Fish diet of the Antarctic fur seal,Arctocephalus gazella,in summer,at Stranger Point,King George Island,South Shetland Islands |
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Authors: | G A Daneri |
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Institution: | (1) Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, “Bernardino Rivadavia” (MACNBR), División Mastozoología, Av Angel Gallardo 470, (1405) Buenos Aires, Argentina, AR |
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Abstract: | In February 1992, 34 faecal samples from non-breeding male Antarctic fur seals, Arctocephalus gazella, were collected at Stranger Point, King George Island, South Shetlands. Fish constituted an important part of the diet, occurring
in 90% of those scats containing prey remains. From 1162 otoliths found in the faeces, 1086 were identified to at least family
level. Myctophids and nototheniids represented together almost 90% of the fish eaten. The dominant species were Gymnoscopelus nicholsi, Pleuragramma antarcticum and Electrona antarctica, contributing 33.3%, 30.8% and 12.0% of the otoliths respectively. The standard length of these three species was estimated
from otoliths with little or no signs of erosion. This study showed that fur seals fed mainly on pelagic fish species that
are often associated with krill. These findings are corroborated by fur seal diving patterns.
Received: 7 October 1994/Accepted: 5 October 1995 |
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