The social organization of resident-type killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Avacha Gulf, Northwest Pacific, as revealed through association patterns and acoustic similarity

Northeast Pacific resident-type killer whales (Orcinus orca) are known to form stable associations based on kinship between maternal relatives (matrilines) with a system of vocal dialects thought to reflect kinship relationships. We analyzed association patterns and acoustic similarity to study the social organization of killer whales in Avacha Gulf (Kamchatka, Russia), in the Northwest Pacific. The resident-type killer whales of Avacha Gulf formed temporally stable units that included maternal relatives with no dispersal observed. Acoustically, the killer whale community of Avacha Gulf was characterized by a system of dialects comparable to the communities of Northeast Pacific resident-type killer whales. Different units rarely associated with each other and these associations were nonrandom. Associations at different spatial levels did not always coincide with each other and with the patterns of acoustic similarity. Associations between units could change quickly irrespective of kinship relationships. The vocal dialect of a unit, which is more stable than the association patterns between units, might better reflect the overall kinship relationships. The stability and frequency of associations between units depended on the number of mature males in a unit, which could contribute to differences in the speed of change in vocal dialects and association patterns. (C) 2009 Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Saugetierkunde. Published by Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.