Fish diet of the Antarcic fur seal, Arctocephalus gazella, in summer, at Stranger Point, King George Island, South Shetland Islands

• Published in: Polar Biology
• Main Author: Daneri, G.A.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Springer 1996
• Subjects: Antarctic; King George Island; South Shetland Islands; Stranger Point; Antarc*; Antarctic Fur Seals; Antarctica; Arctocephalus gazella; Polar Biology
• Online Access: https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/50940/; https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/50940/1/3062.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-015-1836-3

In February 1992, 34 faecal samples from non-breeding male Antarctic fur seals, Arctophalus gazella, were collected at Stranger Point, King George Island, South Shetlands. Fish constituted an important part of the diet, occuring in 90% of those scats containing prey remains. From 1162 otoliths found in the Myctophids and nototheniids represented together almost 90% of the fish eaten. The dominant species were Gymnoscopelus nicholsi, Pleuragramma antarcticum and Electrona antarctica, contributing 33.3%, 30.8% and 12.0% of the otoliths respectively. The standard length of these three species was estimated from otoliths with little or no signs of erosion. This study showed that fur seals fed mainly on pelagic fish species that are often associated with krill. These findings are corroborated by fur seal diving patterns.