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Killer whale predation on subantarctic fur seals at Prince Edward Island, Southern Indian Ocean

Polar Biology volume 35, pages 1767–1772 (2012)Cite this article

Abstract

Killer whales at subantarctic Marion Island have been subjected to several scientific studies. In contrast, up until recently, there has been only one record of these animals documented for neighbouring Prince Edward Island. We here report on killer whale observations at Prince Edward Island during March 2012. During 3 days of opportunistic observations at a fur seal colony on the island, killer whales were sighted on six occasions. These probably represented three different pods numbering 11 individuals in total. During all sightings, individuals were seen hunting subantarctic fur seal pups, with four successful predatory events observed.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the Department of Environmental Affairs who provided logistic and financial support for the Prince Edward Island autumn survey. We are grateful for the insightful comments received from two anonymous reviewers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Summerstrand Campus, PO Box 77000, Port Elizabeth, 6031, South Africa

    P. A. Pistorius

  2. Department of Environmental Affairs, Oceans and Coasts, Private Bag X2, Rogge Bay, 8012, South Africa

    M. A. Meÿer & S. P. Kirkman

  3. Department of Zoology and Entomology, Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, 0028, South Africa

    R. R. Reisinger

  4. Animal Demography Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa

    S. P. Kirkman

Authors
  1. P. A. Pistorius
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  2. M. A. Meÿer
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  3. R. R. Reisinger
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  4. S. P. Kirkman
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Correspondence to P. A. Pistorius.

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Pistorius, P.A., Meÿer, M.A., Reisinger, R.R. et al. Killer whale predation on subantarctic fur seals at Prince Edward Island, Southern Indian Ocean. Polar Biol 35, 1767–1772 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-012-1216-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-012-1216-1

Keywords

  • Population regulation
  • Southern Ocean
  • Apex predators
  • Feeding ecology