Data From: Effects of disease on foraging behaviour and success in an individual free-ranging northern elephant seal ...

• Main Authors: Holser, Rachel, Crocker, Daniel, Favilla, Arina, Adachi, Taiki, Keates, Theresa, Naito, Yasuhito, Costa, Daniel
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2023
• Subjects: FOS Biological sciences; Pinnipeds; Endocrinology; Ecology; Wildlife Biology; stress physiology; Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law; Nature and Landscape Conservation; ecological modeling; Physiology; Burton; Webb; Elephant Seal; Elephant Seals
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.7291/d1w101; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.7291/D1W101

Evaluating consequences of stressors on vital rates in marine mammals is of considerable interest to scientific and regulatory bodies. Many of these species face numerous anthropogenic and environmental disturbances. Despite its importance as a critical form of mortality, little is known about disease progression in air-breathing marine megafauna at sea. We examined the movement, diving, foraging behaviour, and physiological state of an adult female northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) who suffered from an infection while at sea. Comparing her to healthy individuals, we identified abnormal behavioural patterns from high-resolution biologging instruments that are likely indicators of diseased and deteriorating condition. We observed continuous extended (3–30 min) surface intervals coinciding with almost no foraging attempts (jaw motion) during two weeks of acute illness early in her post-breeding foraging trip. Elephant seals typically spend ~2 min at the surface. There were less frequent but ... : Adult female diving and foraging behaviour was measured using biologging instruments deployed on ~20 individuals per year during the post-breeding trip from 2004–2020 for a total of 289 deployments. Each animal was sedated following standard protocols (Robinson et al., 2012) and equipped with a time-depth recorder (TDR) programmed to collect depth data at least every 8 seconds and with a satellite tag providing either Argos or GPS locations (Wildlife Computers, Seattle, WA, USA; Sea Mammal Research Unit, St. Andrews University, UK). Upon returning to shore, individuals were sedated again for instrument recoveries. Body composition and energy gain values were calculated using established methods (Robinson et al., 2012). Morphometric measurements were collected during deployment and recovery sedations, including weight, blubber depths, lengths, and girths. Body composition was calculated using the truncated cones method (Gales and Burton, 1987) and calibrated to body water measurements (Webb et al., 1998). ...