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Research Update VOCAL REPERTOIRE OF THE ORCAS (ORCINUS ORCA) IN THE LORO PARQUE, TENERIFE – INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN THEIR VOCALIZATIONS Dorothee Kremers dorothee.kremers@googlemail.com Diploma thesis, supervised by Dr. Ralf Wanker, Biozentrum Grindel, University of Hamburg, Martin‐ Luther‐King‐Platz 3, 20146 Hamburg, Germany In several mammalian species a complex vocal repertoire seems to be correlated with a complex social system. Orcas live in such a highly social system and use complex vocalizations. This study tested if orcas possess individual differences in their vocalizations that might indicate vocal individual recognition. The vocalizations of four orcas were for the first time recorded with reliable information about the sender’s identity. Within call types there were individual differences. Even the composition of the repertoire differed between individuals. The first evidence for individual specific vocalizations in orcas was found because three individuals produced individual specific calls. Furthermore, the yet untested assumption that call diversity in captive orcas could be decreased was tested. For that reason the vocalizations were compared with the vocalizations of free‐living orcas. The repertoire of the captive orcas included all types of vocalizations known from field studies. Some of the call types showed similarities with call types described for free‐living orcas. The results suggest that these individual specific calls might be used for individual recognition in this species and that the assumption of repertoire degeneration in captive orcas has to be reconsidered 15
Research Update THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL INTERACTION BETWEEN MALE CAVIES AND JUVENILE FEMALE CAVIES (CAVIA APEREA) AND OF MALE ODORS ON THE MATURATION OF FEMALES Antje Lembke antje.lembke@gmx.de Masters Thesis, supervised by Prof. Dr. Fritz Trillmich, Department of Animal Behavior, and Prof. Dr. C. Müller, Dept. Chemical Ecology, University of Bielefeld This study targeted the topic of male influence on the timing of female maturation. The timing of female maturation is a crucial factor in the life history, especially of small, short lived mammals. In mice the male influence is well known as the ‘Vandenberg effect’, elicited by male urinary proteins. In the precocial caviomorph, Cavia aperea the male effect is not elicited by metabolites in urine. The mechanism behind this effect is still unknown. I tested the hypothesis that male behavior and male odor contribute to the acceleration of puberty in females. In the behavioral experiment, the female onset of fertility was examined. A pair of females was housed either next to castrates or next to a male, separated by wire mesh. One of the two females was put into contact with the male or castrate every four days for one hour. During this time the behavior was recorded. Females housed next to males matured significantly earlier than females housed next to castrates. The physical contact did not make a difference in the onset of estrus in the females. Males and castrates did not differ in any of the behaviors towards females recorded and no significant correlation was found in the overall activity of males and castrates with the onset of estrus in the females. To investigate olfactory stimuli, samples of perineal secretion were collected and analyzed by gas‐chromatography and mass‐spectrometry (GCMS). The spectra of males and castrates differed significantly. Various peaks were found in male perineal gland secretion only, but no metabolites were found exclusively in castrates. The number of peaks found in the male or castrate secretion was correlated with the onset of fertility of the corresponding female in contact. The results of my experiments suggest that the difference in perineal gland scent between fertile males and castrates could account for the difference in the timing of puberty in female cavies. Further characterization of the active substances is needed. 16
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