Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Leandri de Kock, W. Chris Oosthuizen, Roxanne S. Beltran, Marthan N. Bester, P. J. Nico de Bruyn
Summary: Phenological shifts in response to environmental change are evident in marine mammals, but rare in Southern Ocean species. The moult behavior of female elephant seals on Marion Island was investigated over 32 years, with age and breeding state found to be major factors influencing moult timing and duration. Environmental factors had minimal impact on moult behavior.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Biology
Erwan Piot, Baptiste Picard, Jerome Badaut, Caroline Gilbert, Christophe Guinet
Summary: Among southern elephant seals, two categories of dive behavior were identified based on body size, with smaller individuals performing shallower and shorter dives requiring greater mean stroke amplitude compared with larger individuals. The larger seals had lower estimated oxygen consumption levels for a given buoyancy compared with smaller individuals. Based on these relationships, two models were built to estimate changes in oxygen consumption according to dive duration and body density. Replenishing body stores improves foraging efficiency in southern elephant seals, as indicated by increased time spent at the bottom of the ocean.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Hassen Allegue, Christophe Guinet, Samantha C. Patrick, Mark A. Hindell, Clive R. McMahon, Denis Reale
Summary: This study investigates the individual differences in seasonal foraging habitat selection of southern elephant seals based on sex, body size, and boldness. The study found that males and females exhibit different habitat preferences, with males selecting more productive habitats and females selecting less productive ones. The results also show a seasonal shift in habitat selection, with seals moving from Antarctic habitats in the summer to subantarctic and subtropical habitats in the winter.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biology
William D. Paterson, Laureline L. Chaise, Chris McKnight, John Currie, Dave Thompson, Andre Ancel, Caroline Gilbert, Dominic J. McCafferty
Summary: This study investigated the heat loss during the moult in southern elephant seals in different habitats, showing that the heat loss was greatest on the beach. Additionally, changes in body weight and skin surface temperature occurred as the moult progressed.
JOURNAL OF THERMAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Melina M. Martinez, Laura A. Ruiz-Etcheverry, Martin Saraceno, Anatole Gros-Martial, Julieta Campagna, Baptiste Picard, Christophe Guinet
Summary: By utilizing data collected from elephant seals and satellite remote sensing, a detailed oceanographic study of the Argentine Continental Shelf was conducted. The study identified different regions based on temperature and salinity, and revealed a seasonal front. The feeding behavior of elephant seals was found to be related to ocean dynamics.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Joris Laborie, Matthieu Authier, Adrien Chaigne, Karine Delord, Henri Weimerskirch, Christophe Guinet
Summary: Southern elephant seals are important predators and prey consumers in the Southern Ocean, but uncertainties remain about their population sizes. This study used high-resolution satellite imagery to estimate the total populations of elephant seals in the Kerguelen and Crozet Archipelagos. The results showed the reliability of this approach and provided the first estimation of the total southern elephant seal population for both archipelagos. The population trends in the southern Indian Ocean showed marked growth over the last decade, particularly on Crozet where the elephant seal population has more than tripled.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Richard Condit, Roxanne S. Beltran, Patrick W. Robinson, Daniel E. Crocker, Daniel P. Costa
Summary: Northern elephant seals migrate long distances to breeding beaches to raise pups during a brief period. The timing of their arrival is crucial, with early arrival wasting foraging time and late arrival causing parturition failure. Despite traveling thousands of kilometers while pregnant, female elephant seals are able to time their arrival within days, maintaining a precise annual birth cycle for many years consecutively.
MARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Zoology
H. J. Nichols, B. Fuchs, A. J. Paijmans, G. Lewis, C. A. Bonin, M. E. Goebel, J. Hoffman
Summary: Intraspecific variation in animal mating systems can have implications for ecological, evolutionary and demographic processes. Southern elephant seals are traditionally seen as having a polygynous mating system, but studies have found significant geographic differences in polygyny strength among populations. Research on a small satellite colony of elephant seals at the South Shetland Islands showed weak polygyny, with the most successful male fathering only seven pups.
JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Julieta Campagna, Mirtha N. Lewis, Victoria Gonzalez Carman, Claudio Campagna, Christophe Guinet, Mark Johnson, Randall W. Davis, Diego H. Rodriguez, Mark A. Hindell
Summary: Research on elephant seals has shown that they exhibit habitat segregation based on age and sex, with males showing a preference for area-restricted feeding activities, while females tend to choose areas further from the breeding colonies. Despite differences in offshore habitats between sub-Antarctic and temperate ecosystems, elephant seals show remarkable similarities in habitat use behaviors by age and sex classes.
MARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Isabel Cristina Avila, Gustavo Alberto Trujillo, Juan Jose Alava
Summary: Recent sightings of southern elephant seals on the Colombian Pacific coast represent some of the northernmost records of this species. The arrival of these marine mammals may be linked to their search for food, eco-physiological processes, as well as the influence of ENSO and ongoing environmental changes in the Southern Ocean.
Article
Parasitology
F. A. Soto, S. M. Rodriguez, M. S. Leonardi, J. Negrete, F. Cremonte
Summary: This study redescribes Corynosoma bullosum based on specimens found in the faeces of southern elephant seals. The molecular characterization and morphology confirm its classification within the genus Corynosoma, and reveal its close relationship to Corynosoma australe. This research provides important insights into the biology and evolutionary relationships of these parasitic worms.
JOURNAL OF HELMINTHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Michelle Chua, Simon Y. W. Ho, Clive R. McMahon, Ian D. Jonsen, Mark de Bruyn
Summary: This study combined genetic and animal tracking data to investigate the mitochondrial haplotype diversity, natal source populations, and movement behaviors of southern elephant seals at Davis Base. The majority of seals originated from breeding populations in the South Atlantic Ocean and South Indian Ocean, while the Macquarie Island population is declining.
Article
Fisheries
Margaret E. Martinez, Nicole Stacy, James F. X. Jr Jr Wellehan, Linda L. Archer, Salvatore Jr Jr Frasca, Carlos Rios, Emily J. Trumbull, Michelle Rivard, Emily R. Whitmer, Cara L. Field, Padraig J. Duignan
Summary: The present study is the first description of diffuse large B cell lymphoma with leukemic manifestation and concomitant detection of a novel gammaherpesvirus in free-living northern elephant seals. Further research regarding the prevalence of this new gammaherpesvirus and its associated pathogenesis in this species is indicated.
DISEASES OF AQUATIC ORGANISMS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shichao Pei, Xiangliang Zhang, Victor M. Eguiluz, Sarah S. Kienle, Patrick W. Robinson, Daniel P. Costa, Carlos M. Duarte
Summary: Northern elephant seals, known for their large-scale foraging migrations, exhibit surprising coherence in female seals' migratory behavior. Patterns of movement remained coherent until the seals were 1,000 km away from the colony, beyond which coherence declined. Regional aggregations were observed, with female seals traveling within the center and isolated individuals on the edges. The presence of synchronized movement was demonstrated, suggesting the influence of both internal and external cues on migration timing.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Oceanography
Theresa R. Keates, Elliott L. Hazen, Rachel R. Holser, Jerome Fiechter, Steven J. Bograd, Patrick W. Robinson, Juan Pablo Gallo-Reynoso, Daniel P. Costa
Summary: The role of mesoscale eddies in structuring trophic transfer in the mesopelagic zone was investigated based on tracking data and in situ temperature measurements of northern elephant seals. The study found that cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies can affect the seals' foraging behavior, with increased activity observed in anticyclonic eddies. The aggregation of prey at the edges of eddies was found to be an important mechanism, while nutrient upwelling played a minor role in enhancing the prey field.
DEEP-SEA RESEARCH PART I-OCEANOGRAPHIC RESEARCH PAPERS
(2022)
