title: Social status and mating activity in elephant seals.
abstract: Individually marked male elephant seals, Mirounga angustirostris, observed on an island off central California participate in a social hierarchy resembling the peck order of domestic chickens. Individuals achieve status by fighting and maintain it by stereotyped threat displays. The higher the status of a male, the more readily he approaches and copulates with females. Four percent of the males inseminated 85 percent of the females.
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Le Boeuf
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Peterson