Agonistic Encounters Among Male Elephant Seals: Frequency, Context, and the Role of Female Preference

摘要: SYNOPSIS. Aggressive interactions between male northern elephant seals, Mirounga angustirostris , observed during the course of three breeding seasons are analyzed from perspective costs and benefits to individuals. Males spend less than one percent their time in aggressive activities overwhelming majority agonistic consist only visual vocal threats rather physical combat. most likely threaten other males when likelihood that they will be successful displacing opponent is high. who mounting females, or close proximity threatened more frequently otherwise occupied. However, high ranking bulls do regularly issue which not provoked by location behavior recipient. Despite obvious such threats, this may favored as a result female choice. Estrous females receptive mounted has just dominated another similar rank been resting recently displaced stillmore dominant male. A general argument made species where social status correlated with genetic fitness, choice based on signals used incompetition males.