Breeding Behavior

Robinson, Kelly J.; Pomeroy, Patrick P.

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-88923-4_7

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 255 publications

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“…We therefore hypothesize that the 14-day haul-out period for this adult female documented the entire parturition and lactation period in leopard seals. A two-week lactation duration is consistent with that of other pack ice seals, especially those that fast during the haul-out period (Robinson and Pomeroy, 2022). Similarly, the timing of this haul-out period at the end of October to early November corresponds with other studies observations of leopard seal adult-pup pairs and newborn pups during this time period (Brown, 1952;Joiris, 1991;Southwell et al, 2003;Acevedo et al, 2017;Bester et al, 2021).…”

Section: Joirissupporting

confidence: 87%

Plasticity in the morphometrics and movements of an Antarctic apex predator, the leopard seal

et al. 2022

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Animals that display plasticity in behavioral, ecological, and morphological traits are better poised to cope with environmental disturbances. Here, we examined individual plasticity and intraspecific variation in the morphometrics, movement patterns, and dive behavior of an enigmatic apex predator, the leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx). Satellite/GPS tags and time-depth recorders were deployed on 22 leopard seals off the Western Antarctic Peninsula. Adult female leopard seals were significantly larger (454±59 kg) and longer (302±11 cm) than adult males (302±22 kg, 276±11 cm). As females were 50% larger than their male counterparts, leopard seals are therefore one of the most extreme examples of female-biased sexual size dimorphism in marine mammals. Female leopard seals also spent more time hauled-out on land and ice than males. In the austral spring/summer, three adult female leopard seals hauled-out on ice for 10+ days, which likely represent the first satellite tracks of parturition and lactation for the species. While we found sex-based differences in morphometrics and haul-out durations, other variables, including maximum distance traveled and dive parameters, did not vary by sex. Regardless of sex, some leopard seals remained in near-shore habitats, traveling less than 50 kilometers, while other leopard seals traveled up to 1,700 kilometers away from the tagging location. Overall, leopard seals were short (3.0±0.7 min) and shallow (29±8 m) divers. However, within this general pattern, some individual leopard seals primarily used short, shallow dives, while others switched between short, shallow dives and long, deep dives. We also recorded the single deepest and longest dive made by any leopard seal—1, 256 meters for 25 minutes. Together, our results showcased high plasticity among leopard seals tagged in a single location. These flexible behaviors and traits may offer leopard seals, an ice-associated apex predator, resilience to the rapidly changing Southern Ocean.

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Section: Joirissupporting

confidence: 87%

Plasticity in the morphometrics and movements of an Antarctic apex predator, the leopard seal

et al. 2022

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“…On land, an NND of 6.07 m was reported for breeding females [ 45 ]. The lower NNDs reported in our study could potentially be explained by the lack of aggression among males and among nursing females guarding their pups, a behaviour which is commonly observed during the breeding season [ 46 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stay close, but not too close: aerial image analysis reveals patterns of social distancing in seal colonies

et al. 2023

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Many species aggregate in dense colonies. Species-specific spatial patterns provide clues about how colonies are shaped by various (a)biotic factors, including predation, temperature regulation or disease transmission. Using aerial imagery, we examined these patterns in colonies on land of two sympatric seal species: the harbour seal and grey seal. Results show that the density of grey seals on land is twice as high as that of harbour seals. Furthermore, the nearest neighbour distance (NND) of harbour seals (median = 1.06 m) is significantly larger than that of grey seals (median = 0.53 m). Avoidance at small distances (i.e. social distancing) was supported by spatial simulation: when the observed seal locations were shuffled slightly, the frequency of the smallest NNDs (0–25 cm) increased, while the most frequently observed NNDs decreased. As harbour seals are more prone to infectious diseases, we hypothesize that the larger NNDs might be a behavioural response to reduce pathogen transmission. The approach presented here can potentially be used as a practical tool to differentiate between harbour and grey seals in remote sensing applications, particularly in low to medium resolution imagery (e.g. satellite imagery), where morphological characteristics alone are insufficient to differentiate between species.

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“…On land, an NND of 6.07m was reported for breeding females (Twiss et al, 2012). The lower NNDs reported in our study could potentially be explained by the lack of aggression among males and among nursing females guarding their pups, a behaviour which commonly observed during the breeding season (Robinson and Pomeroy, 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 58%

Through the looking-glass : Marine mammal monitoring in a changing world

Hoekendijk

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Climate warming in the Arctic has led to warmer and earlier springs, and as a result, many food resources for migratory animals become available earlier in the season, as well as become distributed further northwards. To optimally profit from these resources, migratory animals are expected to arrive earlier in the Arctic, as well as shift their own spatial distributions northwards. Here, we review literature to assess whether Arctic migratory birds and mammals already show shifts in migration timing or distribution in response to the warming climate. Distribution shifts were most prominent in marine mammals, as expected from observed northward shifts of their resources. At least for many bird species, the ability to shift distributions is likely constrained by available habitat further north. Shifts in timing have been shown in many species of terrestrial birds and ungulates, as well as for polar bears. Within species, we found strong variation in shifts in timing and distributions between populations. Our review thus shows that many migratory animals display shifts in migration timing and spatial distribution in reaction to a warming Arctic. Importantly, we identify large knowledge gaps especially concerning distribution shifts and timing of autumn migration, especially for marine mammals. Our understanding of how migratory animals respond to climate change appears to be mostly limited by the lack of long-term monitoring studies.

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Breeding Behavior

Cited by 5 publications

References 255 publications

Plasticity in the morphometrics and movements of an Antarctic apex predator, the leopard seal

Plasticity in the morphometrics and movements of an Antarctic apex predator, the leopard seal

Stay close, but not too close: aerial image analysis reveals patterns of social distancing in seal colonies

Through the looking-glass : Marine mammal monitoring in a changing world

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