Sons & Daughters

[Orleander]

Do all animals know the sex of their offspring? Do they smell differently or do they go by looks?

Dolphin Moms Teach Daughters to Use Tools

....The hunting tactic was almost wholly confined to a small group of females and their daughters among the Shark Bay population, with just a single male showing the same behavior. The challenge for the study team was to find out whether sponging is acquired through social learning—and therefore evidence of culture—or is transmitted genetically.

The researchers analyzed the mitochondrial DNA (DNA passed down by females) of 13 spongers and 172 nonspongers. They found the trait appeared to be passed on mostly within a single family line from mother to daughter and that sponging most likely originated in a recent ancestor.

"This is the first study of cultural transmission that actually looks at different modes of inheritance both on the family and the population level," Krützen said. "If sponging was coded on the Y chromosome [found only in males], only males would sponge. If sponging was coded on one of the nonsex chromosomes, then one would expect as many males as females to be spongers. This does not seem to be the case. We ruled out that sponging might be a genetic propensity."....

 

[Idle Mind]

Yes, I'm sure all animals can tell the sex of their offspring. The method of identification will vary from organism to organism, whether it be visual, audible or chemical, but all will be able to tell.

 

[Orleander]

Yes, I'm sure all animals can tell the sex of their offspring. The method of identification will vary from organism to organism, whether it be visual, audible or chemical, but all will be able to tell.

so boy dolphins smell differently than female dolphins?
Is it just mammals or can ducks tell as well?

 

[Nasor]

I'm not entirely sure what "smell" would mean underwater. Maybe they can tell visually, or maybe they have different "voices" or something.

 

[ElectricFetus]

I think there are many animals the can't tell nor need to.

 

[S.A.M.]

Don't dolphins have sex for pleasure ie, at random times unrelated to breeding?

I'm sure they must be able to tell male from female.

Unless they are swingers?

 

[ElectricFetus]

I remember hearing there is a large amount of bisexuality among dolphins, but I would figure with their ultrasound they could see inside each other, so gender is not something they can hide from each other.

 

[CutsieMarie89]

I don't think humans are that good at telling the sex of small children either. If gave them all the same haircut and dressed them in the same clothes, could you tell a little boy from a little girl, without undressing them? It happens all of the time at my job. People call boys girls and vice versa. Even naked babies trip people up sometimes. :shrug: Its funny.

 

[Enmos]

I don't think humans are that good at telling the sex of small children either. If gave them all the same haircut and dressed them in the same clothes, could you tell a little boy from a little girl, without undressing them? It happens all of the time at my job. People call boys girls and vice versa. Even naked babies trip people up sometimes. :shrug: Its funny.

Humans are a 'special' case.

 

[Orleander]

we can tell male from female when they are naked. All animals are naked and most have their sexual organs on the inside. Don't dolphins?
I wouldn't think dolphins would wait til their children are adults to teach them the sponge/nose trick.

 

[Orleander]

I remember hearing there is a large amount of bisexuality among dolphins, but I would figure with their ultrasound they could see inside each other, so gender is not something they can hide from each other.

wha?? I think they use echolocation, like bats. I don't think any animal has ultrasound, letting them see through things.
And they apparently have no sense of smell.

 

[ElectricFetus]

wha?? I think they use echolocation, like bats. I don't think any animal has ultrasound, letting them see through things.
And they apparently have no sense of smell.

http://www.dolphinkind.com/echolocation.html


Dolphins release a focused beam of clicking sounds (sound waves) and then listen to the echo. From this they can determine the following about an object (such as a fish).

* size
* shape
* distance
* speed
* direction
* internal structure (depending on the object)

 

[Orleander]

yes, they can detect prey under the sand. I don't think they can see a penis or a uterus in their child. And echolocation is not an ultrasound.

By the way, that was a very interesting link. Thank you!

 

[ElectricFetus]

yes, they can detect prey under the sand. I don't think they can see a penis or a uterus in their child. And echolocation is not an ultrasound.

By the way, that was a very interesting link. Thank you!

It difficult to determine what they can see. I would figure at the very least they can make out skeletal structures of fish and can penetrate several inches of flesh depending upon how much adipose tissue is in the way. I would figure they can see enough.

 

[Orleander]

I wonder why they only teach the daughters and not the sons? To make sure the daughters can feed their babies perhaps?

 

[Enmos]

we can tell male from female when they are naked. All animals are naked and most have their sexual organs on the inside. Don't dolphins?
I wouldn't think dolphins would wait til their children are adults to teach them the sponge/nose trick.

Dolphins may all look alike to us, but I suppose that goes both ways.

 

[iceaura]

I'm not entirely sure what "smell" would mean underwater

Same thing it means in air - detection of trace chemicals.

Dolphins can recognize individual dolphins, not just one sex or another.

Lots of animals find sex difficult to recognize before puberty.

 

[Orleander]

Same thing it means in air - detection of trace chemicals.

Dolphins can recognize individual dolphins, not just one sex or another.

Lots of animals find sex difficult to recognize before puberty.

so then the daughters may not be taught this sponge skill til after puberty?
And 'smelling' each other via 'tasting' the water makes sense. Thanks

 

[Fraggle Rocker]

Don't dolphins have sex for pleasure ie, at random times unrelated to breeding?

Dolphins (and I don't know that this even applies to all species of dolphins) are one of the few species of mammals in which the females are physically capable of copulation when not in estrus. It appears to be used as a social ritual, to reinforce pack-bonding, since (at least some species of) dolphins hunt in a very elaborate group formation.

Dolphins are also one of the few other species in which rape occurs. In a three-dimensional environment it takes six bulls to gang up on a cow. Two hold her from getting away while one performs the copulation, and the other three stand at a distance to fend off rescuers. Again I don't know if this applies to all species, I read about it happening off the coast of Australia. Perhaps the result of all that Foster's running off in the water.

Jean Auel hypothesized the same for Mesolithic humans in her well-researched "Clan of the Cave Bear" novels. The survival benefit of reinforced pack-bonding was a general pitching-in to keep the clan strong and healthy. In her fictional community even the leader's mate would have intercourse with any man who asked.

Bonobos, one of our closest cousins, also have this trait. They've been called the free-lovin' hippies of the primate world: if you stumble onto a tribe of bonobos, probably ten of them will be engaged in sexual activity, and not all in heterosexual groups of two.

I'm sure they must be able to tell male from female. Unless they are swingers?

Ah, so you've seen the bonobos.

Parrots can tell each other apart, and it has to be visual since birds have very poor senses of smell. Although I suppose it could be aural. It must be some subtle behavior, because different species of macaws will hybridize if no mates are available, so they're sure not looking at body shape or coloring. Amazons, conures, cockatoos and other types of psittacines will do the same thing. It's more common in captivity, but apparently it also occurs on the fringes of civilization. Birds who are comfortable in close proximity to humans are also adventurous enough to try inter-species dating.

 

[John Connellan]

I'm not entirely sure what "smell" would mean underwater. Maybe they can tell visually, or maybe they have different "voices" or something.

Well instead of air going through the nose, water would be carrying the scent