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Contributor
Hill, Heather (Faculty Mentor)
Digital Publisher
Digital Commons at St. Mary's University
Publication Date
Spring 2026
Keywords
Belgua whales, Social grouping, Object play, Cetaceans
Description
Play is defined as voluntary behavior that differs from functional behaviors and typically occurs in low-stress environments. In cetaceans, object play has been linked to development, motor skill practice, and social learning. Play behavior is an important factor of development in belugas, because belugas are social animals that live and interact within groups, the composition of these groups or "groupings" might influence their play behaviors. Understanding how said groupings may affect the play rates may help researchers better understand the development of behavior and social dynamics of the beluga groupings. The purpose of this study was to see whether grouping influences the frequency, type, and development of beluga object play across mixed-age groups. Behavioral data were collected from recorded video observation and coded using a ethogram designed to identify types of object play. Observation was categorized based on social grouping present at the time of play. The frequency of play were measured and compared about different grouping types. It was predicted that groups including juveniles would show higher frequency of object play. It was also hypothesised that mixed-age groups display greater play frequency than adult-only groupings. Examining these relationships between social grouping and object play. The results did not support our hypotheses of mixed age groups showing greater play durations than adult-only groups and object play frequency will be higher in groupings that include juveniles.
Format
Size
1 poster
City
San Antonio, Texas
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.