from other members of their group. In this study, we investigate the ability of a young beluga to learn and reproduce new behaviors by observing another beluga perform them. The beluga was trained to respond to the command âDo thisâ so that it would imitate what it had observed in another beluga whale. The results show how it was able to copy both familiar behaviors (known and previously performed) and novel behaviors (actions it had never seen or performed before) in response to the âcopyâ signal. This study is the first evidence of this âtrue imitationâ (copying novel actions) ability in this species and shows that these animals can acquire new skills through this process. This ability, which is quite rare in the animal kingdom, helps us to understand how these marine mammals survive and thrive in their natural habitats and how they pass on vital information about where to live, migrate, and find food.Depto. de PsicobiologĂa y MetodologĂa en Ciencias del ComportamientoFac. de PsicologĂaTRUEpu
Orcas remember what to copy:a deferred and interference-resistant imitation study
Response facilitation has often been portrayed as a âlow levelâ category of social learning, because the demonstratorâs action, which is already in the observerâs repertoire, automatically triggers that same action, rather than induces the learning of a new action. One way to rule out response facilitation consists of introducing a delay between the demonstratorâs behavior and the observerâs response to let their possible effects wear off. However, this may not rule out âdelayed response facilitationâ in which the subject could be continuously âmentally rehearsingâ the demonstrated actions during the waiting period. We used a do-as-the-other-did paradigm in two orcas to study whether they displayed cognitive control regarding their production of familiar actions by (1) introducing a delay ranging from 60 to 150Â s between observing and producing the actions and (2) interspersing distractor (non-target) actions performed by the demonstrator and by the subjects during the delay period. These two manipulations were aimed at preventing the mental rehearsal of the observed actions during the delay period. Both orcas copied the modelâs target actions on command after various delay periods, and crucially, despite the presence of distractor actions. These findings suggest that orcas are capable of selectively retrieving a representation of an observed action to generate a delayed matching response. Moreover, these results lend further support to the proposal that the subjectsâ performance relied not only on a mental representation of the specific actions that were requested to copy, but also flexibly on the abstract and domain general rule requested by the specific âcopy commandâ. Our findings strengthen the view that orcas and other cetaceans are capable of flexible and controlled social learning
Southernmost distribution of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the eastern South Pacific
The common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is a cosmopolitan species that does not range to latitudes greater than 45Âș in either hemisphere, with a few exceptions. In South American waters, this species is generally distributed in the Atlantic Ocean south to Chubut province (ca. 46Âș S), while in the eastern South Pacific this species has been recorded in northern and central Chile, with a few records south to 40Âș S. Here we summarize recent records of common bottlenose dolphins obtained during systematic marine mammal surveys in the Chilean Patagonian and Fuegian channels and fjords (the Los Lagos, AysĂ©n, and Magallanes regions of Chile). These data suggest an extension of the documented range of the species southwards, indicating that bottlenose dolphins may have colonized new areas in the eastern South Pacific or as the result of an increase in survey efforts by scientists in the region.6 page(s