Diving physiology and winter foraging behavior of a juvenile leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) |
| |
Authors: | Carey E Kuhn Birgitte I McDonald Scott A Shaffer Julie Barnes Daniel E Crocker Jennifer Burns Daniel P Costa |
| |
Institution: | (1) Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Long Marine Lab, 100 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95060-5730, USA;(2) Veterinary and Quarantine Centre, Taronga Zoo, Mosman, NSW, 2088, Australia;(3) Department of Biology, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, CA, 94928, USA;(4) Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alaska, Anchorage, AK, 99508, USA |
| |
Abstract: | Diving physiology and at-sea behavior of a juvenile leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) were opportunistically measured in the Antarctic Peninsula during winter 2002. Total body oxygen stores were estimated from
measures of hematocrit, hemoglobin, myoglobin, and total blood volume and were used to calculate an aerobic dive limit (ADL).
Movement patterns and diving behavior were measured by equipping the seal with a Satellite Relay Data Logger that transmitted
data from 8–31 August 2002. The seal remained in a focal area, in contrast to crabeater seals tracked simultaneously. The
seal displayed short, shallow dives (mean 2.0±1.4 min, 44±48 m) and spent 99.9% of its time within the estimated ADL of 7.4 min.
The shallow diving behavior contradicts previous diet research suggesting Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) is the primary prey of leopard seals during the winter months as krill were found at deeper depths during this period. These
measurements of diving and movement of a leopard seal provide valuable preliminary data necessary to develop future research
on the at-sea behavior of an apex predator in the Antarctic ecosystem. |
| |
Keywords: | |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|