Facklamia miroungae sp. nov., from a juvenile southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina).

Jeotgalicoccus pinnipedialis sp. nov., from a southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina).

A previously unknown Gram-positive, catalase-positive, facultatively anaerobic, non-spore-forming, coccus-shaped bacterium (A/G14/99/10(T)), originating from the mouth of a female southern elephant seal, was subjected to a taxonomic analysis. Comparative 16S rRNA gene-sequencing showed that the organism formed a hitherto unknown subline within the catalase-positive, low-G+C, Gram-positive cocci...

Blubber fatty acid profiles indicate dietary resource partitioning between adult and juvenile southern elephant seals

When resources are limited or patchy, a species may develop some degree of resource partitioning to reduce intra-specific competition. Development of intra-specific resource partitioning is more pronounced in species with clear phenotypic variation among individuals (e.g. age or sex). Southern elephant seals Mirounga leonina have pronounced sexual dimorphism and range widely in size and foragin...

Growth of the southern elephant seal, Mirounga leonina (Linn.).

Diet of juvenile southern elephant seals reappraised by stable isotopes in whiskers

Declines in marine predator populations have been attributed to anthropogenic activity and environmental change. Southern elephant seals Mirounga leonina are major consumers of biomass in the eastern region of the Southern Ocean and have been declining in numbers since the 1960s. Previous studies have identified evidence for habitat and diet partitioning over a range of spatial and temporal sca...

Southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina Linn.) depredate toothfish longlines in the midnight zone

Humans have devised fishing technologies that compete with marine predators for fish resources world-wide. One such fishery for the Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) has developed interactions with a range of predators, some of which are marine mammals capable of diving to extreme depths for extended periods. A deep-sea camera system deployed within a toothfish fishery operating i...