Data

Southern Elephant Seal Foraging in the Southern Ocean

Australian Ocean Data Network
Burton, H. and van den Hoff, J. ; BURTON, HARRY ; VAN DEN HOFF, JOHN
Viewed: [[ro.stat.viewed]] Cited: [[ro.stat.cited]] Accessed: [[ro.stat.accessed]]
ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2FANDS&rft_id=Dataset DOI&rft.title=Southern Elephant Seal Foraging in the Southern Ocean&rft.identifier=Dataset DOI&rft.publisher=Australian Antarctic Data Centre&rft.description=Twenty three juvenile (8-14 months of age) southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina L.) from Macquarie Island were tracked during 1993 and 1995. Migratory tracks and ocean areas with concentrated activity, presumed to be foraging grounds, were established from location data gathered by attached geolocation time depth recorders. The seals ranged widely (811-3258 km) and foraging activity centred on oceanographic frontal systems, especially the Antarctic Polar Front and bathymetric features such as the Campbell Plateau region. The seals spent 58.6% of their sea time within managed fishery areas while the remainder was spent on the high seas, an area of unregulated fishing. The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) areas 58.4.1, 88.2 and especially 88.1 were important and distant foraging areas for these juvenile elephant seals. From fisheries records, diet and the foraging ecology studies of the seals there appears to be little, if any, overlap or conflict between the seals and commercial fishing operations within the regulated commercial areas. However, attention is drawn to the possibility of future interactions if Southern Ocean fisheries expand or new ones commence. Furthermore... The dive duration of 16 underyearling (6-12 months old) southern elephant seals Mirounga leonina during their second trip to sea was investigated using geolocating time depth recorders. Underyearling seals had a lesser diving ability, with respect to duration and depth, than adult southern elephant seals. Individual underyearlings dived for average durations of up to 20.3 minutes and depths up to 416m compared to durations and depths of 36.9 minutes and 589m, respectively for adults. Dive duration was positively related to their body mass at departure, indicating that smaller seals were limited to shorter dive durations, perhaps as a result of their lesser aerobic capacity. All seals often exceeded their theoretical aerobic dive limit (average of 22.1 plus/minus 18.1%). The number of dives exceeding the theoretical aerobic dive limit was not related to mass, suggesting that factors other than mass, such as foraging location or prey availability, may have been responsible for the differences in diving effort. Foraging ability, indicated by the ability of the seals to follow vertically moving prey, was positively related to seal mass, indicating that small mass restricted foraging ability. The shorter dive durations of the smaller seals inferred that they had shallower dive depths in which to search for prey, thus restricting foraging ability. Although foraging ability was restricted by size, foraging success was found to be inversely related to mass, the smaller seals gaining a higher proportion of blubber than larger seals during their foraging trips. Thus, despite smaller seals being restricted to shallower depths and shorter durations, their foraging success was not affected. The fields in this dataset are: Area Perimeter ID Latitude Longitude Time Percent CCAMLR EEZ Season Seal Sex Age (months) Days at Sea Range (km) Bearing (degrees) Sea Surface Temperatures (degrees C) Foraging Areas Departure Mass (kg) At sea mass gain (kg) Rate of mass gain (kg) Survival estimates Length (m) Girth (m) Dives Divers per hour Total Time Diving % trip diving Dive Duration Surface Time Theoretical Aerobic Dive Limit DriftProgress Code: completedStatement: Values provided in temporal coverage are approximate only.&rft.creator=Burton, H. and van den Hoff, J. &rft.creator=BURTON, HARRY &rft.creator=VAN DEN HOFF, JOHN &rft.date=2000&rft.coverage=westlimit=130; southlimit=-73.0; eastlimit=-20; northlimit=-38.0&rft.coverage=westlimit=130; southlimit=-73.0; eastlimit=-20; northlimit=-38.0&rft_rights=This metadata record is publicly available.&rft_rights=These data are publicly available for download from the provided URL.&rft_rights= https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode&rft_rights=This data set conforms to the CCBY Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Please follow instructions listed in the citation reference provided at http://data.aad.gov.au/aadc/metadata/citation.cfm?entry_id=ASAC_468 when using these data. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).&rft_rights=Portable Network Graphic&rft_rights=https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/3.0/88x31.png&rft_rights=Creative Commons by Attribution logo&rft_rights=Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)&rft_rights=Legal code for Creative Commons by Attribution 4.0 International license&rft_rights=Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)&rft_rights= https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode&rft_subject=biota&rft_subject=oceans&rft_subject=EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES&rft_subject=EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES > MAMMALS&rft_subject=EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS > SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS > MIGRATORY RATES/ROUTES&rft_subject=EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS > SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS > USE/FEEDING HABITATS&rft_subject=EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES > MAMMALS > CARNIVORES > SEALS/SEA LIONS/WALRUSES&rft_subject=% TRIP DIVING&rft_subject=AGE&rft_subject=AREA&rft_subject=AT SEA MASS GAIN&rft_subject=BEARING&rft_subject=BODY SIZE&rft_subject=CCAMLR&rft_subject=DAYS AT SEA&rft_subject=DEPARTURE MASS&rft_subject=DIVE DURATION&rft_subject=DIVERS PER HOUR&rft_subject=DIVES&rft_subject=DRIFT&rft_subject=EEZ&rft_subject=FISHERIES MANAGEMENT AREAS&rft_subject=FORAGING&rft_subject=FORAGING AREAS&rft_subject=GEOLOCATION&rft_subject=GIRTH&rft_subject=JUVENILE&rft_subject=LATITUDE&rft_subject=LENGTH&rft_subject=LONGITUDE&rft_subject=MACQUARIE ISLAND&rft_subject=MIGRATION&rft_subject=MIROUNGA LEONINA&rft_subject=OCEAN FRONTS&rft_subject=PERCENT&rft_subject=PERIMETER&rft_subject=RANGE&rft_subject=RATE OF MASS GAIN&rft_subject=SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES&rft_subject=SEAL ID&rft_subject=SEASON&rft_subject=SEX&rft_subject=SOUTHERN ELEPHANT SEAL&rft_subject=SOUTHERN OCEAN&rft_subject=SURFACE TIME&rft_subject=SURVIVAL ESTIMATES&rft_subject=THEORETICAL AEROBIC DIVE LIMIT&rft_subject=TIME&rft_subject=TIME DEPTH RECORDER&rft_subject=TOTAL TIME DIVING&rft_subject=AMD/AU&rft_subject=CEOS&rft_subject=AMD&rft_subject=OCEAN > SOUTHERN OCEAN&rft_subject=OCEAN > SOUTHERN OCEAN > MACQUARIE ISLAND&rft_subject=GEOGRAPHIC REGION > POLAR&rft.type=dataset&rft.language=English Access the data
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Please follow instructions listed in the citation reference provided at http://data.aad.gov.au/aadc/metadata/citation.cfm?entry_id=ASAC_468 when using these data.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

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This metadata record is publicly available.

These data are publicly available for download from the provided URL.

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Brief description

Twenty three juvenile (8-14 months of age) southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina L.) from Macquarie Island were tracked during 1993 and 1995. Migratory tracks and ocean areas with concentrated activity, presumed to be foraging grounds, were established from location data gathered by attached geolocation time depth recorders. The seals ranged widely (811-3258 km) and foraging activity centred on oceanographic frontal systems, especially the Antarctic Polar Front and bathymetric features such as the Campbell Plateau region. The seals spent 58.6% of their sea time within managed fishery areas while the remainder was spent on the high seas, an area of unregulated fishing. The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) areas 58.4.1, 88.2 and especially 88.1 were important and distant foraging areas for these juvenile elephant seals. From fisheries records, diet and the foraging ecology studies of the seals there appears to be little, if any, overlap or conflict between the seals and commercial fishing operations within the regulated commercial areas. However, attention is drawn to the possibility of future interactions if Southern Ocean fisheries expand or new ones commence.

Furthermore...

The dive duration of 16 underyearling (6-12 months old) southern elephant seals Mirounga leonina during their second trip to sea was investigated using geolocating time depth recorders. Underyearling seals had a lesser diving ability, with respect to duration and depth, than adult southern elephant seals. Individual underyearlings dived for average durations of up to 20.3 minutes and depths up to 416m compared to durations and depths of 36.9 minutes and 589m, respectively for adults. Dive duration was positively related to their body mass at departure, indicating that smaller seals were limited to shorter dive durations, perhaps as a result of their lesser aerobic capacity. All seals often exceeded their theoretical aerobic dive limit (average of 22.1 plus/minus 18.1%). The number of dives exceeding the theoretical aerobic dive limit was not related to mass, suggesting that factors other than mass, such as foraging location or prey availability, may have been responsible for the differences in diving effort. Foraging ability, indicated by the ability of the seals to follow vertically moving prey, was positively related to seal mass, indicating that small mass restricted foraging ability. The shorter dive durations of the smaller seals inferred that they had shallower dive depths in which to search for prey, thus restricting foraging ability. Although foraging ability was restricted by size, foraging success was found to be inversely related to mass, the smaller seals gaining a higher proportion of blubber than larger seals during their foraging trips. Thus, despite smaller seals being restricted to shallower depths and shorter durations, their foraging success was not affected.

The fields in this dataset are:

Area
Perimeter
ID
Latitude
Longitude
Time
Percent
CCAMLR
EEZ
Season
Seal
Sex
Age (months)
Days at Sea
Range (km)
Bearing (degrees)
Sea Surface Temperatures (degrees C)
Foraging Areas
Departure Mass (kg)
At sea mass gain (kg)
Rate of mass gain (kg)
Survival estimates
Length (m)
Girth (m)
Dives
Divers per hour
Total Time Diving
% trip diving
Dive Duration
Surface Time
Theoretical Aerobic Dive Limit
Drift

Lineage

Progress Code: completed
Statement: Values provided in temporal coverage are approximate only.

Data time period: 1991-09-30 to 1992-03-31

-20,-38 -20,-73 130,-73 130,-38 -20,-38

55,-55.5

text: westlimit=130; southlimit=-73.0; eastlimit=-20; northlimit=-38.0

Subjects
% TRIP DIVING | AGE | AMD | AMD/AU | AREA | AT SEA MASS GAIN | BEARING | BODY SIZE | CCAMLR | CEOS | DAYS AT SEA | DEPARTURE MASS | DIVE DURATION | DIVERS PER HOUR | DIVES | DRIFT | EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES | EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES > MAMMALS | EARTH SCIENCE > BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION > ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES > MAMMALS > CARNIVORES > SEALS/SEA LIONS/WALRUSES | EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS > SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS > MIGRATORY RATES/ROUTES | EARTH SCIENCE > BIOSPHERE > ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS > SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS > USE/FEEDING HABITATS | EEZ | FISHERIES MANAGEMENT AREAS | FORAGING | FORAGING AREAS | GEOGRAPHIC REGION > POLAR | GEOLOCATION | GIRTH | JUVENILE | LATITUDE | LENGTH | LONGITUDE | MACQUARIE ISLAND | MIGRATION | MIROUNGA LEONINA | OCEAN > SOUTHERN OCEAN | OCEAN > SOUTHERN OCEAN > MACQUARIE ISLAND | OCEAN FRONTS | PERCENT | PERIMETER | RANGE | RATE OF MASS GAIN | SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES | SEAL ID | SEASON | SEX | SOUTHERN ELEPHANT SEAL | SOUTHERN OCEAN | SURFACE TIME | SURVIVAL ESTIMATES | THEORETICAL AEROBIC DIVE LIMIT | TIME | TIME DEPTH RECORDER | TOTAL TIME DIVING | biota | oceans |

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