Suckling behaviour in the Grey seal ( Halichoerus grypus) and the Northern elephant seal ( Mirounga angustirostris)

The suckling behaviour of Grey seals and Northern elephant seals was investigated. Evidence suggested that in both species it is usual for females and young to select consistently the same suckling partner though certain conditions bring about changes in this behaviour. Instances of inconsistency in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Zoology
Main Author: Fogden, S. C. L.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 1968
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1968.tb01674.x
https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1469-7998.1968.tb01674.x
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1968.tb01674.x
https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1469-7998.1968.tb01674.x
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Summary:The suckling behaviour of Grey seals and Northern elephant seals was investigated. Evidence suggested that in both species it is usual for females and young to select consistently the same suckling partner though certain conditions bring about changes in this behaviour. Instances of inconsistency in both species are described and the conditions that bring this about are discussed.