Faculty Sponsor
Dr. Aimee Dunlap
Final Abstract for URS Program
Studying the behaviors of captive animals provides caretakers, ecologists, and conservationists with vital information on how better to care for them. I chose captive male California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) for my ethogram as little is known about their behavioral activities. I wanted to determine if they present an asymmetrical swimming preference and whether they display agonistic behaviors when there are no females present. I also aimed to examine the sea lions time budget, how they utilized their time in the pool. I used many observational sampling methods to gather data. My findings suggested there is a possibility that captive male sea lions may have an asymmetrical swimming preference. No instances of agonistic behavior occurred during this study, which can be seen in the resulting ethogram produced.
Document Type
Poster
Publication Date
4-26-2019