Match-making male dolphins more successful in mating
October 27th, 2011 - 1:18 pm ICT by IANSSydney, Oct 27 (IANS) Male bottlenose dolphins who play match-makers, brushing aside sexual competitiveness, notch up better mating success, new research says.
?These results are fascinating because it demonstrates that male bottlenose dolphins need to cooperate with each other to maximize their reproductive success,? said marine biologist Jo Wiszniewski from Australia’s Macquarie University, who led the study.
The bottlenose dolphins are hugely popular and can be generally found in marine parks and research facilities.
“The level of cooperation and tolerance observed among dolphins is unseen in most animals. This research is important to understanding how these complex relationships operate,? Wiszniewski added.
The alliances are usually made up of two to four males and can vary in stability with some alliances lasting just a season while others can exist over many years, the Journal of Animal Ecology reported.
Formation of alliance is a highly complex and long-term process that involves a high level of mutual tolerance, cooperation and coordination, according to a statement from the university.
?We found that most of the males who were fathering offspring… were members of large alliances. These results explain that the benefit for some male species to form alliances is to gain mating opportunities,? Wiszniewski said.
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Tags: alliances, animals, australia, benefit, bottlenose dolphins, competitiveness, cooperation, coordination, dolphins, journal of animal ecology, macquarie university, male species, marine biologist, match makers, mutual tolerance, notch, offspring, relationships, reproductive success, sydney