TY - JOUR
T1 - The ontogeny of seismic communication during dispersal in the blind mole rat
AU - Rado, R.
AU - Wollberg, Z.
AU - Terkel, J.
N1 - Funding Information:
We thank S. Rado for field assistance, G. Bronchti for help in preparing the graphs and N. Paz for critical reading and preparation of the manuscript. This research was supported by the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation grant 333/~7, and by a grant from the German-Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research and Development (GIF) 1-81-075.1/88 and forms part of the Ph.D, thesis of R.R.
PY - 1991/7
Y1 - 1991/7
N2 - The shift in the mode of communication from the vocal to the vibratory channel in the blind mole rat, Spalax ehrenbergi, a solitary subterranean rodent, was examined in relation to the animal's development and its dispersal as it reached independence. Young mole rats dispersed from the mother's territory by digging their own tunnels as extensions of the maternal tunnel. From birth until the age of 7 weeks the pups were social, sharing the maternal tunnel system with mother and siblings. Their preferred channel of communication with unfamilar adults of the opposite sex during this period was vocal. During a transitional period (age 7-11 weeks), they began to dig their own tunnel system, gradually tending towards a solitary lifestyle. At this stage the offsprings' tunnel systems were still connected to the maternal tunnel and while vibratory communication was initiated, the main channel of communication with adults remained the vocal one. After sealing off the connection to the maternal tunnel (age over 12 weeks), the young became fully independent and solitary. The vocal channel became ineffective for use between separate tunnel systems and communication shifted to mainly seismic. This trend continued into adulthood, when communication was exclusively seismic.
AB - The shift in the mode of communication from the vocal to the vibratory channel in the blind mole rat, Spalax ehrenbergi, a solitary subterranean rodent, was examined in relation to the animal's development and its dispersal as it reached independence. Young mole rats dispersed from the mother's territory by digging their own tunnels as extensions of the maternal tunnel. From birth until the age of 7 weeks the pups were social, sharing the maternal tunnel system with mother and siblings. Their preferred channel of communication with unfamilar adults of the opposite sex during this period was vocal. During a transitional period (age 7-11 weeks), they began to dig their own tunnel system, gradually tending towards a solitary lifestyle. At this stage the offsprings' tunnel systems were still connected to the maternal tunnel and while vibratory communication was initiated, the main channel of communication with adults remained the vocal one. After sealing off the connection to the maternal tunnel (age over 12 weeks), the young became fully independent and solitary. The vocal channel became ineffective for use between separate tunnel systems and communication shifted to mainly seismic. This trend continued into adulthood, when communication was exclusively seismic.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0025948724&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0003-3472(05)80601-3
DO - 10.1016/S0003-3472(05)80601-3
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AN - SCOPUS:0025948724
SN - 0003-3472
VL - 42
SP - 15
EP - 21
JO - Animal Behaviour
JF - Animal Behaviour
IS - 1
ER -