Article Abstract:
A new study investigates social cognition in spotted hyenas, a nonprimate mammal whose social lives are similar to cercopithecine primates. The study is designed to evaluate the hyenas' voice recognition abilities and to compare their reactions to those of vervet monkeys. It is shown that adult female hyenas respond more strongly to the calls of their own offspring than that of other cubs present in the pack. It is suggested that natural selection may favour kin recognition in hyenas, which is comparable to social interaction in macaques.
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Article Abstract:
Song sharing and distribution of song types in the wild in a color-marked population of the non-migratory Nuttall's white-crowned sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys nuttalli, were studied. Findings showed that the songs of 14 of 16 sons clustered with their neighbors' rather than their fathers' songs. Principal component analysis of frequency and temporal measurements of song within a dialectal area indicated that songs group into neighborhoods and are non-randomly dispersed.
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Article Abstract:
An investigation is conducted into the call types of two matrilineal social groups of killer whales, over a period of 12-13 years. The results showed that vocal learning is not restricted to vertical communication between mother and offspring.
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