Suckling attempts during winter by two non-filial Steller sea lion pups (Eumetopias jubatus)
| Autor: | Boyd Porter, Andrew W. Trites |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2004 |
| Předmět: |
Developmental stage
Ecology Offspring media_common.quotation_subject Biology biology.organism_classification Foster mother medicine.anatomical_structure Lactation medicine Animal Science and Zoology Reproduction Sea lion Eumetopias jubatus Paternal care Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics media_common Demography |
| Zdroj: | mamm. 68:23-26 |
| ISSN: | 1864-1547 0025-1461 |
| DOI: | 10.1515/mamm.2004.003 |
| Popis: | Milk stealing and fostering care is rare among mammals (Packer et al. 1992). Such behaviour can benefit neonates and possibly the nursing foster mother (Roulin 2002, 2003). However, it also likely comes at a cost to the fostering mother and her dependent young. Neonates may increase their chances of survival by sneak-suckling unrelated females, or by obtaining milk with the consent of mothers of other neonates. However, chances are greater that females protective of their limited milk resources will aggressively prevent unrelated young from suckling. Risks of being bitten, attacked or killed by adult females presumably outweigh the potential benefits that might be achieved by sneak-suckling. Among pinnipeds, the nursing of offspring that are not their own (allosuckling) has been noted for some species of seals, but rarely for sea lions or fur seals. Only one case has so far been reported of a nonfilial Steller sea lion pup (Eumetopias jubatus) successfully obtaining milk, and the duration was only 30 seconds (Higgins 1984). Since this observation, thousands of hours have been spent observing Steller sea lions in the wild (Trites & Porter 2002; Milette & Trites 2003; Trites, unpubl. data), but only two additional successful suckling attempts have been noted. These two observations are noteworthy because of their rarity and the interest in understanding allosuckling in mammals (e.g., Roulin 2002 |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
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