Paternity analysis shows experience, not age, enhances mating success in a an aquatically mating pinniped, the Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii)

• Published in: Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
• Main Authors: Harcourt, RG, Kingston, JJ, Cameron, MF, Waas, JR, Hindell, MA
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Springer 2007
• Subjects: 300802 Wildlife and Habitat Management; Paternity .Weddell seal . Mating success . Polygyny . Experience; McMurdo Sound; Turtle Rock; Weddell; Weddell Seal; Weddell Seals
• Online Access: https://eprints.utas.edu.au/3714/; https://eprints.utas.edu.au/3714/1/3714.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-006-0294-x

For polygynous mammals with no paternal care, the number of offspring sired is often the sole measure of male reproductive success. The potential for polygyny is highest when resources or other environmental factors such as restricted breeding sites force females to aggregate. In these circumstances...