Behavioral Ecology

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Behavioral Ecology

Much of our research centers on three simple questions:

what do animals do, how do they do it, and ultimately, why?

Answering these fundamental questions, however, is often not so simple, especially if you work on large marine predators in some very challenging environments.

But that is part of the allure for the web program. There is no substitute for getting in the field, from the Arctic to the subtropics, if you want to get to know your subject.

beluga whale social organization and culture

Our studies have revealed that beluga whales are capable of developing culture and have complex social systems that involve groupings that comprise both kin and non-kin. We are currently investigating, in partnership with indigenous communities, how social learning shapes culture and social ties and how beluga whale societies are adapting to a changing Arctic

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bottlenose dolphin habitat selection

We are using autonomous wave gliders equipped with acoustic and environmental sensors to investigate habitat selection in a number of dolphin species along Florida's Atlantic coast. The simultaneous collection of dolphin vocalizations and echolocation clicks with real-time environmental monitoring is providing a detailed picture of what drives dolphin activity in shelf waters

social behavior, play, and tusk use in narwhals

There have been very few ethological studies on narwhals to date, primarily due to their remote location, preference for deep waters offshore, and shy behavior. We are investigating many aspects of narwhal behavior and ecology in the Canadian High Arctic in partnership with local Inuit communities and Cortney Watt's team at Fisheries and Oceans, Canada

mating systems in Steller sea lions

When populations of endangered species reach low numbers, concerns mount over effective population sizes (Ne), inbreeding, and loss of genetic diversity. Mating systems and levels of gene flow are central to understanding and mitigating such risks. We work with Tom Gelatt, Vladimir Burkanov, and their teams at NOAA Fisheries on metapopulations of endangered Steller sea lions experiencing differing trends in abundance