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Vagrant Antarctic fur seals at the Tristan da Cunha Islands

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Abstract

Antarctic fur seals Arctocephalus gazella mainly breed at islands south of the Antarctic Polar Front, but stragglers occasionally occur farther north, with records from Gough Island (40°S, 10°W) in the central South Atlantic Ocean in October/November 2005 and September/October 2009. We report the first record from Tristan da Cunha (37°S, 12°W) in September 2013, and another individual that was observed at Gough Island. Both individuals were lean, lethargic subadult males that were present before the onset of the breeding (pupping) season of the resident populations of subantarctic fur seals Arctocephalus tropicalis.

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Acknowledgments

Logistical support at TdC and GI was provided by the South African Department of Environmental Affairs within the South African National Antarctic Programme. The Tristan da Cunha Conservation Department provided logistical and technical assistance at TdC. Research at both TdC and GI is conducted with the permission of the Administrator and Island Council of Tristan da Cunha.

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Authors and Affiliations

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

    M. N. Bester & W. A. Bester

  2. Percy FitzPatrick Institute, DST/NRF Centre of Excellence, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa

    P. G. Ryan

  3. Tristan da Cunha Conservation Department, Edinburgh, Tristan da Cunha, South Atlantic

    T. Glass

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  1. M. N. Bester
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  2. P. G. Ryan
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  3. W. A. Bester
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  4. T. Glass
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Correspondence to M. N. Bester.

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Bester, M.N., Ryan, P.G., Bester, W.A. et al. Vagrant Antarctic fur seals at the Tristan da Cunha Islands. Polar Biol 37, 1701–1703 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-014-1549-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-014-1549-z

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