Do white whales, Delphinapterus leucas , carry surrogates in response to early loss of their young?

Seven sightings in which mature belugas were seen to persist in carrying inanimate objects leads us to the hypothesis that this might be surrogate behaviour in response to perinatal mortality. The long period of dependence by the calf on its mother would indicate a strong mother–calf bond in this sp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian Journal of Zoology
Main Authors: Smith, T. G., Sleno, G. A.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1986
Subjects:
Animal Science and Zoology
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Beluga*
Delphinapterus leucas
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z86-237
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/z86-237
Description
Summary:Seven sightings in which mature belugas were seen to persist in carrying inanimate objects leads us to the hypothesis that this might be surrogate behaviour in response to perinatal mortality. The long period of dependence by the calf on its mother would indicate a strong mother–calf bond in this species, which might lead to such an extreme manifestation of protective behaviour.

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