Report of a mummified leopard seal carcass in the southern Dry Valleys, McMurdo Sound, Antarctica

Banks, Jonathan C.; Ross, Philip M.; Smith, Tracy E.

doi:10.1017/s0954102009990368

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…However, skeletons and mummified remains of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii (Lesson)) and leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx (de Blainville)) have also been reported (e.g. Péwé et al 1959, Banks et al 2010.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Mummified seals and their skeletons have been reported in numerous ice-free areas of Antarctica since the earliest expeditions in the 20th century. Specifically the McMurdo Dry Valleys (Péwé et al 1959, Banks et al 2010), Victoria Land (Mabin 1985), the James Ross Island (JRI) archipelago (Björck et al 1996, Nelson et al 2008, Negrete et al 2011), the South Shetland Islands (Gordon & Harkness 1992), and the sub-Antarctic islands (Gordon & Harkness 1992). The mummified seals from the McMurdo Dry Valleys and Victoria Land are permanently frozen, but the others melt seasonally and are, therefore, partially decayed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Death age, seasonality, taphonomy and colonization of seal carcasses from Ulu Peninsula, James Ross Island, Antarctic Peninsula

et al. 2015

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Abstract:The origin and nature of seal carcasses scattered around the Ulu Peninsula, James Ross Island, is examined using robust and novel multidisciplinary analysis. Spatial distribution analysis indicates their predominance at low elevations and on surfaces with negligible slope. The seals died throughout the last century. Dental cement increments indicate that the seals died in late winter, and we interpret this to show an influence of the persistence and break-up of sea ice and the appearance of pools/cracks in the northern Prince Gustav Channel on death. Specifically, after being trapped by a late winter freeze-up the seals search for open water, become disoriented by snow-covered flat valleys and move inland. Carcasses from all age groups of crabeater seal are found on land, but inland movement is less notable for Weddell and leopard seals. Although most carcasses appear to have remained unchanged during the last 10 years due to the cold and dry conditions, a few carcasses that are located in sites of snow accumulation and subsequent melting have undergone enhanced decay. Decaying seal carcasses represent loci of nutrient release in a nutrient deficient environment and are colonized by algae, cyanobacteria, lichens and mosses. This research suggests further useful studies for the future.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Death age, seasonality, taphonomy and colonization of seal carcasses from Ulu Peninsula, James Ross Island, Antarctic Peninsula

et al. 2015

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“…Nelson et al (2008) observed that most (c. 90%) of the MCS on James Ross Island were immature individuals and proposed that disorientation, due to inexperience, had caused their stranding. Disorientation has also been proposed as a causal factor for stranding in other seal species including the leopard seal (Banks et al 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The crabeater seal, Lobodon carcinophaga (Hombron & Jacquinot), is the marine mammal species most frequently found stranded in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic (see Péwé et al 1959, Barwick & Balham 1967, Dort 1975, 1981, Gordon & Harkness 1992, Nelson et al 2008, Negrete et al 2011). Although other species, such as Weddell ( Leptonychotes weddellii (Lesson)), leopard ( Hydrurga leptonyx (de Blanville)) and southern elephant ( Mirounga leonina (L.)) seals, have also been reported mummified, they have been found in far fewer numbers (Péwé et al 1959, Nichols 1966, Barwick & Balham 1967, Banks et al 2010). Stirling & Kooyman (1971) proposed that the crabeater seal is more likely to strand and become mummified because they are both more agile and more numerous.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aggregation of mummified adult crabeater seals (Pinnipedia: Phocidae) in the eastern Antarctic Peninsula: age and sex structure, taphonomy and cause of death

Negrete

Soibelzon

et al. 2014

Antartic science

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In Antarctica, crabeater seals tend to strand as immature animals with disorientation, due to their inexperience, given as the probable cause. In 2012 and 2013, we examined a group of 80 mummified crabeater seals on Seymour Island (Marambio). The age and gender of 28 seals was determined, and virology and stomach content analyses were performed in order to determine the cause of stranding. Around 82% of the seals examined were adults and 79% were females, some of which were pregnant. All of the seals sampled tested negative for Morbillivirus, suggesting that the stranding was not related to the mass mortality event reported in the 1950s in the region. Most seals had empty stomachs and thin blubber suggesting that they died from starvation. The state of the carcasses suggests multiple stranding events. Most of the seals were located along an ice-covered stream, suggesting that this may act as a ‘natural trap’, isolating the seals from the open ocean. This is exceptional as it is the first report of mostly adult female seals to strand in Antarctica and refutes the theory that only young animals are prone to stranding.

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“…S ince Scott's 1901-1904 Discovery expedition, mummified seals have been reported in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica in locations up to 66 km inland and 1,800 m above sea level [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] . These curious, twisted remnants of bone and desiccated flesh (Fig.…”

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confidence: 99%

Rapid microbial response to the presence of an ancient relic in the Antarctic Dry Valleys

et al. 2012

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Report of a mummified leopard seal carcass in the southern Dry Valleys, McMurdo Sound, Antarctica

Cited by 9 publications

References 7 publications

Death age, seasonality, taphonomy and colonization of seal carcasses from Ulu Peninsula, James Ross Island, Antarctic Peninsula

Death age, seasonality, taphonomy and colonization of seal carcasses from Ulu Peninsula, James Ross Island, Antarctic Peninsula

Aggregation of mummified adult crabeater seals (Pinnipedia: Phocidae) in the eastern Antarctic Peninsula: age and sex structure, taphonomy and cause of death

Rapid microbial response to the presence of an ancient relic in the Antarctic Dry Valleys

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