Imitation of Novel Intransitive Body Actions in a Beluga Whale ( Delphinapterus leucas ): A “Do as Other Does” Study
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,...
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2023
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:94e9c15763154d7f98e4406f7a79aad6 2024-01-21T10:04:59+01:00 Imitation of Novel Intransitive Body Actions in a Beluga Whale ( Delphinapterus leucas ): A “Do as Other Does” Study José Zamorano-Abramson María Victoria Hernández-Lloreda 2023-12-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13243763 https://doaj.org/article/94e9c15763154d7f98e4406f7a79aad6 EN eng MDPI AG https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/24/3763 https://doaj.org/toc/2076-2615 doi:10.3390/ani13243763 2076-2615 https://doaj.org/article/94e9c15763154d7f98e4406f7a79aad6 Animals, Vol 13, Iss 24, p 3763 (2023) social learning animal culture production imitation multimodal imitation marine mammal cognition cetaceans Veterinary medicine SF600-1100 Zoology QL1-991 article 2023 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13243763 2023-12-24T01:38:41Z 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 ‘copy’ command; (2) copied 100% of the demonstrator’s 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 whale’s 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. Article in Journal/Newspaper Beluga Beluga whale Beluga* Delphinapterus leucas Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Animals 13 24 3763 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
social learning animal culture production imitation multimodal imitation marine mammal cognition cetaceans Veterinary medicine SF600-1100 Zoology QL1-991 |
spellingShingle |
social learning animal culture production imitation multimodal imitation marine mammal cognition cetaceans Veterinary medicine SF600-1100 Zoology QL1-991 José Zamorano-Abramson María Victoria Hernández-Lloreda Imitation of Novel Intransitive Body Actions in a Beluga Whale ( Delphinapterus leucas ): A “Do as Other Does” Study |
topic_facet |
social learning animal culture production imitation multimodal imitation marine mammal cognition cetaceans Veterinary medicine SF600-1100 Zoology QL1-991 |
description |
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 ‘copy’ command; (2) copied 100% of the demonstrator’s 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 whale’s 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. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
José Zamorano-Abramson María Victoria Hernández-Lloreda |
author_facet |
José Zamorano-Abramson María Victoria Hernández-Lloreda |
author_sort |
José Zamorano-Abramson |
title |
Imitation of Novel Intransitive Body Actions in a Beluga Whale ( Delphinapterus leucas ): A “Do as Other Does” Study |
title_short |
Imitation of Novel Intransitive Body Actions in a Beluga Whale ( Delphinapterus leucas ): A “Do as Other Does” Study |
title_full |
Imitation of Novel Intransitive Body Actions in a Beluga Whale ( Delphinapterus leucas ): A “Do as Other Does” Study |
title_fullStr |
Imitation of Novel Intransitive Body Actions in a Beluga Whale ( Delphinapterus leucas ): A “Do as Other Does” Study |
title_full_unstemmed |
Imitation of Novel Intransitive Body Actions in a Beluga Whale ( Delphinapterus leucas ): A “Do as Other Does” Study |
title_sort |
imitation of novel intransitive body actions in a beluga whale ( delphinapterus leucas ): a “do as other does” study |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13243763 https://doaj.org/article/94e9c15763154d7f98e4406f7a79aad6 |
genre |
Beluga Beluga whale Beluga* Delphinapterus leucas |
genre_facet |
Beluga Beluga whale Beluga* Delphinapterus leucas |
op_source |
Animals, Vol 13, Iss 24, p 3763 (2023) |
op_relation |
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/24/3763 https://doaj.org/toc/2076-2615 doi:10.3390/ani13243763 2076-2615 https://doaj.org/article/94e9c15763154d7f98e4406f7a79aad6 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13243763 |
container_title |
Animals |
container_volume |
13 |
container_issue |
24 |
container_start_page |
3763 |
_version_ |
1788695353880477696 |