2012 COURSE DATES: AUGUST 4 – 17, 2012 - Sirenian International

Social Interactions in Captive Female
Florida Manatees
Jennifer Young Harper and Bruce A. Schulte n
Zoo Biology 24:135–144 (2005)
Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia
The Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) is considered a semi-social
species with strong bonds developed primarily between mother and offspring.
Some field studies suggest sociality may be more developed and such social
relationships may facilitate survival. Seven facilities in Florida house manatees,
many of which were brought into captivity because of injury or illness sustained in
the wild. Decisions to release such manatees consider individual history and
health. We examined social interactions in adult female captive manatees to assess
level of association and implications for manatee care and release. We
investigated the degree of contact among 20 manatees in captivity at four
facilities housing two to nine adult female manatees. We used all contact behavior
occurrences sampling and continuous recording for 180 continuous minutes per
day over 3 consecutive days at each facility. Virtually all contacts were nonaggressive.
The number of contacts between manatees increased as the number of
manatees per unit volume of water increased. Contacts did not fit a Poisson
distribution, however, and were not random. When more than two manatees were
present, manatees only associated with a subset of individuals in the aquarium.
Relationships maintained in captivity indicate the potentially social nature of
manatees, and suggest that further research is needed to examine the benefit of
these relationships to the health and rehabilitation of manatees in captivity and
conservation in the wild. Zoo Biol 24:135–144, 2005. c 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Key words: aggression; association; conservation; ethogram; interaction; social behavior
INTRODUCTION
The organization of individuals into social groups is likely to evolve when the
benefits of group living outweigh the costs [Alexander, 1974; Emlen 1997]. Benefits of
Dr. Jennifer Young Harper’s present address is Coastal Georgia Community College, 3700 Altama
Avenue, Brunswick, GA 31520.
n
Correspondence to: Bruce A. Schulte, Department of Biology PO Box 8042, Georgia Southern
University, Statesboro, Georgia, 30460-8042. E-mail: bschulte@georgiasouthern.edu
Received 2 April 2004; Accepted 8 November 2004
DOI 10.1002/zoo.20044
Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com).
c 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.