Abstract
Dolphins are frequently described as curious animals; however, there have been few systematic investigations of how dolphins behave when they are curious and the extent to which individual differences in curiosity exist in dolphins. Previous research has described individual differences in dolphins’ frequency of interactions with environmental enrichment as well as quantifying curiosity-related traits of dolphins via personality assessments, though behavioral observation and trait rating components have not been part of the same study. The present study describes two different experiments designed to elicit curiosity in 15 bottlenose (Tursiops truncatus) and 6 rough-toothed (Steno bredanensis) dolphins. In Experiment 1, dolphins displayed more curiosity-related behavior toward a stimulus with spontaneous movement (jack-in-the box) compared to their reaction to a static control object; however, in Experiment 2, the subjects did not conform to hypotheses, and displayed few behavioral differences when shown expectation-violating stimuli compared to a control stimulus. The results of this study supported the hypothesis that there would be a wide range of individual differences in dolphins’ reactions to the stimuli, including differences between species and sex, as well as differences in trait ratings by trainers. These findings provide information that may be useful for future research aimed at assessing curiosity in dolphins, as well as for making environmental enrichment decisions for dolphins in human care.
Highlights
Dolphins are frequently described as curious animals; there have been few systematic investigations of how dolphins behave when they are curious and the extent to which individual differences in curiosity exist in dolphins
Curiosity is distinct from boldness, because a curious animal can act in a bold manner, curiosity involves information-seeking behavior that is more cognitive in nature than approaching a novel object (Byrne, 2013)
The results indicate that the subjects were more interested in the stimulus with variable movement compared to a static object, and the subjects displayed a wide range of individual differences in their reactions to the stimuli in Experiment 1
Summary
Dolphins are frequently described as curious animals; there have been few systematic investigations of how dolphins behave when they are curious and the extent to which individual differences in curiosity exist in dolphins. The results of this study supported the hypothesis that there would be a wide range of individual differences in dolphins’ reactions to the stimuli, including differences between species and sex, as well as differences in trait ratings by trainers These findings provide information that may be useful for future research aimed at assessing curiosity in dolphins, as well as for making environmental enrichment decisions for dolphins in human care. The “watchful cautious” animals may benefit most from the curiosity of group mates because they observe a bolder individual’s interaction with some novelty while avoiding potential risks themselves This behavior has been observed in dolphins, where some individuals hid behind others and looked over the bold individual’s “shoulder” as they interacted with a novel device that produced bubble rings (Kuczaj, Yeater, & Highfill, 2012). Even when a stimulus is not novel and cannot be physically manipulated, many different species have exhibited sustained curiosity about, and engagement with visual displays
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