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Cooperative foraging behaviour by crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophaga) at Pleneau Island, Antarctic Peninsula

Cooperative foraging behaviour by crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophaga) at Pleneau Island,... sIntroductionsCrabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophaga (Hombron & Jacquinot)) are circum-Antarctic and probably the second most abundant pinniped (after harp seals). Current estimates suggest that there are at least five million individuals, primarily distributed in the pack ice zone around Antarctica, and also, rarely, along the far southern margins of Australia, New Zealand, Africa and South America (Bengtson 2009, Bengtson et al. 2011). Despite their common name, it is well known that their diet is dominated by Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba Dana, which accounts for up to c. 95% of their food intake (Øritsland 1977, Huckstädt et al. 2012), and which they catch using their multi-lobed teeth as a sieve. Individuals make repeated dives in feeding sessions lasting up to 44 hours during the summer foraging season (Bengtson 2009).sIt has been anecdotally suggested that crabeater seals forage cooperatively (Gales et al. 2004). This paper reports on observations of a large group of crabeater seals engaged in protracted and clearly organized feeding behaviour at Pleneau Island (western Antarctic Peninsula). These observations were made during an expedition on the MV Polar Pioneer.sObservationssOn the morning of 23 February 2012, the Polar Pioneer anchored off Pleneau Island (65°06′S, 64°04′W; Fig. 1), a popular site for http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Antarctic Science Cambridge University Press

Cooperative foraging behaviour by crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophaga) at Pleneau Island, Antarctic Peninsula

Antarctic Science , Volume 26 (3): 2 – Jan 2, 2014
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Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2014 
ISSN
1365-2079
eISSN
0954-1020
DOI
10.1017/S0954102013000941
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

sIntroductionsCrabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophaga (Hombron & Jacquinot)) are circum-Antarctic and probably the second most abundant pinniped (after harp seals). Current estimates suggest that there are at least five million individuals, primarily distributed in the pack ice zone around Antarctica, and also, rarely, along the far southern margins of Australia, New Zealand, Africa and South America (Bengtson 2009, Bengtson et al. 2011). Despite their common name, it is well known that their diet is dominated by Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba Dana, which accounts for up to c. 95% of their food intake (Øritsland 1977, Huckstädt et al. 2012), and which they catch using their multi-lobed teeth as a sieve. Individuals make repeated dives in feeding sessions lasting up to 44 hours during the summer foraging season (Bengtson 2009).sIt has been anecdotally suggested that crabeater seals forage cooperatively (Gales et al. 2004). This paper reports on observations of a large group of crabeater seals engaged in protracted and clearly organized feeding behaviour at Pleneau Island (western Antarctic Peninsula). These observations were made during an expedition on the MV Polar Pioneer.sObservationssOn the morning of 23 February 2012, the Polar Pioneer anchored off Pleneau Island (65°06′S, 64°04′W; Fig. 1), a popular site for

Journal

Antarctic Science – Cambridge University Press

Published: Jan 2, 2014

References

  • Distribution, density, and abundance of pack-ice seals in the Amundsen and Ross Seas, Antarctica
  • Do crabeater seals forage cooperatively?
  • Diet of a specialist in a changing environment: the crabeater seal along the western Antarctic Peninsula