| Weddell seal | |
|---|---|
%25E2%2580%2593Weddell_seal_(Leptonychotes_weddellii)_03.jpg) | |
| AtD'Hainaut Island,Mikkelsen Harbour,Trinity Island | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Phocidae |
| Genus: | Leptonychotes Gill, 1872 |
| Species: | L. weddellii |
| Binomial name | |
| Leptonychotes weddellii (Lesson, 1826) | |
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| Weddell seal range Water Ice Range | |
TheWeddell seal[2] (Leptonychotes weddellii) is a relatively large and abundanttrue seal with acircumpolar distribution surroundingAntarctica. The Weddell seal was discovered and named in the 1820s during expeditions led byBritishsealing captainJames Weddell to the area of theSouthern Ocean now known as theWeddell Sea.[3] Thelife history of this species is well documented since it occupiesfast ice environments close to theAntarctic continent and often adjacent to Antarctic bases.[4] It is the only species in the genusLeptonychotes.
Weddell seals measure about 2.5–3.5 m (8 ft 2 in – 11 ft 6 in) long and weigh 400–600 kg (880–1,320 lb).[5][6] They are amongst the largest seals, with a rather bulky body and short fore flippers relative to their bodylength.[7] Males weigh less than females, usually about 500 kg (1,100 lb) or less. Male and female Weddell seals are generally about the same length, though females can be slightly larger.[8] However, the male seal tends to have a thickerneck and a broaderhead and muzzle than the female.[9] A molecular genetic-based technique has been established to confirm the sex of individuals in thelaboratory.[10] The Weddell seal face has been compared to that of a cat due to a short mouth line and similarities in the structure of thenose andwhiskers.[9]
The Weddell seal grows a thinfurcoat around its whole body except for small areas around the flippers. The colour and pattern of the coat vary, often fading to a duller colour as the seal ages.[8] This coat moults around the beginning ofsummer.[9] Adults show a counter-shaded colouration that varies from bluish-black to dark grey dorsally and to light grey/silver ventrally. Coats may change to shades of brown before the annual moult.[9] Adult males usually bear scars, most of them around the genital region. Weddell seal pups are born with alanugo of similarcolouration and theymoult after 3–4 weeks; later, they turn a darker colour similar to that of adults. The pups are around half the length of their mother atbirth andweigh 25–30 kg (55–66 lb). They gain around 2 kg (4.4 lb) a day, and by 6–7 weeks old they can weigh around 100 kg (220 lb).[8]
Weddell seals are commonly found onfast ice, or ice fastened to land, and gather in small groups around cracks and holes within theice.[11] In the winter, they stay in the water to avoidblizzards, with only their heads poking through breathing holes in the ice.[8] These seals are often observed lying on their sides when on land. Weddell seals are non-migratory phocids (earless seal) that move regionally to follow the distribution of breathing holes and exit cracks within the ice changes between seasons.[12] The species is primarily restricted to Antarctic waters: physical factors, such asglacial movement andtidal action, may increase fluctuations in distributions.[citation needed]
Weddell seals dive toforage for food, maintain breathing holes in fast ice, and explore to find more ice holes.[13] They have been observed to dive as deep as 600 m for up to an hour.[12] These seals exhibit a diel dive pattern, diving deeper and longer during the day than at night.[14] After dropping away from abreathing hole in the ice, the seals become negatively buoyant in the first 30 to 50 m (98 to 164 ft), allowing them to dive with little effort.[15] Theyhunt in different parts of the water column depending on prey availability. Weddell seals hunt in bothpelagic and benthic-demersalhabitats.[16]
Scientists believe Weddell seals rely mainly on eyesight to hunt for food when there is light. However, during the Antarctic winter darkness, when there is nolight under the ice where the seals forage, they rely on other senses, primarily the sense of touch from theirvibrissae or whiskers, which are not just hairs, but very complicated sense organs with more than 500nerve endings that attach to the animal'ssnout. The hairs allow the seals to detect the wake of swimming fish and use that to capture prey.[17]
Weddell seals are opportunistic feeders, who eat an array offish, bottom-feedingprawns,cephalopods andcrustaceans.[18] Asedentary adult eats around 10 kg (22 lb) a day, while an active adult eats over 50 kg (110 lb) a day.[8]Antarctic cod andsilverfish constitute the majority of their diet. Cephalopods are commonprey, and crustacean remains are sometimes found in Weddell seal scat, but at much lower rates than other prey species.
Although seabirds are not usually part of their diet, there have been several sightings of them chasing and killingpenguins in the wild. Other Antarcticphocids are known to beseabird predators, resulting in implications that penguin hunting is a learned behaviour. There are recordings of four different penguin species being attacked by Weddell seals: agentoo penguin, anemperor penguin, anAdélie penguin, and achinstrap penguin. It has not been confirmed, however, if the penguins were consumed after being killed.[19]
Weddell seals aretop predators in the Antarctic. They have no natural predators when on fast ice. At sea or on pack ice, they are prey for the Antarctica'sapex predators (killer whales andleopard seals) which prey primarily on juveniles and pups.[8]
Weddell seals return to fast ice colonies during the spring forbirthing andbreeding.[20] Weddell seal populations will often return to the same breeding sites over consecutive breeding seasons.[21] Depending on the latitude it inhabits, this marine mammal gives birth from early September through November, with those living at lower latitudes giving birth earlier.[12] Weddell seals usually give birth to one pup per year,[12] however the Weddell seal is one of the only species of seals that can give birth totwin pups.[3] Birthing of the pup takes only one to four minutes. Newborn pups weigh about 25–30 kg (55–66 lb) and grow to two times their weight within their first week of life.[12] The pups take their first swim around one to two weeks of age.[12] During the first two weeks, mother Weddell seals distinguish their pups throughscent and specialisedvocalisations, and stay in the same spatial area.[22] After six to seven weeks, pups are weaned and begin to hunt independently.[8]
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Weddell seals show moderatepolygyny andgenetic analyses ofmating success have suggested how factors such assize, diving ability, and site-specific experience enhance success in male Weddell seals.[23] Additionally, fast ice breeding grounds cause females to cluster in large aggregations, making it easier for males to control theirharem.[21] The mating season occurs during austral spring between late November and December after pups are weaned and females begin ovulating.[12] During the mating season, Weddell seals make noises loud enough to be felt through the ice.[3] Males defend underwater territories during the breeding season and have been observed to fight.[24]Copulation has only been observed to occur underwater, after the male approaches the female from the dorsal side. The female is often bitten on the neck by her partner if she tries to escape or terminate copulation.[25] The seals are normally around six to eight years old when they first breed, but this can be much earlier for some females.[9] Weddell seals undergodelayed implantation. Theembryo is notimplanted into the uterus until the beginning ofaustral summer, between mid-January and mid-February, allowing for birth under more favourable environmental conditions.[12] Juvenile Weddell seals (0–2 years old) have highmortality, whereas no differences can be found between the mortality rate of animals older than 2 years and that of adults (Hastings et al., 1999)[citation needed]. The maximum lifespan of the species is estimated at least 25 years.
Newborn Weddell seals have differentthermoregulatory strategies from other species of seals. Weddell seal pups are not born withbrown fat, which is used in other seal species for thermoregulation.[26] Instead, they rely heavily onlanugo, a fine layer of hair on the surface of their skin, to keep warm.[27] Studies also revealed high levels ofenzyme activity in the muscles of newborn Weddell seals, suggesting that a primary thermoregulatory strategy of these seals includes muscle thermogenesis, or shivering.[27] The activity of metabolic enzymes includingcitrate synthase, β-hydroxyacyl CoA dehydrogenase, andcytochrome c oxidase were measured and determined to be significantly active in newborn Weddell seals'longissimus dorsi, a large and major swimming muscle.[27] Research has also suggested that pups have highmitochondrial densities in the muscle, which may serve a thermogenic role.[26]
Male and female Weddell seals communicate through a variety of sounds, specifically, males sometimes use "trills" to communicate. Weddell seals are also able to communicate with each other through different mediums. Weddell seals on ice can hear the calls of Weddell seals in the water as long as the noise level on land is low and they are nearby. Sound waves can be transmitted either through the ice itself or from water to breathing holes where female Weddell seals are usually breeding.[28] There have been recordings of Weddell seal vocalisations that are described as songs. Their songs consist of repetitive sequences of the same vocal elements, and they only vary slightly over time. Individual Weddell seals can each produce their unique song, but singing behaviour is not common.[29] Vocalisations are also important in mother–pup Weddell seal interactions. Mother Weddell seals usevocalisations to call their pups from further distances when smell can no longer be used efficiently (Opzeeland et al., 2011). Pups also use higher, more urgent vocalisations when hungry to alert their mothers to feed.[30] Weddell seals commonly produce ultrasonic vocalizations. However, the functional significance of these high-frequency sounds is yet unknown.[31]
Rice[32] noted that the scientific name wasmisspelt in the past asL. weddelli and thissynonym is no longer accepted, although it is still found commonly in the scientificliterature before 1988.
Weddell seals can be confused with other two phocids that share the same range:Ross seal (Ommatophoca rossii) andcrabeater seal (Lobodon carcinophagus).
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Weddell seals are the second mostabundant species of Antarctic phocid, after the crabeater seal.[citation needed]
The most recent estimate suggests a population of about 202,000 female seals, based on high-resolution satellite images from November 2011 that cover the full habitat range of the species. This number includes females only, as males are mostly underwater guarding their territories in November. There are likely to be fewer males than females, as the ratio skews towards females with increasing age.[33]
Previous estimates, with lower geographic coverage and thus relying more heavily on extrapolations, tended to be much higher, reporting numbers in the range of 800,000 or so.[34]
Because of the widespread distribution of Weddell seals, population assessments are difficult and expensive to conduct, and therefore infrequently undertaken. However, thanks to the availability of higher-resolution satellite imagery and crowdsourced data, future counts may be simplified with automated image recognition.[35]
During the early periods of Antarcticexploration, Weddell seals suffered dramatic declines as they were hunted for food and oil. Populations have since recovered after the elimination of commercialsealing in the 1980s.[1]
However, the effects of globalclimate change on Antarctic seals are still to be fully determined. Research estimates seal populations may decline as the availability of their habitat is extremely temperature sensitive thus making them potentiallyvulnerable.[36] Climate changes affecting the duration and the extent of the sea ice and nutrient availability could potentially reduce pups' survival and may have important implications for populationgrowth rates.[37] The fact that some populations breed on land (e.g., inSouth Georgia), could demonstrate the ability of the species to colonise different environments, although the extent of suchplasticity is uncertain.[1]
In the past, the establishment of Antarctic research bases has caused a measure of disturbance to these seals. In January 1998 the Environmental Protection Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty was ratified, implementing environmental measures such as the banning ofmining andoil drilling in Antarctica for at least 50 years, along with the banning of refuse disposal and the use ofpesticides in the region.[1] However, the disturbance effects of the increasing seasonal tourism in the Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic on Weddell seal behaviour, distribution, and foraging are still unknown.
Currently, there are no reports of significantfisheries interactions. Although, the development of new fisheries in Antarctic waters, particularly one targeting theAntarctic toothfish, could have an impact on Weddell seal nutrition, and potential operational interactions should be considered in the management plans.[citation needed]
The Weddell seal is protected by theAntarctic Treaty and theConvention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (CCAS). It is classified as being of "least concern" by the IUCN.[1] This species is not listed byCITES.
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