First confirmed record of a leucistic Antarctic fur seal pup born outside the Scotia Arc Islands

A leucistic Antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella) pup was born on subantarctic Marion Island during the austral summer of 2010/2011. This is the first confirmed record of a leucistic fur seal pup born outside the Scotia Arc islands. Additionally, we report on a leucistic adult female Antarctic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar Biology
Main Authors: Wege, Mia, Postma, Martin, Tosh, Cheryl A., De Bruyn, P.J. Nico, Bester, Marthan Nieuwoudt
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Springer 2015
Subjects:
Leucism
Arctocephalus gazella
Marion Island
Antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella)
Antarctic
Austral
Antarc*
Antarctic Fur Seal
Polar Biology
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/2263/44185
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-014-1573-z
Description
Summary:A leucistic Antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella) pup was born on subantarctic Marion Island during the austral summer of 2010/2011. This is the first confirmed record of a leucistic fur seal pup born outside the Scotia Arc islands. Additionally, we report on a leucistic adult female Antarctic fur seal producing typical black pups for five non-consecutive summers on Marion Island. The birth of a leucistic pup, together with the multiple black pups produced by the leucistic female, suggests that the recessive genes responsible for leucism are now entrenched within the Marion Island population. Department of Science and Technology, through the National Research Foundation (South Africa). http://link.springer.com/journal/300 2016-04-30 hb2015

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