Ecology and conservation of socially learned foraging tactics in odontocetes

Abstract

Culture-group-typical behaviour shared by community members that rely on socially learned and transmitted information-can drive animal adaptations to local environments and thus has the potential of generating specialized behavioural tactics to solve fundamental life challenges, including capturing prey. However, as human activities rapidly change the world in unprecedented ways, animal foraging cultures may no longer represent optimal solutions to local environments. Odontocetes (toothed whales, dolphins and porpoises) are of particular concern because they rely on learned, specialized foraging tactics in habitats highly affected by human activities. We present a global inventory of odontocete foraging tactics to evaluate their cultural underpinnings, vulnerability to human-induced threats and how this knowledge can inform safeguards. Our synthesis reveals a diverse repertoire-190 cases of 36 foraging tactics in 21 species-but highlights that linkages between culture and anthropogenic impacts are generally obscured by a dearth of data on individual identity, social associations and behavioural diffusion. By identifying global patterns, knowledge gaps and common threats to specialized foraging, our review can guide long-term research towards understanding their ecological and evolutionary drivers. This crucial first step towards designing policies that mitigate human impacts on marine habitats may ultimately protect the diverse odontocete behavioural repertoires that contribute to their survival.This article is part of the theme issue 'Animal culture: conservation in a changing world'.