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Ontogeny of early diving and foraging behavior of northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus) pups from Bering Island, Russia

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Abstract

The ontogeny of diving and foraging behavior of northern fur seal pups from a stable population on Bering Island, Russia, was recorded with animal-borne instruments during their first few months at sea, a critical period during their first year at sea. Thirty-five pups were instrumented with satellite-linked time-depth recorders and stomach temperature pills. Diving occurred predominantly at night with deeper and longer dives as the pups matured. Mean dive depths were correlated with lunar illumination, whereas mean dive durations were also correlated with time of day and sex. Foraging success did not differ between sexes, and there was no relationship between meal size (as indicated by feeding event duration and minimum stomach temperature) and lunar illumination fraction or maximum foraging depth. Although most pups were able to successfully forage within 3 days of starting their migration, the number of feeding events recorded each day remained low (mean 1.6 events day−1). There was no indication of an appreciable increase in meal size after the first 2 weeks of the migration despite an increase in dive frequency and depth. The results are consistent with observations that pups do not gain mass during their first year and emphasize the risk of starvation from infrequent foraging in cold water.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Iain Staniland, Vladimir Vertyankin, Valentina Burkanov and Frances Gelwick. This research was funded by the North Pacific Research Board with additional support from Texas A&M University. The research was permitted by the Russian Federal Veterinary and Agricultural Control Service (Rosselkhoznadzor, Kamchatka and Koryakia regions, Permit No. 1194) and was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the Alaska Sea Life Center and met the requirements of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at Texas A&M University.

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  1. Olivia Lee

    Present address: Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 903 Koyukuk Drive, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Science, Texas A&M University, 200 Seawolf Parkway, OCSB, Galveston, TX, 77553, USA

    Olivia Lee & Randall W. Davis

  2. Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University, 200 Seawolf Parkway, OCSB, Galveston, TX, 77553, USA

    Olivia Lee & Randall W. Davis

  3. School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Seward, AK, 99664, USA

    Russel D. Andrews

  4. Alaska SeaLife Center, Seward, AK, 99664, USA

    Russel D. Andrews

  5. National Marine Mammal Laboratory, NOAA Fisheries, Seattle, WA, 98115, USA

    Vladimir N. Burkanov

  6. Kamchatka Branch of the Pacific Institute of Geography, RAS, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, 683000, Russia

    Vladimir N. Burkanov

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  1. Olivia Lee
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Correspondence to Olivia Lee.

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Communicated by S. Garthe.

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Lee, O., Andrews, R.D., Burkanov, V.N. et al. Ontogeny of early diving and foraging behavior of northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus) pups from Bering Island, Russia. Mar Biol 161, 1165–1178 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-014-2408-8

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