SOUTHERN ELEPHANT SEAL
(Mirounga leonina)
BODY MASS: 2200 kg 1 DEEPEST DIVE: 1653 m (REF 8)
BODY SIZE: 420 cm 1 LONGEST DIVE: 7200 s (REF 1)


MACQUARIE ISLAND (54°30'S - 158°55'E) TOP
1988+90: Dive depth: grand-avg= 433 ± 82.5 m, max= 1430 m (N=31 seals)
1988+90: Dive duration: 1472.3 ± 336.5 s, max= 7200 s (N=31 seals)
1988+90: (GLTDR, Wildlife Computers, + radiotransmitters, tot= 3000g, sampling= 30 s)		 REF 1
1994-95: Dive depth: avg= 493 ± 156 m, max= 1011 m (N=1 female)
1994-95: Dive duration: avg= 18.62 ± 3.74 min, max= 2221 s (N=1 female)
1994-95: (Heart rate & depth recorder, Wildlife Computers, sampling= 30s)		 REF 2
1996+99+00: Dive depth: avg= 133 ± 76.3 m, max= 610.4 m (N=24 seals)
1996+99+00: Values for drift dives with a negative slope only (78% of drift dives)
1996+99+00: (SRDLs, Sea Mammal Research Unit, sampling= 4 s, Acc. 0.2m)		 REF 3
1988: Dive depth: gd-avg= 423 ± 200m, max= 1256 m (N=10 females)
1988: Dive duration: gd-avg= 27.1 ± 12.1min, max= 7200s (N=10 females)
1988: Dive depth: gd-avg= 398 ± 164 m, max= 1130 m (N=4 males)
1988: Dive duration: gd-avg= 24 ± 9.2 min, max= 5310s (N=4 males)
1988: (TDR, Wildlife Computers, sampling= 30 s)		 REF 4
1995-97: Dive depth: avg= 438 ± 81m, max= 542 m (N=7 females)
1995-97: Dive duration: avg= 20 ± 2.3min, max= 1302s (N=7 females)
1995-97: (TDR Mk6, Wildlife Computers, sampling= 30 s)
1988-97: Dive depth: avg= 383 ± 63m (N=34 postbreeding females)
1988-97: Dive duration: avg= 18.2 ± 2.6min (N=34 postbreeding females)
1995-97: (TDR Mk3, 3e, 6, Wildlife Computers, sampling= 30 or 10 s)		 REF 5
PENINSULA VALDES (42°45'S - 63°38'W) TOP
1997-98: Dive depth: avg= 91 ± 25 m, max= 175 m (N=3 females)
1997-98: Dive duration: 858 ± 270 s, max= 1680 s (N=3 females)
1997-98: (irradiance-TDRS, Onset Computer Corporation, 1400g, res 0.6m, sampling= 5 s)		 REF 6
1993+94: On-shelf dive depth
1993+94: avg= 82 ± 17 m, max= 198 m (N= 6 post-breeding females)
1993+94: On-shelf dive duration
1993+94: avg= 15.5 ± 4 min, max= 2580 s (N= 6 post-breeding females)
1993+94: Off-shelf dive depth
1993+94: avg= 561 ± 215 m, max= 1218 m (N= 5 post-breeding females)
1993+94: Off-shelf dive duration
1993+94: avg= 22.8 ± 6 min, max= 5880 s (N= 5 post-breeding females)
1993+94: On-shelf dive depth
1993+94: avg= 70 ± 25 m, max= 194 m (N= 6 post-moulting females)
1993+94: On-shelf dive duration
1993+94: avg= 13.4 ± 4.1 min, max= 3360 s (N= 6 post-moulting females)
1993+94: Off-shelf dive depth
1993+94: avg= 449 ± 176 m, max= 1072 m (N= 6 post-moulting females)
1993+94: Off-shelf dive duration
1993+94: avg= 23.9 ± 8.5 min, max= 6120 s (N= 6 post-moulting females)
1997-98: (Satellite-linked GLTDRs, Wildlife Computers, sampling= 20 or 30s)		 REF 7
SOUTH GEORGIA (38°00'S - 54°00'W) TOP
1989: Dive depth: avg= 391 ± 2.6 m, max=775 m (N=1 female)
1989: Dive duration: avg= 17.5 ± 0.09 min, max=2160s (N=1 female)
1989: (MkIII, Wildlife Computers, 150x26mm, 150g, sampling=10s, Acc.5m)		 REF 8
1992-93: Dive depth: avg= 363 m, max= 1653 m (N=9 seals)
1992-93: Dive duration: avg= 22.2 min, max= 5898 s (N=9 seals)
1992-93: (Satellite-linked time-depth recorder, SRDL, Sea Mammal Research Unit)		 REF 9
MARION ISLAND (46°54'S - 37°45'E) TOP
1990-93: Dive depth: gd-avg= 493.6 ± 61.1m, max=1444m (N=8 cows)
1990-93: Dive duration: gd-avg= 24.4 ± 4.4min, max= 6780s (N=8 cows)
1990-93: (GLTDR, Wildlife Computers, 2 sensors: sampling= 30 & 60s, Acc. 2m)		 REF 10

REFERENCES
REF 1 Slip DJ, Hindell MA, Burton HR (1994) Diving Behavior of Southern Elephant Seals from Macquarie Island: An Overview. In: Le Boeuf BJ, Laws R (eds) Elephant Seals: Population Ecology, Behavior, and Physiology. University of California Press, Los Angeles, pp 253-270
REF 2 Hindell MA, Lea M-A (1998) Heart Rate, Swimming Speed, and Estimated Oxygen Consumption of a Free-Ranging Southern Elephant Seal. Physiological Zoology 71: 74-84
REF 3 Biuw M, McConnell B, Bradshaw CJ, Burton H, Fedak M (2003) Blubber and buoyancy: monitoring the body condition of free-ranging seals using simple dive characteristics. Journal of Experimental Biology 206: 3405-3423
REF 4 Hindell MA, Slip DJ, Burton HR (1991) The Diving Behaviour of Adult Male and Female Southern Elephant Seals, Mirounga leonina (Pinnipedia: Phocidae). Australian Journal of Zoology 39: 595-619
REF 5 Hindell MA, Lea M-A, Morrice MG, MacMahon CR (2000) Metabolic Limits on Dive Duration and Swimming Speed in the Southern Elephant Seal Mirounga leonina. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 73: 790-798
REF 6 Campagna C, Dignani J, Blackwell SB, Marin MR (2001) Detecting bioluminescence with an irradiance time-depth recorder deployed on Southern elephant seals. Marine Mammal Science 17: 402-414
REF 7 Campagna C, Quintana F, LeBoeuf BJ, Blackwell S, Crocker DE (1998) Diving behaviour and foraging ecology of female southern elephant seals from Patagonia. Aquatic Mammals 24: 1-11
REF 8 Boyd IL, Arnbom T (1991) Diving behaviour in relation to water temperature in the southern elephant seal: foraging implications. Polar Biology 11: 259-266
REF 9 Bennett K, McConnell B, Fedak MA (2001) Diurnal and seasonal variations in the duration and depth of the longest dives in Southern Elephant seals (mirounga leonina): Possible physiological and behavioural constraints. Journal of Experimental Biology 204: 649–662
REF 10 Jonker F, Bester MN (1994) The diving behaviour of adult southern elephant seal, Mirounga leonina, cows from Marion Island. South African Journal of Antarctic Research 24: 75-93

1Maximum weight: > 4000 kg / Maximum size: > 6200 mm

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