Dear colleagues,
We are pleased to announce the publication of the following
paper today (April 26) in Science:
Allen, J., Weinrich, M., Hoppitt, W. &
Rendell, L. (2013). Network-Based Diffusion
Analysis Reveals Cultural Transmission of Lobtail Feeding in Humpback Whales.
Science Vol. 340 no. 6131 pp. 485-488 DOI: 10.1126/science.1231976
Abstract: We used network-based diffusion analysis
to reveal the cultural
spread of a naturally occurring foraging innovation, lobtail feeding, through a
population
of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae)
over a period of 27 years. Support for models with a social transmission
component
was 6 to 23 orders of magnitude greater than
for models without. The spatial and temporal distribution of sand lance, a prey
species, was also
important in predicting the rate of acquisition.
Our results, coupled with existing knowledge about song traditions, show that
this
species can maintain multiple independently evolving
traditions in its populations. These insights strengthen the case that
cetaceans represent a
peak in the evolution of nonhuman culture,
independent of the primate lineage.
The paper can be obtained from http://www.sciencemag.org/content/340/6131/485
or by emailing
Jenny Allen at [email protected]
Please feel free to contact me with any questions you might
have.
Best wishes,
Jenny Allen and co-authors
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