An investigation of social learning of tool-use in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) using a ball-up / ball-down task

Abstract

Whether and how dolphins can engage in spontaneous, untrained social learning to solve novel tool problems via action- or result- (or other) social learning remains debated. In the present study we tested the spontaneous social learning abilities of six dolphins (all not trained to copy) on two tool-using tasks (what we call the ball-up / ball-down task) - using a dolphin demonstrator and a human demonstrator. Regardless of task type and demonstrator type none of the tested dolphins reproduced the demonstrated tool solutions. We experienced several issues regarding our test apparatus, and so these negative results may be due to apparatus failures. However, these findings may also fully or partially indicate that untrained dolphins are not generalized, spontaneous social learners across information types, especially regarding the acquisition of tool solutions in puzzle tasks. More studies are required to precisely determine the capacity for spontaneous tool solution copying in dolphins.