Keyword: otariids

Esta nota reporta el rapto y adopción de una cría por parte de una hembra de lobo fino sudamericano Arctocephalus australis durante el parto, con el posterior rechazo a su propio cachorro. La cría fue raptada cuando se encontraba junto a su madre, quien intentó recuperarla sin éxito. En el mes siguiente se observó a la cría amamantando de su madre y de la madre adoptiva. Este episodio aporta información sobre la alta sensibilidad de las hembras de esta especie durante el parto y el corto período de selectividad maternal que puede establecerse incluso antes del parto.

Kidnapping of a pup by a parturient female and shared care in the South American fur seal, Arctocephalus australis. This communication reports a case of kidnapping and adoption of a pup by a South American fur seal female (Arctocephalus australis) while she was in labor, rejecting her own pup when it was born. The kidnapped pup was taken from its mother, who tried unsuccessfully to retrieve it. In the following month, the pup was observed nursing both from its mother and the adoptive female. This episode provides new insights into the high maternal sensitivity during parturition and the short period of maternal selectivity that can be established even before birth in this species.