Antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii were determined in serum samples from 47 grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) and 56 harbor seals (Phoca vitulina vitulina) from the Atlantic coasts of United Kingdom and France. Antibodies to T. gondii assayed by the modified agglutination test (MAT) were found in 14 (13.6%; IC(95%): 7.0-20.2) of 103 seals tested, with titres of 1:25 in 13 seals and 1:50 in 1 seal. S...

Marine mammals experience radical seasonal changes in body composition, which would be expected to affect their buoyancy in the water. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between such changes in buoyancy and diving behavior in northern elephant seals Mirounga angustirostris. This was achieved by modifying the buoyancy of 13 juvenile elephant seals translocated from Año Nuevo S...

Ringed seals (Pusa hispida) are semi-aquatic marine mammals with a circumpolar Arctic distribution. In this study, we investigate the amphibious hearing capabilities of ringed seals to provide auditory profiles for this species across the full range of hearing. Using psychophysical methods with two trained ringed seals, detection thresholds for narrowband signals were measured under quiet, care...

This study examined the licensing system that permits seal shooting in Scotland, which was established under Part 6 Conservation of Seals of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010. Four approaches were used: data were collated and analyzed from both the Scottish Government and Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme; a survey was sent to current license holders and informal interviews were conducted wi...

Developing methods to reduce the incidental catch of non-target species is important, as by-catch mortality poses threats especially to large aquatic predators. We examined the effectiveness of a novel device, a "seal sock", in mitigating the by-catch mortality of seals in coastal fyke net fisheries in the Baltic Sea. The seal sock developed and tested in this study was a cylindrical net attach...

the study of seals and seal impressions can make clear the dark corners of the social history of the seleucid and parthian. on the other hand, the analysis of personal and social position of individuals or groups for understanding the complicated relationship between human with other people or groups, also for the understanding of interactional relationships has gained special attention in hist...

To the Editor: Until 1999, influenza B virus was considered to infect humans only. However, more recent data proved that harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) and gray seals (Halichoerus grypus) also can be infected (1). Since the identification of seals as a novel host, antibodies against human influenza B viruses have been detected in some additional otarid and phocid species in a few relatively smal...

CRITTERCAMS were deployed on 42 Hawaiian monk seals at French Frigate Shoals, Hawaii, to assess the degree to which interaction with large predatory fish may play a role in their foraging success. Sharks, jacks, and large-bodied snappers were seen near the actively foraging seals approximately 17% of the time. Present at all but the greatest depths (>100 m), the predatory fish were most frequen...

Signaling theory provides the framework to address three main research questions: (1) How accurately do consumers notice and recollect TPA seals on retail Web sites? (2) How familiar are consumers with major TPA seals? and (3) How accurately do consumers understand the assurances represented by the TPA seals? Results of this study of three major TPA seals (TRUSTe, BBBOnLine Reliability, and Ver...

Harbour seals and grey seals from Faxaflói (Western Iceland) were analyzed for contamination with organochlorines (HCB, PCBs, p,p'-DDT,p,p'-DDE, chlordanes and the enantiomers of alpha-HCH). Although the values strongly varied, both harbour seals and grey seals on averaged showed comparable levels of PCBs, p,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDE and alpha-HCH, as well as chlordanes (sigma CD). Differences were meas...