Just like humans, dolphins too are choosy about friends

A new study has revealed that dolphins form highly complex and dynamic networks of friends.

Scientists at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI) at Florida Atlantic University took a closer look at the interactions between bottlenose dolphins in the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) and discovered how they mingle and with whom they spend their time.

The team found that individual dolphins exhibited both preference and avoidance behavior, so just like humans, they have dolphins they like and associate with and ones they avoid. The study also found that IRL dolphins clustered into groups of associated animals, or "communities," that tended to occupy discrete core areas along the north-south axis of the lagoon system.

Researcher Elizabeth Murdoch Titcomb said that one of the more unique aspects of the study was the discovery that the physical dimensions of the habitat, the long, narrow lagoon system itself, influenced the spatial and temporal dynamics of dolphin association patterns.

Titcomb explained that communities that occupy the narrowest stretches of the Indian River Lagoon have the most compact social networks, similar to humans who live in small towns and have fewer people with whom to interact.

In addition to providing a unique glimpse into dolphin societies, this novel study provides important insight and knowledge on how dolphins organize themselves, who they interact with and who they avoid, as well as when and where.

It also gives scientists and resource managers the roadmap needed to understand how dolphin populations perceive and use their environment, and how social networks will influence information transfer and potentially breeding behavior and disease transmission.

The study is published in the journal Marine Mammal Science.