The development of socio-sexual behavior in belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) under human care

Lilley, Malin K.; Ham, Jackson R.; Hill, Henry

doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2019.104025

Cited by 29 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…The study group comprised mixed sexes and ages, allowing us to examine if seasonality differed across age category (i.e., calf, juvenile and sub-adult) and across sex. We expected the rate that belugas initiated social behaviours (excluding mothercalf interactions) to change seasonally, similar to the previously reported beluga socio-sexual behaviours (see Glabicky et al 2010;Lilley et al 2020). Knowing the fluctuation of socio-sexual behaviours, we expected that this increase in sexual arousal might also affect other social behaviours; we therefore also expected that engagement in social behaviours would peak in the summer months as well.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 68%

“…As belugas age, they begin to socialize with their conspecifics, especially with juveniles and sub-adults (Hill & Campbell 2014;Hill et al 2018). Further, males were expected to engage in more socio-sexual behaviour than females as well as in other agonisitic and affiliative behaviour as previous research has found that male belugas engage in more socio-sexual behaviour than females (Lilley et al 2020). Additionally, if social behaviour is driven by reproductive hormones (Montano et al 2017), the seasonal effect would be expected to be stronger for older belugas as they approach sexual maturity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Thus, belugas have ample opportunity to socialize with conspecifics. It is known that belugas in both wild and managed care environments exhibit social behaviour such as mother-calf interactions (managed care : Hill et al 2013;Hill & Campbell 2014;wild: Krasnova et al 2006wild: Krasnova et al , 2009Krasnova et al 2014;O'Corry-Crowe et al 2020), affiliative behaviours (managed care : Nakahara & Takemura 1997;Hill et al 2018;Hill et al 2019;wild: Lomac-MacNair et al 2016;O'Corry-Crowe et al 2020) and socio-sexual behaviours (managed care: Glabicky et al 2010;Hill et al 2015;Lilley et al 2020;wild: Lomac-MacNair et al 2016;O'Corry-Crowe et al 2020). In wild settings, the number of belugas found in a group varies markedly, depending on migration (O'Corry-Crowe et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although belugas are known to reproduce seasonally (managed care: Robeck et al 2005;wild: Doan & Douglas 1953;Heide-Jørgensen & Teilmann 1994;Shelden et al 2020) and congregate during the summer months, sociality throughout the year has yet to be assessed. Sociosexual behaviour (Glabicky et al 2010;Lilley et al 2020) and respiratory rates (George & Noonan 2014) also vary depending on the season, with both peaking in spring and summer. Belugas in managed care were found to have seasonal changes in the hormone levels (Montano et al 2017), that is, in the testosterone and progesterone levels (Robeck et al 2005;Richard et al 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seasonality of social behaviour among immature belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) in managed care

et al. 2021

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Belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) in managed care have been reported to show seasonal variation in socio-sexual behaviour, hormone levels and respiration rates; however, little is known about the social interactions of wild belugas when they are not in summer, near-shore congregations. To better understand if belugas show seasonal variation in social interactions, this study recorded the behaviour of 10 belugas (five females, five males, ranging from birth to 10 years of age) housed in managed care. Social interactions typically peaked in the summer months but persisted at very low levels during the rest of the year. Seasonal variation was most dramatic for socio-sexual behaviour but was generally mirrored in pattern by agonistic and affiliative interactions. Subjects closer to maturity displayed more seasonal variation than younger subjects, and males displayed more seasonal variation compared to females. The peak in social interactions found in this study aligns rather closely with wild belugas’ summer, near-shore congregations, where belugas have increased opportunities for socializing. Although belugas in managed care do not experience a seasonal change in habitat, they do show seasonal changes in social behaviour, which are likely driven by seasonal fluctuations in hormone levels. It is therefore expected that wild beluga populations would show similar behavioural patterns if they were observed throughout the remainder of the year. This research has applications for belugas in managed care and may provide a framework for understanding the social behaviour of wild belugas.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 68%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Seasonality of social behaviour among immature belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) in managed care

et al. 2021

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“…Thus, some socio-sexual behaviours, such as genital rubs and genital contact, occur early in belugas but not as frequently as seen in bottlenose dolphins (Kuczaj et al 2006;Mann 2006). More recent work on the development of socio-sexual behaviours beyond the calf stage has shown how the behaviours become more organized with age (Lilley et al 2020). Additionally, seasonal variation in socio-sexual behaviour becomes more predictable as the calves age into sub-adults and adults (Ham et al 2021 [this special cluster]).…”

Section: Socio-sexual Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Synergy between behavioural research on beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) conducted in zoological and wild settings

2021

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Behavioural observations of captive beluga whales have complemented and extended much of what has been learnt about this species in the wild. Aquarium-based research has provided finer-scale specificity for many topics, including the seasonal breeding pattern that is characteristic of this species, as well as socio-sexual behaviour that appears to be an important part of the behavioural repertoire of this species. One example is a strong propensity for male–male social interactions that begin to develop at an early age. In addition, detailed behavioural milestones in calves have been documented in ways that extend that which have been collected from wild populations. These include swim positions with mother, separations/reunions with mother, and other social interactions, and play. Characteristics of beluga maternal care have also been studied more often in captive settings than in the wild, particularly with respect to details pertaining to nursing behaviour, individual differences in maternal style and allomaternal care. Other topics that have received scientific scrutiny in zoological settings include individual differences and behavioural laterality. Thus, a greater understanding of beluga behavioural biology has the potential to emerge as a consequence of synergy between research conducted in the two settings.

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Measuring Play Fighting in Rats: A Multilayered Approach

et al. 2022

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Rough-and-tumble play or play fighting is an important experience in the juvenile period of many species of mammals, as it facilitates the development of social skills, and for some species, play fighting is retained into adulthood as a tool for assessing and managing social relationships. Laboratory rats have been a model species for studying the neurobiology of play fighting and its key developmental and social functions. However, play fighting interactions are complex, involving competition and cooperation; therefore, no single measure to quantify this behavior is able to capture all its facets. Therefore, in this paper, we present a multilayered framework for scoring all the relevant facets of play that can be affected by experimental manipulations and the logic of how to match what is measured with the question being asked.

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The development of socio-sexual behavior in belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) under human care

Cited by 29 publications

References 47 publications

Seasonality of social behaviour among immature belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) in managed care

Seasonality of social behaviour among immature belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) in managed care

Synergy between behavioural research on beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) conducted in zoological and wild settings

Measuring Play Fighting in Rats: A Multilayered Approach

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