More Evidence that Research With Captive Marine Mammals Is Important: An Introduction to the Second Special Issue

Abstract

The significance of research with captive marine mammals is evident in the collection of papers in this issue. O’Brien and Robeck report on groundbreaking research on cetacean reproduction, and its significance for conservation efforts. Houser, Finneran, and Ridgway discuss the vast amount of information that has been published by members of the US Navy Marine Mammal Program, and the significance of this research for marine mammal care, conservation, and science. In a slightly different vein, Highfill and Kuczaj point out the importance of studying individual differences among both captive and wild populations, given that such differences are the basis for evolutionary change. Treating all members of a species as identical ignores the richness and diversity that results in the behavioral complexity that has fascinated and perplexed scholars for decades. Vergara, Michaud, and Barrett-Lennard’s research on beluga contact calls provides a convincing and compelling example of the ways in which research with captive animals and research with wild animals can complement one another. Our understanding of marine mammal cognition has also benefited greatly from studies with captive animals. Although it is possible and important to study cognition in the wild, controlled studies conducted with captive animals are essential to properly assess the extent of cetacean cognitive capabilities, as demonstrated by the collection of papers by Herman; Harley, Fellner, and Stamper; Mercado and DeLong; Smith; Tomonaga, Uwano, and Saito; and Yeater and Kuczaj. In fact, arguments against keeping marine mammals in captivity are often based on studies of the cognitive abilities of captive animals.