1975/01/01 by A. G. McNab, McNab, A. G., M. C. Crawley +1
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Arctic and Antarctic ice dynamics #Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture Studies #Marine animal studies overview
paper · pdf · doi:10.26021/731
openalex publication_date 1975/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/01
Descriptions are given of the behaviour of females and pups of the New Zealand fr seal, Arctocephalus forsteri (Lesson 1828), and the early development of mother-pup relations.Twenty births were observed and accurately timed: 12 head presentations had a mean delivery time of 2 min (from 6 s to 6 min) and 8 tail presentations averaged 6.5 min (from 8 s to 19 min).Sniffing of newborn pups by their mothers was frequent and identification was by smell thereafter.Pups were particularly active in the hour after birth, frequently shaking, coughing, calling and looking around.Most pups fed on the first day, but rarely during the first hour.Mothers first left their pups to go swimming at intervals after birth ranging from 45 min to 3 days.The mother's first departure on a feeding trip was 6 to 12 days after giving birth, and pups were not normally left for more than a day or two.When females stayed away for longer periods on subsequent feeding trips, pups more than 21 days old congregated into pods, until their mothers returned.Females fed only their own pups and were hostile to others, but pups attempted to feed from strnge females.Pups played with their mothers and had play-fights with other pups.Initially, pups were afraid of the water but all could swim within 20 days.Bulls were indifferent to pups, and trampled or lay on the unwary.