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American Zoologist 1974 14(1):391-403; doi:10.1093/icb/14.1.391
© 1974 by The Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
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The Development of Social Behavior Through Play in the Steller Sea Lion

ROGER L. GENTRY
Coastal Marine Laboratory, University of California Santa Cruz, California 95064

Steller sea lion pups were observed from birth through the eighth week of life. Data were collected on dyadic interactions among 19 marked animals. The results showed that among these precocious animals adult-like behavioral patterns are clearly evident by 2 weeks of age. In play bouts motor components of many adult motivational states occur in mixed sequence. Most of the motor components in play bouts resembled male agonistic behavior. By analyzing for the ratio of one behavioral pattern to another, play bouts were divisible into types, e.g., fighting bouts were clearly separable from boundary defense bouts. Age, sex, terrain, and the specific play partner were all determinants of the motor components used in an encounter. Sexual dimorphism was obvious and measurable, but no clear sign of a dominance hierarchy was found. The results are discussed in terms of the possible role that play behavior holds in establishing the relative stability or flexibility of behavior among adults.


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