Observations of Mating Practice by Non-Sexually Mature Male Belugas (Delphinapterus leucas)

Hill, Henry; Ham, Jackson R.; Lilley, Malin K.

doi:10.1578/am.48.6.2022.541

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 36 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The overlap of behaviors in sexual and aggressive contexts could be a result of dominance relationships being displayed and reinforced through both sexual means and aggressive displays or could be the result of specific behaviors taking on different meanings in different contexts. NCSB in beluga whales is highly reciprocal (Lilley et al 2020;Manitzas Hill et al 2022), at least between sexually mature males and sexually immature males, so more information on the reciprocity of such behavior is needed to determine if dominance is a possible function for this species.…”

Section: Managing Social Relationships: Dominance Greetingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…NCSB might be used to practice general motor skills (D'Agostino et al 2017), especially during sensitive periods of development (Byers 1998), and has also been suggested to be of potential importance for successful conceptive behavior later in life (Fairbanks 2002;Mann 2006), which may be more challenging in the threedimensional aquatic environment. While empirical evidence of sexually immature animals engaging in NCSB to practice copulatory behavior is limited, this has been suggested for many species (beluga whales; Glabicky et al 2010;Hill and Ramirez 2014;Hill et al 2015;Lilley et al 2020;Manitzas Hill et al 2022; right whales (Eubalaena spp. ); Thomas and Taber 1984;Kraus and Hatch 2001;Parks et al 2007;D'Agostino et al 2017;killer whales;Baird 2000; harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena); Keener et al 2018;spinner dolphins;Estrade and Dulau 2017;bottlenose dolphins;Scott et al 2005;Connor and Mann 2006;Kuczaj et al 2006;Mann 2006;Kuczaj and Eskelinen 2014;Delfour et al 2017;Harvey et al 2017).…”

Section: Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Non-conceptive Sexual Behavior in Cetaceans: Comparison of Form and Function

Ham,

Lilley,

Manitzas Hill

2023

Sex in Cetaceans

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Non-conceptive sexual behavior (NCSB) is phylogenetically widespread, having been documented in 35 of the 87 extant cetacean species, but function and form of NCSB have not been studied in comparative manner. Many cetacean species engage in NCSB across a wide variety of settings and contexts (e.g., play, sexual, affiliative). NCSB includes both social and non-social sexual behaviors, such as non-social masturbation on the environment or social same-sex thrusting toward a conspecific, but importantly, none of the behavior described as NCSB affords reproduction. While these two general categories encompass all sexual actions, the behaviors are diverse depending on species, social structure, and sex of the individual being observed. Social sexual behavior presumably has individual or social benefits. This chapter organizes what is known about NCSB in cetaceans by summarizing NCSB repertoires from peer-reviewed literature and discussing proposed functions (e.g., practice for reproduction, attracting opposite-sex mates, reducing the reproductive opportunities of same-sex conspecifics, reinforcing dominance relationships, alliance formation, reconciliation, and social tension reduction). Further, the form or behavioral repertoire, the sex of the individuals engaging in NCSB, the environment observed in, and whether NCSB was present or absent in general are noted from each of the articles reviewed. Overall, NCSB behavior observed across species shares similar elements (e.g., thrusting, lateral presentations) in both Mysticeti and Odontoceti. NCSB tends to be more prevalent among sexually immature compared to sexually mature individuals. Additionally, NCSB is more prevalent between male conspecifics compared to females when animals engage in same-sex NCSB. Interspecific NCSB has also been reported for a number of species. While most reports come from toothed whales, the limited observations of baleen whales have also found that many species engage in NCSB, making it likely that NCSB is included in the behavioral repertoire of most cetacean species. NCSB likely aids in forming and maintaining social relations and/or in the development of sexual repertoires in cetaceans, not unlike what has been proposed for primates. We hope this chapter sparks interest in comparative studies of NCSB and sheds light on the similarities of NCSB across species.

show abstract

Section: Managing Social Relationships: Dominance Greetingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-conceptive Sexual Behavior in Cetaceans: Comparison of Form and Function

Ham,

Lilley,

Manitzas Hill

2023

Sex in Cetaceans

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…While not mutually exclusive, these behaviors often differ in form. For example, sociosexual behavior resembles copulatory behavior (Hill et al, 2015; Lilley, Ham, & Manitzas Hill, 2022; Lilley, Ham, Miller, Kolodziej, et al, 2022; Manitzas Hill, et al, 2022) but can be considered affiliative or playful in certain contexts (Manitzas Hill, et al, 2023). The vast majority of affiliative social contact research has investigated mother‐offspring contact and its role in the formation of social bonds and infant development (Harlow, 1958; Nakamura & Sakai, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Playful mouth‐to‐mouth interactions of belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) in managed care

Ham,

Lilley,

Wincheski

et al. 2023

Zoo Biology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) engage in many forms of play (e.g., object, water, locomotor), but no play is quite as curious as the unusual form of cooperative social play involving mouth‐to‐mouth interactions. These playful interactions are characterized by two belugas approaching each other head‐to‐head and interlocking their jaws, clasping one another, as if they were shaking hands. Observed in belugas both in the wild and in managed care, it is seemingly an important type of social play that offers a unique way of socializing with conspecifics. To describe this unusual behavior, a group of belugas in managed care was observed from 2007 to 2019. Although adults participated in mouth‐to‐mouth interactions, most were initiated and received by young belugas. Both males and females engaged in mouth‐to‐mouth interactions and did so at similar frequencies. Individual differences in how many mouth‐to‐mouth interactions were initiated among calves were also observed. Due to the unique, cooperative nature of mouth‐to‐mouth interactions, which require both social and motor skills, it is hypothesized that these interactions may be used to test social and motor competency.

show abstract

Drone Perspectives on Cetacean Mating and Sex

Ramos,

Hartman,

Baird

et al. 2023

Sex in Cetaceans

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Mating and sociosexual behaviors of cetaceans are challenging to study in nature because most species spend only brief periods of time at the surface and most copulation and courtship occurs underwater. Recent advancements in technology have enabled a new perspective on these behaviors. Drones, or unoccupied aerial systems, have revolutionized studies of marine mammals by providing unparalleled aerial perspectives on the behaviors of whales, porpoises, and dolphins, including their use for investigating questions concerning the sexual behaviors and mating habits of species in near-surface waters. Drones offer numerous benefits over traditional boat- and land-based observational methods for studying mating in free-swimming cetaceans, including the ability to continuously film in high resolution for fine-scale tracking of activity and mating behaviors at and near the water’s surface. This paper outlines various ways in which drone data can be used to understand mating in cetaceans, including novel drone-based video observations of six species of dolphins and whales. These examples illustrate specific sociosexual and mating behaviors and how drone-based data can be used to address questions about the diversity of sexual behaviors and mating strategies. The use of drones is improving opportunities to investigate the fitness advantages of mating tactics and their evolutionary drivers.

show abstract

Observations of Mating Practice by Non-Sexually Mature Male Belugas (Delphinapterus leucas)

Cited by 7 publications

References 36 publications

Non-conceptive Sexual Behavior in Cetaceans: Comparison of Form and Function

Non-conceptive Sexual Behavior in Cetaceans: Comparison of Form and Function

Playful mouth‐to‐mouth interactions of belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) in managed care

Drone Perspectives on Cetacean Mating and Sex

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About