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Maternal Behavior in Otariids and the Walrus

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Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Otariids and the Odobenid

Part of the book series: Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Marine Mammals ((EBEMM))

Abstract

The most energetically costly phases of female reproduction in placental mammals are gestation and lactation. For the young, the success of this relationship is based on obtaining as much maternal care as they can take in, even if this may result in a cost to future reproductive success of the mother. On the other hand, the mother should retain sufficient resources to be able to invest in future offspring, thus ensuring her own future reproductive success. These competing demands lead to a conflict between mothers and their young that eventually results in the weaning of the young, often initiated by the mother. In this review, we describe the main strategies of lactation and maternal care in fur seals, sea lions and walrus. The maternal care strategy in income-breeding pinnipeds with prolonged lactation periods, such as otariids and walrus, is influenced by group-living, and these two factors have been subject to strong selection. Maternal care in pinnipeds is influenced by both social and environmental constraints. This information plays a major role in our understanding of the social and exploratory behavior of the young, as well as into the interaction between maternal care and the development of offspring.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Investigación y Gestión de Recursos Naturales (CIGREN), Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile

    Maritza Sepúlveda

  2. Marine Predator Research Group, School of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Robert G. Harcourt

Authors
  1. Maritza Sepúlveda
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  2. Robert G. Harcourt
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Correspondence to Maritza Sepúlveda .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Wildlife Conservation Society, Marine and Argentina Programs, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Claudio Campagna

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Robert Harcourt

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Sepúlveda, M., Harcourt, R.G. (2021). Maternal Behavior in Otariids and the Walrus. In: Campagna, C., Harcourt, R. (eds) Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Otariids and the Odobenid. Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Marine Mammals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59184-7_3

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