Below you will find suggested Dalhousie University experts who can provide comment on current topics of regional, provincial, national and international interest.

Researchers find that the culture of animals actually shapes their evolution

A new review by Dr. Hal Whitehead (Dalhousie University), and colleagues recently published in Nature Communications, suggests that the impacts of culture may be quite widespread in nature and that culture may change the nature of the evolutionary process in diverse ways for many animals.

Some effects impact an animals’ physical attributes. For example, different clans of killer whales have different jaw structures and digestive systems depending on their prey and may actually be evolving into multiple separate species because of their cultural differences. Other changes may also spread to animals’ psychologies and evolution.

Dr. Hal Whitehead from Dalhousie University would be happy to speak to media about this topic and offer examples.

He can be reached at: hwhitehe@dal.ca or phone: 902-494-3723 or 902-405-9434