ScienceDaily
(Nov. 20, 2012) — Some grey seal mums adopt risky tactics when it comes to
the future of their young, a strategy that can give their pup a real advantage,
according to scientists.
Researchers
from Durham University and the University of St Andrews, looking at grey seal
colonies in Scotland, found that some seal mothers are flexible in the
parenting style they adopt and 'gamble' on the outcome of their actions, whilst
other play it safe and steady.
The
study is the first to demonstrate how variation in personality traits in large
marine mammals in the wild can persist, rather than a single, successful,
personality type dominating the population.
The
research shows that some seal mothers have a very fixed approach to looking
after their pups, and tend to behave in a similar fashion whatever the local
conditions on the breeding colony are; whether they are in a crowded and busy
location, or in a less disturbed situation. These mums tend to achieve average
success in terms of their pups' weight gain (crucial to the future survival of
the pup), so that, by-and-large, they generally do well. These mums seem to
have a 'play it safe' approach to life.
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