| Title | Prey of the Antarctic fur seal Arctocephalus gazella at Marion Island |
| Author | Makhado, A.B.; Bester, M.N.; Kirkman, S.P.; Pistorius, P.A.; Ferguson, J.W.H.; Klages, N.T.W. |
| Author Affil | Makhado, A.B., University of Pretoria, Department of Zoology and Entomology, Pretoria, South Africa. Other: University of Port Elizabeth, South Africa; University of Cape Town, South Africa; Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, South Africa |
| Source | Polar Biology, 31(5), p.575-581, . Publisher: Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Federal Republic of Germany. ISSN: 0722- 4060 |
| Publication Date | Apr. 2008 |
| Notes | In English. 51 refs. GeoRef Acc. No: 284596 |
| Index Terms | Indian Ocean Islands--Marion Island; Carnivora; Chordata; diet; ecology; Eutheria; feeding; Indian Ocean Islands; Mammalia; Marion Island; Pinnipedia; predators; subarctic regions; Tetrapoda; Theria; Vertebrata |
| Abstract | The prey of Antarctic fur seals, Arctocephalus gazella, was investigated through scat analysis at Marion Island from 1996 until 2000. A total of 25 different prey species were identified from scats, of which 21 were fish, 1 crustacean and 3 cephalopods. Fish were by far the main prey item, occurring in 96.1% of samples, followed by crustaceans (2.7%) and cephalopods (1.2%). Fishes from the family Myctophidae (Gymnoscopelus piabilis, Electrona carlsbergi, G. fraseri and E. subaspera) were the most abundant prey (97.2%) every year, while those from the families Notothenididae, Paralepididae, Notosudidae, Microstomatidae and Gempylidae were present in small numbers. G. piabilis, E. carlsbergi, E. subaspera and G. nicholsi contributed the most in terms of biomass to the diet. Significant seasonal differences existed in the diet when comparing summer and winter. (mod. journ. abst.) |
| URL | http://hdl.handle.net/10.1007/s00300-007-0391-y |
| Publication Type | journal article |
| Record ID | 84123 |