Foraging ecology of southern elephant seals from Heard Island ...

• Main Author: Slip, DJ
• Format: Thesis
• Language: unknown
• Published: University Of Tasmania 2023
• Subjects: Heard Island; Elephant Seal; Elephant Seals; Mirounga leonina; Southern Elephant Seal; Southern Elephant Seals
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.25959/23247404; https://figshare.utas.edu.au/articles/thesis/Foraging_ecology_of_southern_elephant_seals_from_Heard_Island/23247404

1. The foraging ecology of the southern elephant seal population at Heard Island was examined. The study aimed to quantify the current status, diet, movement patterns, and foraging behaviour of the population in order to use this information to make an estimate of the population's energy requirements and food consumption. 2. I compared intravenous and intramuscular administrations of ketamine and diazepam to immobilise juvenile (8 to 24 months old) southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina), to determine the most appropriate method for immobilising seals to a level required for stomach flushing or attaching electronic activity recorders. With intravenous injections, time to induction was shorter and less variable, the duration of immobilisation was shorter and less variable, and dose of ketamine was lower and less variable. Eight of 32 seals (25%) injected intravenously had apnoeas ranging from 8 to 20 minutes (mean= 16 ± 4.5 min), and 6 of 27 seals (22%) injected intramuscularly were apnoeic for more ...