Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
Department of Life Sciences, Texas A&M University-San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA.
Zoo Biol. 2023 Nov-Dec;42(6):730-743. doi: 10.1002/zoo.21788. Epub 2023 Jun 7.
Belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) engage in many forms of play (e.g., object, water, locomotor), but no play is quite as curious as the unusual form of cooperative social play involving mouth-to-mouth interactions. These playful interactions are characterized by two belugas approaching each other head-to-head and interlocking their jaws, clasping one another, as if they were shaking hands. Observed in belugas both in the wild and in managed care, it is seemingly an important type of social play that offers a unique way of socializing with conspecifics. To describe this unusual behavior, a group of belugas in managed care was observed from 2007 to 2019. Although adults participated in mouth-to-mouth interactions, most were initiated and received by young belugas. Both males and females engaged in mouth-to-mouth interactions and did so at similar frequencies. Individual differences in how many mouth-to-mouth interactions were initiated among calves were also observed. Due to the unique, cooperative nature of mouth-to-mouth interactions, which require both social and motor skills, it is hypothesized that these interactions may be used to test social and motor competency.
白鲸（Delphinapterus leucas）会进行多种形式的游戏（例如，物体、水、运动），但没有哪种游戏像涉及口对口互动的这种不寻常的合作社交游戏那样奇特。这些有趣的互动的特点是两只白鲸头对头地靠近，然后相互锁住下巴，互相扣住，就好像在握手一样。这种互动在野生和管理饲养的白鲸中都有观察到，它似乎是一种重要的社交游戏类型，为与同物种社交提供了一种独特的方式。为了描述这种不寻常的行为，从 2007 年到 2019 年，对一群接受管理饲养的白鲸进行了观察。尽管成年白鲸也参与了口对口的互动，但大多数都是由年轻的白鲸发起和接受的。雄性和雌性白鲸都参与了口对口的互动，而且频率相似。在幼鲸中，也观察到了个体之间发起口对口互动的次数存在差异。由于口对口互动具有独特的合作性质，需要社交和运动技能，因此假设这些互动可能用于测试社交和运动能力。
