Abstract
Crabeater seals Lobodon carcinophaga breed on the Antarctic pack ice. The body composition of seven crabeater seals of various age classes was reported by Bryden and Erickson (J Zool 179:235–247, 1976); weights of internal organs and sculps (skin with blubber attached) are reported here for four animals from East Antarctica. They died under sedation, two in late April 1993 and one each in late September and early October of 1995. Sculp weights in this study averaged 32% of total body weight, 11.8% higher than the average from the previous study. The difference most likely results from the condition of seals. Those in the previous study were likely to have been in poor condition (moulting or recently moulted). In this study, the animals were likely to have been in good condition (pre-moult or post-moult). Weights of five internal organs are reported; stomach and kidneys expressed as a percentage of total body weight were about 20% lighter in the current study and data for the intestines and liver were about 20% heavier, with little difference for heart weight. This study provides estimates of sculp weight of four crabeater seals and extends the knowledge of weights of five of their visceral organs (stomach, intestines, liver, kidney and heart).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Beck GG, Smith TG, Hammill MO (1993) Evaluation of body condition in the Northwest Atlantic harp seal (Phoca groenlandica). Can J Fish Aquat Sci 50:1372–1381. https://doi.org/10.1139/f93-157
Bryden MM, Erickson AW (1976) Body size and composition of crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophagus), with observations on tissue and organ size in Ross seals (Ommatophoca rossi). J Zool 179:235–247
Erickson AW, Hanson MB (1990) Continental estimates and population trends of Antarctic ice seals. In: Kerry KR, Hempel G (eds) Antarctic ecosystems. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Ecological change and conservation, pp 253–264
Fay FH (1982) Ecology and biology of the Pacific walrus, Odobenus rosmarus divergens Illiger. North American Fauna Series 74:1–279
Gales R, Renouf D (1994) Assessment of body condition of harp seals. Polar Biol 14:381–387
Guerrero AI, Rogers TL (2017) Blubber fatty acid composition and stratification in the crabeater seal, Lobodon carcinophaga. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol 491:51–57
Iverson SJ, Koopman HN (2018) Blubber. In: Würsig B, Thewissen JGM, Kovacs KM (eds) Encyclopedia of marine mammals, 3rd edn. Academic Press, London, pp 107–110
Laws RM (1958) Growth rates and ages of crabeater seals, Lobodon carcinophagus Jacquinot & Pucheran. P Zool Soc Lond 130:275–288
Laws RM, Baird A, Bryden MM (2003) Breeding season and embryonic diapause in crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophagus). Reproduction 126:365–370
Øritsland T (1977) Food consumption of seals in the Antarctic pack ice. In: Llano GA (ed) Adaptations within Antarctic ecosystems. Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, pp 749–768
Pitcher KW (1986) Variation in blubber thickness of harbor seals in southern Alaska. J Wildl Manage 50:463–466
Shaughnessy PD, Southwell C (2019) Are crabeater seals, Lobodon carcinophaga, sexually dimorphic for size during the breeding season? Mar Mamm Sci 35:677–683. https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12549
Siniff DB, Stirling I, Bengtson JL, Reichle RA (1979) Social and reproductive behavior of crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophagus) during the austral spring. Can J Zool 57:2243–2255
Southwell C, Kerry K, Ensor P, Woehler EJ, Rogers T (2003) The timing of pupping by pack-ice seals in East Antarctica. Polar Biol 26:648–652. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-003-0354-8
Stewart REA, Lavigne DM (1984) Energy transfer and female condition in nursing harp seals Phoca groenlandica. Holarctic Ecol 7:182–194
Acknowledgements
Directors of the Australian Antarctic Division are thanked for providing logistic support. Several expeditioners who assisted in the field are also thanked, particularly Terry Dennis and Peter Gormly in 1993 and Karen Viggers and Colin Southwell in 1995. I thank Dr Tracey Rogers and an anonymous reviewer for comments on the manuscript. This work was undertaken under permits of the Commonwealth of Australia Antarctic Seals Conservation Regulations.
Funding
Funding for part of the project was provided by the Antarctic Science Advisory Committee through the Australian Antarctic Division.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The author has no conflict of interest to declare.
Ethical approval
In 1993, field work was conducted under an animal ethics approval from the CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems Animal Ethics Committee. It was undertaken in accordance with guidelines for handling animals set out in the ‘Code of practice for the care and use of animals for experimental purposes’ published jointly by the (Australian) National Health and Medical Research Council, CSIRO and the Australian Agricultural Council. In 1995, field work was approved by the (Australian) Antarctic Animal Care Ethics Committee and the Chief Investigator was Dr Colin Southwell of the Australian Antarctic Division.
Consent to participate
Not applicable.
Consent for publication
Not applicable.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary Information
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Shaughnessy, P.D. Weights of some organs of crabeater seals, Lobodon carcinophaga. Polar Biol 45, 519–522 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-021-03000-5
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-021-03000-5