Maladaption: Self-Stranding

Maladaptive behaviour is a concept that has come about because of cultural evolution; this is the choice to adapt poorly to situations and to even deny adaptation. Maladaptive behaviour is most commonly the effect of cultural evolution, but it can also be related back to genetic evolution and individual learning. As humans, we have many maladaptive behaviours that are embedded into our culture; smoking for example. The most common maladaptive behaviour in whales is self-stranding or beaching. Self-stranding, or beaching, is the idea of purposely going onto the shore and stranding themselves until the die. This action is done intentionally and it is harmful and most likely fatal. In some cases, people have tried to save the whales by bringing them back to the water and pointing them towards the ocean, but the whales just turn around and beach themselves. Scientists do not know why whales persist in the act, however, one of the theories is the idea of conformist cultures. Like humans, whales are vulnerable to the ideas and actions of one another. And if this maladaptive culture is one that they have experienced through a large part of their lives, they will adopt it. Whales in these conformist groups share a strong identity and social unity. Whales, such as orcas, pilot, and sperm, with strong social structures are prone to conformist cultures. This strong connection is why pods of whales are found stranded on beaches. However, it isn't really thought that this action is done for mainly suicide. Yes, they are killing themselves but it is because on of them may be hurt already or have made a mistake. Whatever the reason, these whales feel a need to pursue this maladaptive behaviour.

For orca whales the act of self-stranding is commonly linked to the behaviours they are taught as a calf; the idea is to purposely beach themselves so they can catch food on shore. To them, this is normal and a part of their culture; play. However, depending on how the calf was thought this hunting technique, young orcas end up permanently beaching themselves, instead of returning back to the water. This could influence the amount of whales participating in maladaptive behaviours.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Vmnq5dBF7Y

Ever wonder how they got rid of whales when they have died on the sandy beaches? The video above is a copy of an original broadcast in 1970. This is when people believed that the best option to dispose of the whale is by blowing it up. This video also displays why one shouldn't blow up a whale. Now a days, when a whale is beached they aren't disposed of. They are left on the beaches to decompose naturally and with the aid of scavenger animals. However, if the whale is causing a disturbance, the whale will be disposed of by federal ecological departments with anti-climactical methods.

http://whitelab.biology.dal.ca/lr/culture.pdf

http://whitelab.biology.dal.ca/hw/Cult_cons.pdf

The Social Structure of Whales

Whales are rarely spotted swimming alone because they are very social animals. They swim in a grouping of whales called a pod. This pod usually contains their family, but there is always exceptions. Particularly, the sperm whale and killer whale have unique and strong social structures.

Female sperm whales travel in social units for almost their whole lives. This unit contains around eleven female and baby whales, which are not all related. In this social unit, all the females treat one another as a family; they gather food for one another and even take care of each others babies. Often times while traveling, two units come together and form a group. This group stays together for more than ten days and can contain anywhere from twenty to fifty females and their young. But what is more amazing, is that all twenty female sperm whales in this group are females. Males only stay in these units for four to five years, then they go out on their own, leaving the females with their inspiring cooperative ways.

Alan Berner

However, in contrast to the close units of the female sperm whales, there is the multicultural orca. Orcas do live in pods, yet these pods consist of several females and at least one male. Also, the young stay with their mother when they grow up and families travel with each other for years. But, killer whales do eventually break off from these pods and travel on their own or with other killer whales in transit. This social behaviour can happen because of their dialect. Some pods can share up to ten calls. When these calls are shared the the whales are considered to be in a vocal clan with each other, for they share this cultural aspect together. However, the orca whale forms many other societies, as well, with orcas from another community and even different types of whales. With each of the other types of whales, the orca will take part in a different shared form of culture. In regards to the orca community, the cultural variation is a greeting. When whales from the same community meet, they line up facing the other pod and wait before approaching and socializing. When pods from separate communities meet, they "beach rub". This is simply rubbing up against rocks, which is site specific to one of the communities. Finally, when an orca whale is in transit, it comes across different types of whales. The orca will observe these whales and notice that the food they are hunting is the type in which they like themselves, or would like to try. Therefore, adapting and imitating their culture and engaging in the same hunting/foraging techniques as the whale. Which, in the end, leaves the orca with the broadest sense of whale culture.

http://www.springerlink.com/content/j20266w36k7r2v14/fulltext.pdf?page=1

http://www.acsonline.org/factpack/KillerWhale.htm

http://whitelab.biology.dal.ca/lr/culture.pdf