The aim of this study is to determine whether male northern elephant seals, Mirounga angustirostris are as polygynous as observations of mating behavior suggest. Precise estimates of the reproductive success of males breeding at Ano Nuevo, California, will be obtained by paternity analysis using modern techniques of molecular genetics. The effect of male age, social rank, and size on success in siring pups will be assessed and these variables will be correlated with offspring survival to weaning age. Field methods will yield measurements of mating success, identity of mates, and social rank. Tissue samples fromputative fathers, females and their pups will be analyzed by thetechnique of DNA fingerprinting, a procedure used successfully for kinship testing and forensic applications in humans, and forpedigree and paternity testing in other animals. The research will produce results necessary for understanding sexual selection, the evolution of mating systems, and the social and developmental behaviors that shape organisms.
