The foraging ecology and provisioning strategies of sympatric fur seals Arctocephalus gazella and Arctocephalus tropicalis at Macquarie Island ...

• Main Author: Robinson, Susan Andrina
• Format: Thesis
• Language: unknown
• Published: University Of Tasmania 2023
• Subjects: Antarctic; Austral; Antarc*; Arctocephalus gazella; Macquarie Island
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.25959/23246360; https://figshare.utas.edu.au/articles/thesis/The_foraging_ecology_and_provisioning_strategies_of_sympatric_fur_seals_Arctocephalus_gazella_and_Arctocephalus_tropicalis_at_Macquarie_Island/23246360

Antarctic Arctocephalus gazella and subantarctic A. tropicalis fur seals (Pinnipedia: Otariidae) have very different lactation strategies (ie. duration of pup rearing periods), the former taking four months to rear its pups and the latter, ten months. At Macquarie Island these two species are sympatric, which is unusual for fur seals, and their lactation periods overlap for the first four months. The aim of this study was to examine the importance of phylogenetic constraints and environment on the lactation strategies of these seal species at Macquarie Island. This was undertaken by comparing their provisioning strategies at this location, primarily in terms of maternal energy acquisition at sea (foraging behaviour and diet) and on shore energy transfer to the pup (attendance behaviour, milk composition, milk intake, pup growth and fasting). The diet, diving behaviour and foraging location of A. gazella and A. tropicalis females were compared during the austral summer period when pup-rearing of the two ...