Vagrancy in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic pinnipeds
In ecology, vagrancy refers to a species traveling beyond its typical distribution. Individual pinnipeds (seals) are known to venture far beyond their normal habitats, but records of such nomads are scarce, as they often go unreported. In November and December 2018, we observed considerable vagrancy...
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ftunivtasecite:oai:ecite.utas.edu.au:149570 2023-05-15T13:42:40+02:00 Vagrancy in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic pinnipeds Viola, B Sorrell, K 2022 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2480 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/149570 en eng Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Inc. http://ecite.utas.edu.au/149570/1/149570 - Vagrancy in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic pinnipeds.pdf http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/fee.2480 Viola, B and Sorrell, K, Vagrancy in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic pinnipeds, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 20, (2) pp. 110. ISSN 1540-9295 (2022) [Letter or Note in Journal] http://ecite.utas.edu.au/149570 Biological Sciences Ecology Ecology not elsewhere classified Letter or Note in Journal NonPeerReviewed 2022 ftunivtasecite https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2480 2022-10-03T22:16:43Z In ecology, vagrancy refers to a species traveling beyond its typical distribution. Individual pinnipeds (seals) are known to venture far beyond their normal habitats, but records of such nomads are scarce, as they often go unreported. In November and December 2018, we observed considerable vagrancy in members of two pinniped species, both of which were injured. The first was a leopard seal ( Hydrurga leptonyx top), an Antarctic species, in Port Phillip Bay, Australia. This individual had very worn teeth and what we suspect was a healed propeller wound near its hind flippers. The second was a southern elephant seal ( Mirounga leonina bottom), a sub-Antarctic species, in Cape Bridgewater, Australia. This seal had damage to its left eye, but otherwise appeared to be healthy. Leopard seals are solitary animals that live and breed on Antarctic pack ice, the outermost extent of which is located more than 3000 km from where we observed this individual. Likewise, the closest colony (defined here as more than 500 individuals) of southern elephant seals is on Macquarie Island, Tasmania (~60,000 individuals), which is more than 2200 km away from the individual we observed. However, small groups of southern elephant seals can also be found on islands closer to the Australian mainland, including Antipodes Island (New Zealand; ~250 individuals) and Maatsuyker Island (Tasmania; ~4 individuals). Some researchers have posited that the rare observations of these species from the Australian mainland are examples not of vagrancy, but rather of seasonal transience, where the aberrant individuals presence recurs over time. Perhaps the animals are exploiting an abundant food source? Perhaps these occurrences are in response to changing environmental conditions, or signal the beginning of a colonization event? Perhaps injured individuals cannot compete with healthy adults and wander farther afield to feed and survive? Text Antarc* Antarctic Antipodes Island Elephant Seal Elephant Seals Hydrurga leptonyx Leopard Seal Leopard Seals Macquarie Island Mirounga leonina Southern Elephant Seal Southern Elephant Seals eCite UTAS (University of Tasmania) Antarctic Hydrurga ENVELOPE(-61.626,-61.626,-64.145,-64.145) New Zealand Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 20 2 110 110 |
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eCite UTAS (University of Tasmania) |
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English |
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Biological Sciences Ecology Ecology not elsewhere classified |
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Biological Sciences Ecology Ecology not elsewhere classified Viola, B Sorrell, K Vagrancy in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic pinnipeds |
topic_facet |
Biological Sciences Ecology Ecology not elsewhere classified |
description |
In ecology, vagrancy refers to a species traveling beyond its typical distribution. Individual pinnipeds (seals) are known to venture far beyond their normal habitats, but records of such nomads are scarce, as they often go unreported. In November and December 2018, we observed considerable vagrancy in members of two pinniped species, both of which were injured. The first was a leopard seal ( Hydrurga leptonyx top), an Antarctic species, in Port Phillip Bay, Australia. This individual had very worn teeth and what we suspect was a healed propeller wound near its hind flippers. The second was a southern elephant seal ( Mirounga leonina bottom), a sub-Antarctic species, in Cape Bridgewater, Australia. This seal had damage to its left eye, but otherwise appeared to be healthy. Leopard seals are solitary animals that live and breed on Antarctic pack ice, the outermost extent of which is located more than 3000 km from where we observed this individual. Likewise, the closest colony (defined here as more than 500 individuals) of southern elephant seals is on Macquarie Island, Tasmania (~60,000 individuals), which is more than 2200 km away from the individual we observed. However, small groups of southern elephant seals can also be found on islands closer to the Australian mainland, including Antipodes Island (New Zealand; ~250 individuals) and Maatsuyker Island (Tasmania; ~4 individuals). Some researchers have posited that the rare observations of these species from the Australian mainland are examples not of vagrancy, but rather of seasonal transience, where the aberrant individuals presence recurs over time. Perhaps the animals are exploiting an abundant food source? Perhaps these occurrences are in response to changing environmental conditions, or signal the beginning of a colonization event? Perhaps injured individuals cannot compete with healthy adults and wander farther afield to feed and survive? |
format |
Text |
author |
Viola, B Sorrell, K |
author_facet |
Viola, B Sorrell, K |
author_sort |
Viola, B |
title |
Vagrancy in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic pinnipeds |
title_short |
Vagrancy in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic pinnipeds |
title_full |
Vagrancy in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic pinnipeds |
title_fullStr |
Vagrancy in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic pinnipeds |
title_full_unstemmed |
Vagrancy in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic pinnipeds |
title_sort |
vagrancy in antarctic and sub-antarctic pinnipeds |
publisher |
Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Inc. |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2480 http://ecite.utas.edu.au/149570 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-61.626,-61.626,-64.145,-64.145) |
geographic |
Antarctic Hydrurga New Zealand |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Hydrurga New Zealand |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antipodes Island Elephant Seal Elephant Seals Hydrurga leptonyx Leopard Seal Leopard Seals Macquarie Island Mirounga leonina Southern Elephant Seal Southern Elephant Seals |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antipodes Island Elephant Seal Elephant Seals Hydrurga leptonyx Leopard Seal Leopard Seals Macquarie Island Mirounga leonina Southern Elephant Seal Southern Elephant Seals |
op_relation |
http://ecite.utas.edu.au/149570/1/149570 - Vagrancy in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic pinnipeds.pdf http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/fee.2480 Viola, B and Sorrell, K, Vagrancy in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic pinnipeds, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 20, (2) pp. 110. ISSN 1540-9295 (2022) [Letter or Note in Journal] http://ecite.utas.edu.au/149570 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2480 |
container_title |
Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment |
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20 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
110 |
op_container_end_page |
110 |
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1766171391496814592 |