Are southern elephant seals re-invading mid-latitude grounds? New sightings and first birth records off the Chilean Coast

Brucella spp. and Leptospira spp. antibodies were surveyed in 35 southern elephant seals (SESs) Mirounga leonina at Elephant Island (South Shetland Islands), western Antarctic peninsula, in the Austral summer of 2003 and 2004. The rose Bengal test and a commercial competitive ELISA (c-ELISA) were used to detect Brucella spp. exposure, and the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) with 22 live serovars was used to determine anti-Leptospira spp. antibodies. We found evidence of Brucella spp. exposure in 3 of 35 (8.6%) SESs tested via the c-ELISA displaying high percentage inhibition (PI), similar to other studies in pinnipeds in which Brucella spp. antibodies have been determined. Two of the 3 positives were pups (PI = 70.4 and 86.6%), while the third was an adult female (PI = 48.8%). The 3 c-ELISA positive SESs were additionally tested via the serum agglutination test but were found to be negative. All individuals were negative for antibodies against 22 Leptospira spp. serovars by MAT. These results contribute to the knowledge and monitoring of zoonotic pathogens with epizootic potential in Southern Ocean pinnipeds. Given the potential impact that pathogens may have on the abundance of wild (sometimes threatened and endangered) populations, constant monitoring and surveillance are required to prevent pathogen spread, particularly under forecast climate change scenarios.

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Temporal consistency of individual trophic specialization in southern elephant seals Mirounga leonina

Marine Ecology Progress Series ◽

10.3354/meps12411 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 585 ◽

pp. 229-242 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

D Rita ◽

M Drago ◽

F Galimberti ◽

L Cardona

Keyword(s):

Temporal Consistency ◽

Mirounga Leonina ◽

Trophic Specialization ◽

Elephant Seals ◽

Southern Elephant Seals

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Movements of southern elephant seals

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z96-163 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 74 (8) ◽

pp. 1485-1496 ◽

Cited By ~ 72

Author(s):

B. J. McConnell ◽

M. A. Fedak

Keyword(s):

Southern Ocean ◽

Continental Shelf ◽

Antarctic Peninsula ◽

Average Rate ◽

Stationary Phases ◽

Mirounga Leonina ◽

Elephant Seals ◽

South Georgia ◽

Southern Elephant Seals ◽

The Antarctic

Twelve southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) were tracked for an average of 119 days as they left their breeding or moulting beaches on the island of South Georgia between 1990 and 1994. Females travelled either eastward up to 3000 km away to the open Southern Ocean or to the continental shelf on or near the Antarctic Peninsula. Males either stayed close to South Georgia or used South Georgia as a base for shorter trips. The females all left South Georgia in a directed manner at an average rate of 79.4 km/day over at least the first 15 days. Thereafter travel was interrupted by bouts of slower travel or stationary phases. The latter were localized at sites on the continental shelf or along its edge. Three seals that were tracked over more than one season repeated their outward direction of travel and used some of the same sites in subsequent years. The magnitude of the movements makes most of the Southern Ocean potentially available to elephant seals.

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A longitudinal study of senescence in a pinniped

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z02-017 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 80 (3) ◽

pp. 395-401 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Pierre A Pistorius ◽

Marthán N Bester

Keyword(s):

Longitudinal Study ◽

Adult Female ◽

No Reduction ◽

Marion Island ◽

Mirounga Leonina ◽

Elephant Seals ◽

Reproductive Senescence ◽

Southern Elephant Seals ◽

Female Survival ◽

Breeding Seasons

To measure the prevalence of senescence in southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina Linn.) at Marion Island, changes in adult-female survival and breeding probabilities with age were quantified. Markrecapture data that had been collected over a 17-year period were analysed using recently developed software to obtain likelihood estimates of survival and capture probabilities. With recapture effort constant over the study period, capture probabilities during the breeding seasons were used as indices of breeding probabilities. Longevity in the population was assessed from the resighting of tagged and hence known-age individuals. Less than a 1% difference between prime-age survival and post prime age survival was found over 8 cohorts of marked females. In addition, no reduction in survival of very old individuals was detected, suggesting the absence of senescence in terms of reduced survival in southern elephant seals. No evidence of reproductive senescence in terms of reduced breeding probability with age was detected. Mortality throughout the population therefore resulted in no individuals surviving to the age where physiological decline would become a mortality agent or result in failure to breed. Five percent of female southern elephant seals survived to age 10 and 0.5% to age 17.

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Mawson’s views on use of natural resources in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic

Polar Record ◽

10.1017/s0032247421000279 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 57 ◽

Author(s):

Peter D. Shaughnessy ◽

Mark Pharaoh

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Natural Resources ◽

Historical Context ◽

Wildlife Sanctuary ◽

Elephant Seals ◽

Macquarie Island ◽

Antarctic Expedition ◽

Southern Elephant Seals ◽

Meteorological Observations ◽

The Antarctic

Abstract Sir Douglas Mawson is a well-known Antarctic explorer and scientist. Early in his career, he recognised opportunities for commerce in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic regions. While at Cape Denison, Antarctica, in 1913 on the Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE), the Adelie Blizzard magazine was produced. Mawson contributed articles about Antarctic natural resources and their possible use. Later, he advocated Australia be involved in pelagic whaling. He collected seal skins and oil for their commercial value to be assessed by the Hudson’s Bay Company. During the AAE, Mawson visited Macquarie Island where an oiling gang was killing southern elephant seals and royal penguins. Mawson was concerned that they were over-exploited and lobbied successfully to stop the killing. His plans for Macquarie Island included a wildlife sanctuary, with a party to supervise access, send meteorological observations to Australia and New Zealand, and be self-funded by harvesting elephant seals and penguins. Macquarie Island was declared a sanctuary in 1933. Although Mawson has been recognised as an early proponent of conservation, his views on conservation of living natural resources were inconsistent. They should be placed in their historical context: in the early twentieth century, utilisation of living natural resources was viewed more favourably than currently.

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Growth of Southern Elephant Seals, Mirounga leonina, during their First Foraging Trip

Australian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1071/zo96067 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 45 (5) ◽

pp. 447 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Cameron M. Bell ◽

Harry R. Burton ◽

Mark A. Hindell

Keyword(s):

Body Composition ◽

Body Size ◽

Body Mass ◽

First Year ◽

Mirounga Angustirostris ◽

Mirounga Leonina ◽

Elephant Seals ◽

Southern Elephant Seals ◽

First Year Of Life ◽

Foraging Skills

A longitudinal study of growth of southern elephant seals, Mirounga leonina, during their first foraging trip was undertaken at Macquarie Island. On average, body mass increased by 75% while foraging at sea, with individuals growing at 0.34 ± 0.12 (s.d.) kg day-1 (n = 64), and spending 182 ± 51 days (n = 64) at sea. Relatively smaller changes in body length were recorded during the same period, suggesting that growth was composed primarily of adjustments to body composition, rather than increases in gross body size. This may be in response to the functional demands of pelagic life. Body size established early in life (birth mass and departure mass) positively influenced body mass upon return from the first foraging trip. Growth rate, however, was negatively related to departure mass for females, and this is hypothesised to be related to sex differences in body composition, as well as intrasex differences in foraging skills, diving ability and food- conversion efficiency. Despite this, there was no detectable age-specific sexual dimorphism in the first year of life. Animals that were at sea longer tended to return in better body condition. Interspecific comparison suggests that southern elephant seals grow more than do northern elephant seals, Mirounga angustirostris, and this difference may be related to prey abundance and distribution.

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