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SUMMARY:Communication\, cooperation and culture in Shark Bay dolphins - St
 ephanie King (University of Bristol)
DTSTART:20201028T163000Z
DTEND:20201028T173000Z
UID:TALK139912@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Keaghan Yaxley
DESCRIPTION:Three decades of research on Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins 
 in Shark Bay\, Western Australia\, has revealed a complex structure of nes
 ted alliance formation\, as well as culturally transmitted tool use\, prov
 iding striking parallels in social complexity and behavioural richness to 
 some human societies. In this seminar I will cover some of the key researc
 h findings over the last 30 years\, with particular focus on male alliance
  formation. In Shark Bay\, unrelated males form cooperative alliances that
  engage in coordinated efforts to compete with rival alliances over access
  to females. These strong alliance relationships can last for decades and 
 are critical to each male’s reproductive success. I will use long-term f
 ield data to show that acoustic and behavioural coordination are key compo
 nents of dolphin alliance behaviour\, and playback experiments to illustra
 te that allied male dolphins form abstract social concepts based on the pr
 evious cooperative investment of individuals. I propose that coordinated b
 ehaviour and cooperation-based concept formation evolved to promote social
  bonding and cooperation among allies\, ultimately fostering in-group favo
 uritism.
LOCATION:Live on Zoom\, pre-registration essential here: bit.ly/3ncLK75
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