Phillips, Alana V. Behavioral cues used in reunions between mother and
pup South American fur seals (Arctocephalus australis). Journal of
Mammalogy 84(2):524-535.
Abstract:
In South American fur seals (Arctocephalus australis) breeding in
dense colonies at Punta San Juan, Peru, mothers are regularly
separated from pups when they forage at sea throughout lactation and
as a result of disturbances among females during on-beach nursing
periods. Unattended pups risk injury or death from aggressive females
and predatory sea lions, so the ability of mothers and pups to
recognize and reunite is an essential component of breeding success. I
investigated the relative importance of vocal, visual, olfactory, and
spatial cues in the reunion process and examined how these behaviors
are related to search context and success. Behavior of 10 tagged
mother-pup pairs was recorded during 118 searches, 67% of which
resulted in reunion. Mothers and pups appeared to recognize one
another by vocal signatures over distance, and mothers used naso-nasal
investigation before accepting or rejecting pups. Mothers supplemented
their calling behavior with a variety of low-cost strategies such as
frequenting a consistent "home spot"(76%), moving about the colony
(49%), and investigating approaching pups (42%), but the best
predictor of search success was pup response: after pups called and
moved toward mothers, pairs were reunited 95% of the time regardless
of mothers' behavior. Pups responded infrequently (18%) to the wrong
female, suggesting that pups' acceptance criteria are conservative
when risk of injury from unrelated females is high.
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Brian R. Mitchell
Ph.D. Candidate
University of California, Berkeley
Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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