| Summary: | The at-sea summertime distribution of marine mammals between South Africa and Antarctica was determined along eight transects surveyed between December 2007 and January 2012. During 1930 30-minute transect counts, 1390 marine mammal individuals were attributed to 19 species: eight toothed whales ( Odontoceti ), six pinnipeds, and five baleen whales ( Mysticeti ). An additional two toothed-whale species were encountered ‘out of effort’. The four most numerous species accounted for 85% of the total number of individuals encountered: crabeater seal ( Lobodon carcinophagus ), humpback whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae ), Antarctic Minke whale ( Balaenoptera bonaerensis ) and fin whale ( B. physalus ). The distribution of these species was related to oceanographic features, such as water masses and fronts, pack ice and ice edge: These differences were statistically highly significant. Biodiversity was compared with other polar marine ecosystems.
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