Vocal culture and social stability in resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) ...

• Main Author: Yurk, Harald
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2009
• Subjects: Killer Whale; Orca; Orcinus orca; Killer whale
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0074875; https://doi.library.ubc.ca/10.14288/1.0074875

The killer whale (Orcinus orca) is one of the few species for which vocal culture is actively involved in the development and maintenance of the social organizations of populations. In particular, the social structure of one form of killer whales, called residents, is a good example of this involvement. Resident societies are characterized by associations of groups with highly stable membership, which allow an in-depth examination of the association between vocal culture and the nested social hierarchy of that population. Resident killer whales live in small populations where inbreeding is a threat to their genetic diversity. Genetic and cultural evolution may be closely linked in killer whales, as has been proposed for a number of other cetaceans with matrilineal social structure. To test for a possible link between genetic and cultural evolution in killer whales, I investigated vocal similarities and differences among mixing and non-mixing resident groups and between two ecotypes, residents and transients. ...