King-size fast food for Antarctic fur seals

International audience The study of scats of adult male Antarctic fur seals Arctocephalus gazella (AFS) revealed occasional frequent capture of penguins. Although AFS adult males have been occasionally reported to kill king penguins Aptenodytes patagonicus at the shore, here we report the first obse...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar Biology
Main Authors: Charbonnier, Yohan, Delord, Karine, Thiebot, Jean-Baptiste
Other Authors: Centre d'études biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: HAL CCSD 2010
Subjects:
Antarctic fur seal Arctocephalus gazella King penguin Aptenodytes patagonicus Direct observation Aquatic capture
geo
envir
Antarctic
Indian
Antarc*
Antarctic Fur Seal
Antarctic Fur Seals
Arctocephalus gazella
King Penguins
Polar Biology
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-009-0753-8
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00527418
Description
Summary:International audience The study of scats of adult male Antarctic fur seals Arctocephalus gazella (AFS) revealed occasional frequent capture of penguins. Although AFS adult males have been occasionally reported to kill king penguins Aptenodytes patagonicus at the shore, here we report the first observations of at-sea predation by AFS on adult king penguins in the Crozet archipelago, southern Indian Ocean. During our 20 days survey, we observed 17 penguins attacked and either severely injured or killed and consumed. Only AFS adult males were seen catching king penguins successfully. Some adult females and sub-adults also attempted to catch penguins, either at sea or in land, and so did subantarctic fur seals Arctocephalus tropicalis individuals. Our results confirm the ability of fur seals to catch and predate large seabirds, even at sea.

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