OCCURRENCE, COMPOSITION, AND POTENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE (EUBALAENA GLACIALIS) SURFACE ACTIVE GROUPS
OCCURRENCE, COMPOSITION, AND POTENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF NORTH ATLANTIC RIGHT WHALE (EUBALAENA GLACIALIS) SURFACE ACTIVE GROUPS
复制标题
北大西洋露脊鲸（EUBALAENA GLACIALIS）表面活跃群体的出现、组成和潜在功能
DOI：
10.1111/j.1748-7692.2007.00154.x
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发表时间：
2007
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
P. Tyack
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
S. Parks;Moira W. Brown;L. Conger;P. Hamilton;A. Knowlton;S. Kraus;C. Slay;P. Tyack
人们对海洋哺乳动物的社会互动知之甚少，主要是因为在野外观察这些行为很困难。对北大西洋露脊鲸表面活动群体（SAG）交配的观察导致了这样一种假设，即这些群体的功能是为了受孕。根据年龄、性别和生殖状况对1992年至2001年发现的SAG的发生率和组成进行了调查。共记录了918起SAG事件。在所有栖息地和露脊鲸出现的所有月份都观察到了SAG。组成分揭示了潜在的概念组和非概念组。在已知年龄的露脊鲸中，93%的露脊鲸是在幼年时首次出现在SAG中，超过一半的观察群体至少包含一头幼鲸。组的组成和时间发生的SAG不支持的假设，所有的群体服务于一个纯粹的概念功能。其职能作用可能要广泛得多。其他潜在的功能包括玩耍、交配或维持社会关系。
Marine mammal social interactions are poorly understood primarily because of the difficulty of observing these behaviors in the wild. Observations of copulations in North Atlantic right whale surface active groups (SAGs) have led to the hypothesis that the function of these groups is for conception. The occurrence and composition of SAGs sighted from 1992 to 2001 were investigated on the basis of age, sex, and reproductive status of individuals. A total of 918 SAG events were documented. SAGs were observed in all habitat areas and in all months in which right whales were sighted. Group compositions revealed both potentially conceptive groups and nonconceptive groups. Of right whales whose age was known, 93% were first sighted in SAGs as juveniles, and more than half of all observed groups contained at least one juvenile whale. The group composition and timing of occurrence of SAGs do not support the hypothesis that all groups serve a purely conceptive function. Their functional role is likely much broader. Other potential functions include play, mating practice, or maintenance of social bonds.