Reproductive behavior and related social organization of the muskox on Nunivak Island
Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1976 The sexual behavior and social organization of the muskox (Ovibos moschatus wardi Zimmerman) were studied on Nunivak Island, Alaska, in fall 1972 and summer and fall 1973. Observation effort was concentrated on a single harem group for two months, d...
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1976
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ftunivalaska:oai:scholarworks.alaska.edu:11122/8001 2023-05-15T17:13:40+02:00 Reproductive behavior and related social organization of the muskox on Nunivak Island Smith, Timothy E. 1976-05 http://hdl.handle.net/11122/8001 en_US eng http://hdl.handle.net/11122/8001 Muskox Behavior Thesis ms 1976 ftunivalaska 2023-02-23T21:36:57Z Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1976 The sexual behavior and social organization of the muskox (Ovibos moschatus wardi Zimmerman) were studied on Nunivak Island, Alaska, in fall 1972 and summer and fall 1973. Observation effort was concentrated on a single harem group for two months, during the height of courtship activity. Movements and fluctuations in the structure of this group are documented. There was no significant change in mean herd size as a result of the rut, suggesting the existence of a basic social unit independent of the influence of harem bulls. Harem bulls were in the 6-10 year age class. They exerted a stabilizing influence on the harem but did not direct its movements. The rut extended from early July to mid-October. Copulation occurred on September 4 and 5. General patterns of sexual and agonistic behavior are described. Changes in activity patterns as a result of the rut are shown. Bulls displayed more marked changes than cows or juveniles. The proportion of time allocated to sexual and agonistic behavior increased at the expense of maintenance activity as the rut progressed. Thesis muskox Nunivak Nunivak Island ovibos moschatus Alaska University of Alaska: ScholarWorks@UA Fairbanks Zimmerman ENVELOPE(167.167,167.167,-73.300,-73.300) |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Alaska: ScholarWorks@UA |
op_collection_id |
ftunivalaska |
language |
English |
topic |
Muskox Behavior |
spellingShingle |
Muskox Behavior Smith, Timothy E. Reproductive behavior and related social organization of the muskox on Nunivak Island |
topic_facet |
Muskox Behavior |
description |
Thesis (M.S.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1976 The sexual behavior and social organization of the muskox (Ovibos moschatus wardi Zimmerman) were studied on Nunivak Island, Alaska, in fall 1972 and summer and fall 1973. Observation effort was concentrated on a single harem group for two months, during the height of courtship activity. Movements and fluctuations in the structure of this group are documented. There was no significant change in mean herd size as a result of the rut, suggesting the existence of a basic social unit independent of the influence of harem bulls. Harem bulls were in the 6-10 year age class. They exerted a stabilizing influence on the harem but did not direct its movements. The rut extended from early July to mid-October. Copulation occurred on September 4 and 5. General patterns of sexual and agonistic behavior are described. Changes in activity patterns as a result of the rut are shown. Bulls displayed more marked changes than cows or juveniles. The proportion of time allocated to sexual and agonistic behavior increased at the expense of maintenance activity as the rut progressed. |
format |
Thesis |
author |
Smith, Timothy E. |
author_facet |
Smith, Timothy E. |
author_sort |
Smith, Timothy E. |
title |
Reproductive behavior and related social organization of the muskox on Nunivak Island |
title_short |
Reproductive behavior and related social organization of the muskox on Nunivak Island |
title_full |
Reproductive behavior and related social organization of the muskox on Nunivak Island |
title_fullStr |
Reproductive behavior and related social organization of the muskox on Nunivak Island |
title_full_unstemmed |
Reproductive behavior and related social organization of the muskox on Nunivak Island |
title_sort |
reproductive behavior and related social organization of the muskox on nunivak island |
publishDate |
1976 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/11122/8001 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(167.167,167.167,-73.300,-73.300) |
geographic |
Fairbanks Zimmerman |
geographic_facet |
Fairbanks Zimmerman |
genre |
muskox Nunivak Nunivak Island ovibos moschatus Alaska |
genre_facet |
muskox Nunivak Nunivak Island ovibos moschatus Alaska |
op_relation |
http://hdl.handle.net/11122/8001 |
_version_ |
1766070842868891648 |