Delphinid Foraging Strategies
R. J. Schusterman, J. A. Thomas, F. G. Wood, Ronald Schusterman · Psychology Press eBooks · 2013
The Delphinidae Family of odontocete cetaceans includes about 30 species of small « 4 m long) toothed whales generally termed dolphins, and four species of larger (4 to 6 m long) toothed whales. The smaller members of the family include the bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, the common dolphin, Delphinus de/phis, and several species of the genera Lagenorhynchus and Stenella. The larger members include the killer whale, Orcin us orca, and the pilot whales, Globicephala sp. (Leatherwood, Reeves, & Foster, 1983). The family is therefore represented by a large and relatively diverse group of mammals, having different modes of living and probably several different social systems as well. A brief review such as this can only provide examples of the better known feeding strategies of a few species, and 1 wish to emphasize that I make no attempt at an exhaustive survey of the family. It will become apparent, I hope, that some species have quite variable feeding behaviors, and some feed in complex cooperative ways which we are only beginning to understand.