Anomalous lanugo coat colourations in sub-Antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus tropicalis) pups born on Marion Island

• Published in: Polar Biology
• Main Authors: Du Toit, Kate, Mole, Michael, Wege, Mia, Reisinger, Ryan, Oosthuizen, Chris, Shihlomule, Yinhla, Jordaan, Rowan, van Tonder, André, de Bruyn, P.
• Other Authors: Department of Zoology and Entomology Pretoria, University of Pretoria South Africa, Mammal Research Institute - Department Zoology and Entomology, Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé - UMR 7372 (CEBC), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-La Rochelle Université (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2019
• Subjects: Sub-Antarctic fur seal; Arctocephalus tropicalis; Marion Island; Anomalous coat colouration; [SDE]Environmental Sciences; Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctic Fur Seal; Antarctic Fur Seals; Polar Biology; Prince Edward Islands
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-02148380; https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-019-02487-3

International audience Anomalous pelage colourations are not uncommon amongst pinnipeds but have not been documented in sub-Antarctic furseals (Arctocephalus tropicalis). Fur seals (Arctocephalus spp.) have been monitored on Marion Island since 1973, and aspart of the long-term monitoring programme, any atypical sightings of fur seals were recorded. Fourteen sub-Antarctic furseal pups with anomalous lanugo coat colourations were observed on Marion Island between 2008 and 2018. Most of thesepups were born to typically coloured sub-Antarctic fur seal mothers. The observed coat colourations are an anomaly of theirnatal (lanugo) black coats. While all pups had normal colour vibrissae and eyes, they had creamy muzzles and brown-toblondeventral and belly colouration. The fur on the flippers was a light tan to cream in colouration, darkening towards theborder of the flipper. The dorsal side of the pups all appeared to be light grey in colour. All pups appeared to be healthy. Oncemoulted, these pups had normal adult pelage colourations. The frequency of occurrence of these anomalous lanugo coat colourationswas low, suggesting that this is a particularly rare phenomenon. The causes for these anomalous coat colourationsare unknown. These observations are the first records of sub-Antarctic fur seal pups with anomalous lanugo fur colourationsfrom the Prince Edward Islands and represents the first of such observations in sub-Antarctic fur seals worldwide. Italso represents the first report on anomalous colourations of pinnipeds that appears to exclusively influence the lanugo fur.