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Cephalopod diet of the southern elephant seal, Mirounga leonina, at King George Island, South Shetland Islands

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 May 2004

G.A. Daneri
Affiliation:
Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “B. Rivadavia”, División Mastozoologia, Av. Angel Gallardo 470, (1405) Buenos Aires, Argentina
A.R. Carlini
Affiliation:
Instituto Antártico Argentino, Departamento de Biologia, Cerrito 1248, (1010) Buenos Aires, Argentina
P.G.K. Rodhouse
Affiliation:
British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 OET, UK

Abstract

In the summer of 1995/96, 25 southern elephant seals, Mirounga leonina, were stomach lavaged at Stranger Point, King George Island, South Shetland Islands. Cephalopod remains were present in 72% of the individuals sampled (n = 18). Seven species of squid and three of octopus were identified. The squid Psychroteuthis glacialis was the most important prey in terms of numbers (77%), biomass (80.8%) and frequency of occurrence (94.4%). Next in importance in terms of mass was the squid Alluroteuthis antarcticus (7.8%) in the diet of females and the octopodid Pareledone ?charcoti in the diet of males (13.2%). Females preyed on a wider variety of squid taxa than males (7 vs 3) but octopodids occurred only in stomach contents from males. The predominance of P. glacialis in the prey of the South Shetland Islands elephant seals can be explained by the southerly location of the foraging areas of this population compared to South Georgia, Heard and Macquarie islands, where the diet of southern elephant seals has previously been analysed. Psychroteuthis glacialis is the predominant squid in waters close to the Antarctic continent.

Type
Papers—Life Sciences and Oceanography
Copyright
© Antarctic Science Ltd 2000

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