@article {311042,
	title = {A new level of complexity in the male alliance networks of Indian Ocean bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.).},
	journal = {Biol Lett},
	volume = {7},
	year = {2011},
	month = {2011 Aug 23},
	pages = {623-6},
	abstract = {<p>Male bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay, Western Australia form two levels of alliances; two to three males cooperate to herd individual females and teams of greater than three males compete with other groups for females. Previous observation suggested two alliance tactics: small four to six member teams of relatives that formed stable pairs or trios and unrelated males in a large 14-member second-order alliance that had labile trio formation. Here, we present evidence for a third level of alliance formation, a continuum of second-order alliance sizes and no relationship between first-order alliance stability and second-order alliance size. These findings challenge the {\textquoteright}two alliance tactics{\textquoteright} hypothesis and add to the evidence that Shark Bay male bottlenose dolphins engage in alliance formation that likely places considerable demands on their social cognition.</p>
},
	keywords = {Animals, Bottle-Nosed Dolphin, Female, Indian Ocean, Male, Social Behavior},
	issn = {1744-957X},
	doi = {10.1098/rsbl.2010.0852},
	author = {Connor, Richard C and Watson-Capps, Jana J and Sherwin, William B and Kr{\"u}tzen, Michael}
}
