ArticleScientific reports2020
Group structure and kinship in beluga whale societies.
Article in Scientific reports, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 76 citations in OpenAlex.
- Article
- Enhancing epigenetic aging clocks in cetaceans: accurate age estimations in small endangered delphinids, killer whales, pilot whales, belugas, humpbacks, and bowhead whales.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- An update on captive cetacean welfare.PeerJ · 2025Review
- Elucidating the sustainability of 700 y of Inuvialuit beluga whale hunting in the Mackenzie River Delta, Northwest Territories, Canada.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2024Article
- Belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) create facial displays during social interactions by changing the shape of their melons.Animal cognition · 2024Article
- Imitation of Novel Intransitive Body Actions in a Beluga Whale (Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2023Article
- Do beluga whales truly migrate? Testing a key trait of the classical migration syndrome.Movement ecology · 2023Article
- A deepening understanding of animal culture suggests lessons for conservation.Proceedings. Biological sciences · 2021Article
- Article
- Evidence of stereotyped contact call use in narwhal (Monodon monoceros) mother-calf communication.PloS one · 2021Article
- Skin microbiome of beluga whales: spatial, temporal, and health-related dynamics.Animal microbiome · 2020Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Evolutionary explanations for mammalian sociality typically center on inclusive-fitness benefits of associating and cooperating with close kin, or close maternal kin as in some whale societies, including killer and sperm whales. Their matrilineal structure has strongly influenced the thinking about social structure in less well-studied cetaceans, including beluga whales. In a cross-sectional study of group structure and kinship we found that belugas formed a limited number of distinct group types, consistently observed across populations and habitats. Certain behaviours were associated with group type, but group membership was often dynamic. MtDNA-microsatellite profiling combined with relatedness and network analysis revealed, contrary to predictions, that most social groupings were not predominantly organized around close maternal relatives. They comprised both kin and non-kin, many group members were paternal rather than maternal relatives, and unrelated adult males often traveled together. The evolutionary mechanisms that shape beluga societies are likely complex; fitness benefits may be achieved through reciprocity, mutualism and kin selection. At the largest scales these societies are communities comprising all ages and both sexes where multiple social learning pathways involving kin and non-kin can foster the emergence of cultures. We explore the implications of these findings for species management and the evolution of menopause.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.