Diving behaviour of lactating bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus) in the Svalbard area

• Main Authors: Kovacs, Kit M., Gjertz, Ian, Haug, Tore, Krafft, Bjørn, Lydersen, Christian
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: Norwegian Polar Institute 2008
• Subjects: BIOTA; biology; EARTH SCIENCE; BIOLOGICAL CLASSIFICATION; ANIMALS/VERTEBRATES; MAMMALS; CARNIVORES; SEALS/SEA LIONS/WALRUSES; BIOSPHERE; ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS; Arctic; Jan Mayen; Svalbard; bearded seal; Erignathus barbatus; Kongsfjord*; Kongsfjorden; North Atlantic; walrus*
• Online Access: http://data.npolar.no/dataset/a4419dff-306c-5c3c-beaf-c4d17071a60e

This study documents activity patterns and diving behaviour of four bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus)mothers during the lactation period. Depth and velocity were recorded at intervals of 10 s, with a depth resolution of 2 m. The females spent 8 ± 3% (mean ± SD) of their time hauled out on the ice and92 ± 3% in the water. Approximately half of their time was spent diving. During the study 15 077 dives were recorded.The duration of dives was 2.0 ± 2.3 min and diving depth was 17.2 ± 22.5 m (maximum 18.7 min and 288 m,respectively). Haulout periods occurred 3 ± 2 times per day (duration = 44.0 ± 98.1 min). The overall distance swumper day was 48.1 ± 23.2 km. Three dive types were differentiated using a combination of hierarchical and k-meansclustering, one V-shaped grouping and two U-shaped groupings. The most common dive type was U1; these dives werethe deepest and longest type (depth = 28 ± 32 m, duration = 185 ± 146 s), and bottom time occupied a significantfraction of the total dive time (120 ± 120 s). These dives are likely foraging dives. Lactation is energetically demandingfor bearded seals, and females do forage while they have dependent pups.