Meeting Abstract
The topic of individual differences in animal behavior has garnered a great deal of attention across many species, but questions remain as to whether behavioral differences change over time or across age and sex. The present study focused on beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas), a species in which a high degree of behavioral variability may be expected due to the fact that belugas are large-brained, long-lived, and highly social in nature. We recorded a suite of 33 behavioral measures related to boldness, playfulness, sociability, and other traits, with the goal of assessing age and sex differences in behavior, as well as consistency within individuals over time. Our subjects were seaquarium-based, and mixed in age and sex (N=41). Findings showed that immature whales were rated as more spontaneous and more likely to be at the observation window, suggesting perhaps investigative behavior varies with age. Adult whales, on the other hand, were more likely to swim in non-standard body orientations, to display vigilant behavior, and to be rated as dominant. Most importantly, 22 of the 33 behavioral measures showed significant within-subject consistency over time, suggesting that stable behavioral differences appear to exist in this species (behavioral syndromes). However, very few measures showed significant correlations with each other, indicating that they could not be grouped into identifiable factors that comprised recognizable “personalities.” Instead, we suggest that personality may be built in different ways depending on an individual’s age, sex, and contextual variables that may influence the degree to which specific sets of behaviors co-vary.
