Journal
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
Volume 90, Issue 7, Pages 849-860Publisher
CANADIAN SCIENCE PUBLISHING
DOI: 10.1139/Z2012-053
Keywords
grey seal; Halichoerus grypus; breeding behaviour; behavioural consistency; intraindividual
Categories
Funding
- Smithsonian Institution
- Friends of the National Zoo
- Christensen Fund
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Ask authors/readers for more resources
We examined age-related changes and consistency in physical and behavioural traits of 20 male grey seals (Halichoerus grypus (Fabricius, 1791)) and implications for a proxy of mating success (number of oestrous females attended) over four successive breeding seasons on Sable Island, Canada. Across the study, young males (10-15 years) gained body mass, while old males (23-31 years) lost body mass. Body length was an important determinant of tenure (time spent at a site among females) and males of all ages exhibited a high level of consistency in duration of tenure (r = 0.40-0.50). In young males, our proxy of success showed a strong relationship with arrival body mass and also exhibited a high level of consistency (r = 0.50). None of the physical traits measured explained variation in success by exhibiting mating tactics that did not involve tenure, which is likely due to the opportunistic nature of those tactics. Whereas young male grey seals exhibited age-dependent improvements in success owing to changes in their physical state, later in life physical traits were less influential and suggest that nonphysical traits may compensate for a deteriorating physical state and its impact on male success.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available