Growth of the southern elephant seal Mirounga leonina (Linnaeus 1758) at Macquarie Island ...

• Main Author: Bell, CM
• Format: Thesis
• Language: unknown
• Published: University Of Tasmania 2023
• Subjects: Slaughter; Elephant Seal; Elephant Seals; Macquarie Island; Mirounga leonina; Southern Elephant Seal
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.25959/23235935.v1; https://figshare.utas.edu.au/articles/thesis/Growth_of_the_southern_elephant_seal_Mirounga_leonina_Linnaeus_1758_at_Macquarie_Island/23235935/1

Body growth was an essential component of early biological research undertaken to develop sustainable harvesting methods of the southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina Linnaeus 1758). Since slaughter ceased in most areas earlier this century, a substantial decline in numbers of elephant seals has been recognised at several of the main breeding sites, stimulating interest in life-history attributes which may help provide an explanation for these declines. Growth of elephant seals from the Macquarie Island population was investigated to quantify the current growth pattern and to compare with the stable population at South Georgia, where elephant seals were known to be larger, grow faster, and breed earlier. A method was developed to indirectly measure body mass using photogrammetry. Predictive models were developed using photographic images alone, but when compared with models based on measured morphological characteristics, the best predictor of body mass was a combination of body length and girth squared. ...