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pup adoption

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6 - The Cost of Living in a Seal Harem
Bernard J. Le Boeuf, University of California, Santa Cruz
Book:

Elephant Seals

Published online:

23 September 2021

Print publication:

07 October 2021, pp 55-61
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Summary

Life is tough in a seal harem because group living brings individuals in conflict with each other. These conflicts, and the consequences, are a major cause of pup mortality and are a source of injuries to breeding males and females. Females group together to give birth, which lessens the constant pestering of males attempting to mate with them and disrupting nursing. The major cause of pup mortality is separation of mother and pup caused by inclement weather, males accosting nursing mothers, males trampling pups, and neighboring females biting a mother’s pup. Many pups are orphaned and many females lose their pups. Adoption of pups is common, especially by females that have lost their own pups. Some females are injured and killed by males attempting to mate with them. Male injuries are common. Male weanlings, more so than female weanlings, attempt to reenter the harem to steal milk from nursing females.