First record of a southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) in Sri Lankan waters

Abstract An unusual sighting of a juvenile southern elephant seal ( Mirounga leonina ), outside its typical range, was recorded off the southern coast of Sri Lanka between 20th November and 20th December 2019. The individual, a male as confirmed by the presence of a prepuce, underwent a catastrophic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine Biodiversity Records
Main Author: de Vos, Asha
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Springer Science and Business Media LLC 2021
Subjects:
Aquatic Science
Ecology
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Oceanography
Elephant Seal
Mirounga leonina
Southern Elephant Seal
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s41200-020-00196-z
http://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1186/s41200-020-00196-z.pdf
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s41200-020-00196-z/fulltext.html
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Summary:Abstract An unusual sighting of a juvenile southern elephant seal ( Mirounga leonina ), outside its typical range, was recorded off the southern coast of Sri Lanka between 20th November and 20th December 2019. The individual, a male as confirmed by the presence of a prepuce, underwent a catastrophic moult during this 1 month period, following which no further observations were recorded and so it was assumed it returned to sea. This represents the first confirmed sighting of a southern elephant seal, and indeed a phocid, in Sri Lankan waters.

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