Imitation of Novel Intransitive Body Actions in a Beluga Whale (Delphinapterus leucas): A “Do as Other Does” Study

• Published in: Animals
• Main Authors: Zamorano-Abramson, José, Hernández Lloreda, María Victoria
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI 2023
• Subjects: 159.929.2; Social learning; Animal culture; Production imitation; Multimodal imitation; Marine mammal cognition; Cetaceans; Beluga whale; Psicología animal y comparada; 61 Psicología; Beluga; Beluga*; Delphinapterus leucas
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/104179; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13243763

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.; writing—original draft preparation, J.Z.-A. and M.V.H.-L.; writing —review 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 ‘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. Simple Summary: Cetaceans, including beluga whales, are known for their unique habits and behaviors that they ...