Geographic variation in skull characters of fur seals and sea lions (family Otariidae)

2002 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 415 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Brunner ◽  
P. D. Shaughnessy ◽  
M. M. Bryden
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Geographic Variation ◽  
South African ◽  
West Coast ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Sea Lions ◽  
Fur Seals ◽  
Fur Seal ◽  
Condylobasal Length ◽  
Gough Island

Geographic variation was observed in skulls of several otariid species, with a general change in size corresponding with a change in latitude and primary productivity. The largest specimens were from cool temperate localities, conforming mostly to Rensch's rule. Skulls of Australian sea lions from Western Australia were generally smaller in condylobasal length, but were more robust than those from South Australia. The subantarctic fur seal did not conform to Bergmann's rule: skulls from Amsterdam Island (37�55´S) were largest, those from Gough Island (40�20´S) intermediate and those from Marion Island (46�55´S) the smallest. For both sexes, skulls of southern sea lions from the Falkland Islands were smaller than their equivalents from mainland South America. Similarly, skulls of South African fur seals from south-east South Africa appeared smaller than those from the west coast of South Africa and Namibia; skulls from Namibia grouped separately from those of south-east and west coast, South Africa. We postulate that the Otariidae are in the process of species divergence, much of which may be driven by local factors, particularly latitude and resources.

Status of Australian sea lions, Neophoca cinerea, and New Zealand fur seals, Arctocephalus forsteri, on Eyre Peninsula and the far west coast of South Australia

2005 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 85 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. D. Shaughnessy ◽  
T. E. Dennis ◽  
P. G. Seager
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
West Coast ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Sea Lion ◽  
The West ◽  
Sea Lions ◽  
Neophoca Cinerea ◽  
Fur Seals ◽  
Fur Seal ◽  
New Zealand Fur Seal

Two seal species breed on the west coast of South Australia, the Australian sea lion, Neophoca cinerea, and the New Zealand fur seal, Arctocephalus forsteri. Aerial surveys were conducted at intervals of ~3 months between April 1995 and June 1997 to determine the breeding status of sea lions and timing of pupping seasons. Ground surveys between October 1994 and April 2004 aimed at counting sea lions and fur seals, particularly pups. In all, 27 sites were examined. Six new sea lion breeding colonies were documented, at Four Hummocks, Price, North Rocky, Dorothee, West Waldegrave and Nicolas Baudin Islands. All were found or confirmed by ground survey. Pup numbers were equivalent to 12% of the total number of pups estimated in surveys conducted from 1987 to 1992, but primarily in 1990. The sighting of brown pups on aerial surveys of Ward Island, Middle and Western Nuyts Reef supports earlier indications, based on dead pups, that they are breeding colonies. The timing of pupping seasons is not synchronous; estimates are presented for colonies between 1995 and early in 2004, with predictions to the end of 2005. The abundance estimates of sea lion pups highlight the importance of visiting a colony early in the pupping season to determine when pupping begins and ~5 months later when the maximum number of pups is expected. For the New Zealand fur seal, small numbers of pups were recorded at Dorothee, West Waldegrave and Nicolas Baudin Islands, and at Nuyts Reef. These and the previously unknown sea lion breeding colonies on the west coast of South Australia suggest that further colonies may remain to be documented. Because planning for aquaculture ventures is active in South Australia, it is important that the localities and status of sea lion and fur seal colonies be established unequivocally to ensure that the need for Prohibited Area status for islands with breeding colonies and for Marine Protected Areas around them is noted.

Australian fur seals establish haulout sites and a breeding colony in South Australia

2010 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter D. Shaughnessy ◽  
Jane McKenzie ◽  
Melanie L. Lancaster ◽  
Simon D. Goldsworthy ◽  
Terry E. Dennis
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Breeding Colony ◽  
Mitochondrial Dna Control Region ◽  
Sea Lions ◽  
Neophoca Cinerea ◽  
Fur Seals ◽  
Fur Seal ◽  
New Zealand Fur Seal

Australian fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus) breed on Bass Strait islands in Victoria and Tasmania. They have been recorded in South Australia (SA) for many years as non-breeding visitors and on Kangaroo Island frequently since 1988, mostly in breeding colonies of the New Zealand fur seal (A. forsteri) which is the most numerous pinniped in SA. Australian fur seals have displaced New Zealand fur seals from sections of the Cape Gantheaume colony on Kangaroo Island. North Casuarina Island produced 29 Australian fur seal pups in February 2008. Australian fur seal pups were larger than New Zealand fur seal pups in the same colony and have been identified genetically using a 263-bp fragment of the mitochondrial DNA control region. North Casuarina Island has been an important breeding colony of New Zealand fur seals, but pup numbers there decreased since 1992–93 (contrary to trends in SA for New Zealand fur seals), while numbers of Australian fur seals there have increased. This study confirms that Australian fur seals breed in SA. The two fur seal species compete for space onshore at several sites. Australian fur seals may compete for food with endangered Australian sea lions (Neophoca cinerea) because both are bottom feeders.

Seal survey in the Great Australian Bight region of Western Australia

1999 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 383 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. E. Dennis ◽  
P. D. Shaughnessy
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Sea Lion ◽  
Sea Lions ◽  
Australian Sea Lion ◽  
Fur Seals ◽  
Fur Seal ◽  
New Zealand Fur Seal ◽  
Great Australian Bight

In December 1996, a survey by helicopter of the Baxter Cliffs region of the Great Australian Bight in Western Australia did not locate any previously unreported colonies of the Australian sea lion or New Zealand fur seal. Although geologically contiguous with the Bunda Cliffs in South Australia (where sea lions have a scattered distribution), the Baxter Cliffs appeared generally more weathered and stable, with fewer collapsed sections of cliff forming platforms and providing habitat for seals. In total, 29 Australian sea lions were observed during the survey. Most were at a previously surveyed site approximately 2 km west of Twilight Cove. Ten other sites were recorded as potentially providing haul- out opportunity for sea lions; they were mainly caves and deep overhangs with access from the sea. No fur seals were seen. From this survey and from other records, we estimate the Australian sea lion population along the Baxter Cliffs in the Great Australian Bight region of Western Australia at less than 100 animals.

Records of vagrant fur seals (family Otariidae) in South Australia

2014 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter D. Shaughnessy ◽  
Catherine M. Kemper ◽  
David Stemmer ◽  
Jane McKenzie
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
South Australia ◽  
The South ◽  
South Indian Ocean ◽  
Fur Seals ◽  
South Indian ◽  
Fur Seal ◽  
New Zealand Fur Seal ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Subantarctic Fur Seals

Two fur seal species breed on the southern coast of Australia: the Australian fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus) and the New Zealand fur seal (A. forsteri). Two other species are vagrants: the subantarctic fur seal (A. tropicalis) and the Antarctic fur seal (A. gazella). We document records of vagrant fur seals in South Australia from 1982 to 2012 based primarily on records from the South Australian Museum. There were 86 subantarctic fur seals: 49 specimens and 37 sightings. Most (77%) were recorded from July to October and 83% of all records were juveniles. All but two specimens were collected between July and November. Sightings were prevalent during the same period, but there were also nine sightings during summer (December–February), several of healthy-looking adults. Notable concentrations were near Victor Harbor, on Kangaroo Island and Eyre Peninsula. Likely sources of subantarctic fur seals seen in South Australia are Macquarie and Amsterdam Islands in the South Indian Ocean, ~2700 km south-east and 5200 km west of SA, respectively. There were two sightings of Antarctic fur seals, both of adults, on Kangaroo Island at New Zealand fur seal breeding colonies. Records of this species for continental Australia and nearby islands are infrequent.

scholarly journals Trends in numbers of Cape gannets (Morus capensis), 1956/1957–2005/2006, with a consideration of the influence of food and other factors

2006 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 169-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. M. Crawford ◽  
Benedict L. Dundee ◽  
Bruce M. Dyer ◽  
Norbert T. W. Klages ◽  
Michael A. Meÿer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Fish Prey ◽  
Management Measures ◽  
Fur Seals ◽  
Long Term Changes ◽  
Influence Of Food ◽  
Abundance And Distribution

Abstract Crawford, R. J. M., Dundee, B. L., Dyer, B. M., Klages, N. T., Meÿer, M. A., and Upfold, L. 2007. Trends in numbers of Cape gannets (Morus capensis), 1956/57–2005/06, with a consideration of the influence of food and other factors – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64, 169–177. Cape gannets (Morus capensis) breed at six colonies in Namibia and South Africa. Population size averaged about 250 000 pairs over the period 1956/1957–1968/1969 and about 150 000 pairs from 1978/1979 to 2005/2006. Over the whole 50-y period, numbers at the three Namibian colonies fell by 85–98%, with greater proportional decreases in the south. There were increases at two South African colonies between 1956/1957 and 2005/2006. The colony at Lambert's Bay increased between 1956/1957 and 2003/2004, but attacks by Cape fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus) on birds at nests caused abandonment of the entire colony in 2005/2006. Long-term changes at colonies are thought to be largely attributable to an altered abundance and distribution of prey, especially sardine (Sardinops sagax) and anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus). In both Namibia and South Africa, the numbers of Cape gannets breeding were significantly related to the biomass of epipelagic fish prey. Over the 50-y period, there was also a marked similarity in the proportions of gannets and epipelagic fish in the Benguela system, which were present in Namibia and South Africa. In the 2000s, there was an eastward shift in the distribution of sardine off South Africa and a large increase in the number of gannets breeding at South Africa's easternmost colony. When sardine were scarce off South Africa, gannets fed on anchovy, but off Namibia anchovy only temporarily and partially replaced sardine. Ecosystem management measures that might improve the conservation status of Cape gannets are considered.

Fur Seals and Sea Lions

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Kirkwood ◽  
Simon Goldsworthy
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary Ecology ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Sea Lions ◽  
Australian Sea Lion ◽  
Fur Seals ◽  
Fur Seal ◽  
History Of ◽  
Near Shore ◽  
New Zealand Fur Seal ◽  
Near Extinction

Fur seals and sea lions are charismatic, large carnivores that engage us with both their skill and playful antics. Although all species in Australian waters were harvested to near extinction 200 years ago, fur seals are recovering and are now common in near-shore waters across southern Australia. Sea lions, however, are endangered. Their populations appear not to have recovered like fur seals and are declining at some locations. Fur seals and sea lions are important top level predators and play an important role in Australia’s temperate marine ecosystems. Key threats they currently face relate to human activities, particularly interactions with fisheries. This book outlines the comparative evolutionary ecology, biology, life-history, behaviour, conservation status, threats, history of human interactions and latest research on the three species of otariids that live in the waters of southern Australia: the Australian fur seal, New Zealand fur seal and Australian sea lion. It also includes brief descriptions of Antarctic and Subantarctic seals that occupy the Antarctic pack-ice and remote Australian territories of Macquarie Island and Heard Island.

Establishment of the South African meteorological station on Marion Island, 1947–48

Polar Record ◽  
1950 ◽  
Vol 5 (40) ◽  
pp. 576-579 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. B. Crawford
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
Prime Minister ◽  
Marion Island ◽  
The South ◽  
Commanding Officer ◽  
Prince Edward Islands ◽  
Gough Island ◽  
Bad Weather

Between 1939 and 1945, plans were afoot in the Union of South Africa for the establishment of meteorological stations on Gough Island in the South Atlantic, and on one of the Prince Edward Islands in the southern Indian Ocean. Shortage of shipping and staff caused these plans to be shelved in 1945. In 1947, Field-Marshal Smuts, who was then Prime Minister of the Union, decided to annex the Prince Edward Islands without delay. These islands, which consist of Marion Island and the smaller Prince Edward Island, are situated in approximately lat. 47° S., long. 38° E., half-way between South Africa and Antarctica, and have always been regarded as British, although no records of any sort of annexation ceremony can be traced.In December 1947, therefore, the frigate H.M.S.A.S. Transvaal recalled her crew from Christmas leave and sailed south. Bad weather delayed a landing for several days, but eventually, on 29 December 1947, the commanding officer of the Transvaal landed on a rocky beach on the eastern side of Marion Island and hoisted the South African flag.

scholarly journals Fur seals do, but sea lions don't — cross taxa insights into exhalation during ascent from dives

2021 ◽  
Vol 376 (1830) ◽  
pp. 20200219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sascha K. Hooker ◽  
Russel D. Andrews ◽  
John P. Y. Arnould ◽  
Marthán N. Bester ◽  
Randall W. Davis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Shallow Water ◽  
Decompression Sickness ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Video Cameras ◽  
Sea Lions ◽  
Fur Seals ◽  
Fur Seal ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Management Issues

Management of gases during diving is not well understood across marine mammal species. Prior to diving, phocid (true) seals generally exhale, a behaviour thought to assist with the prevention of decompression sickness. Otariid seals (fur seals and sea lions) have a greater reliance on their lung oxygen stores, and inhale prior to diving. One otariid, the Antarctic fur seal ( Arctocephalus gazella ), then exhales during the final 50–85% of the return to the surface, which may prevent another gas management issue: shallow-water blackout. Here, we compare data collected from animal-attached tags (video cameras, hydrophones and conductivity sensors) deployed on a suite of otariid seal species to examine the ubiquity of ascent exhalations for this group. We find evidence for ascent exhalations across four fur seal species, but that such exhalations are absent for three sea lion species. Fur seals and sea lions are no longer genetically separated into distinct subfamilies, but are morphologically distinguished by the thick underfur layer of fur seals. Together with their smaller size and energetic dives, we suggest their air-filled fur might underlie the need to perform these exhalations, although whether to reduce buoyancy and ascent speed, for the avoidance of shallow-water blackout or to prevent other cardiovascular management issues in their diving remains unclear. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Measuring physiology in free-living animals (Part I)’.

Fur seals and sea lions (family Otariidae) on the breakwaters at Adelaide

2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 157
Author(s):  
Peter D. Shaughnessy ◽  
Mike Bossley ◽  
A. O. Nicholls
Keyword(s):  
Linear Model ◽  
River Estuary ◽  
Management Plan ◽  
Annual Trend ◽  
Sea Lions ◽  
Neophoca Cinerea ◽  
Fur Seals ◽  
Fur Seal ◽  
Harbor Area

Long-nosed fur seals (Arctocephalus forsteri) and Australian sea lions (Neophoca cinerea) on the breakwaters at the mouth of the Port River estuary at Adelaide’s Outer Harbor were counted from 2004 to 2015. Observed counts were modelled using a generalised linear model. Fur seal numbers have been increasing since 2011; for sea lions there was a small discernible annual trend in counts. Counts of fur seals varied seasonally; most annual maxima were in August or September with modelled peak numbers around 9–11 September. The maximum count of fur seals was 79 in September 2015. For sea lions, the model predicts annual peaks in the period 28 August to 19 September. The maximum count of sea lions was nine in September 2009. The haulout sites on the Outer Harbor breakwaters are easily accessible by boats, including pleasure craft. In particular, the seaward end of the outer breakwater is a popular spot with recreational anglers whose lines are often within a few metres of the seals. We propose that a management plan should be developed involving a study of the effect of boat approaches on seals utilising the Outer Harbor area followed by education coupled with enforcement.

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