Organochlorine pollutants (OCs), such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), DDT, chlordanes (CHLs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) were determined in blubber biopsies from free-ranging Baltic and Atlantic gray seal (Halichoerus grypus) pups. Well-fed pups from the Baltic Sea had concentrations of DDT, PCBs, and HCHs that were 2 to 10 times higher than in corresponding ...

the native fishes of iran are imp ortant, since the stock of population are declining and the species of some fishes are in danger , because of industrialization, pollution, dryness, purposeful or accidental introduction of exotic species. the inland water species of iran are import ant, since they have not been yet completely identified. in order to conduct taxonomic revision and survey of pop...

Dermatitis associated with Fusarium sp infection developed in 3 California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) and 3 gray seals (Halichoerus grypus) at the National Zoological Park in Washington DC. The lesions were papular or nodular and were distributed mainly on the face, trunk, and flippers. One sea lion died 6 weeks after extensive cutaneous involvement. The lesions regressed after 1 mild e...

Three-point cyclic bending was applied to intervertebral joint complexes (three vertebrae with two intervertebral discs) of monkey (Macaca fascicularis), wallaby (Wallabia rufogrisea frutica), tiger (Panthera tigris), jaguar (Panthera onca) and seal (Halichoerus grypus). Force-displacement loops were recorded for intact specimens in both extension and flexion. Reductions in peak forces at given...

Anthropogenic noise can have negative effects on animal behaviour and physiology. However, noise is often introduced systematically and potentially provides information for navigation or prey detection. Here, we show that grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) learn to use sounds from acoustic fish tags as an indicator of food location. In 20 randomized trials each, 10 grey seals individually explored...

Assessment of pinniped predation most often relies on analysis of the hard, undigested prey remains evident in faecal (scat) samples. For many prey species this method can yield valuable information on predator–prey interactions. For some genera, however, species diagnostic characteristics are lost during the process of prey digestion, thereby preventing morphological identification of fish pre...