A Cape-wide census of Antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella) pups (live and dead) occurs every year once pupping is over. The census occurs in the last days of December, on a day when conditions and visibility are favorable. Cape Shirreff is located on Livingston Island, in the South Shetlands off the Antarctic Peninsula.

Abstract from ANARE Research Notes 72 The Antarctic fur seal Arctocephalus gazella has increased in numbers at Heard Island since the Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE) station was established in 1947. Increases have also been recorded at other breeding sites in the South Atlantic and South Indian Oceans this century, particularly at South Georgia. In the 1987-88 summer, fur seals at Heard Island were counted in several age and sex categories. The aims of the project were to determine the location of pupping sites, the extent of the pupping season and the size of the population, and to record the changes in numbers of animals ashore during the summer. Maps of the colonies and main haul-out areas, together with descriptions of census areas and tabulations of counts, provide a basis for future comparison. This dataset contains the results from surveys of Antarctic Fur Seals (Arctocephalus gazella) on Heard Island during the summer of 1987-1988. As well as habitat descriptions, age, sex, count of adults and pups were determined. The three major aims of the study include: to determine accurately the location of pupping sites; to determine the extent of the pupping season, the median date of birth and the number of pups born; and to census fur seals on as much of the island as possible in order to determine the number of animals ashore and to document changes in numbers during the summer. The results are listed in the document, which includes detailed tabulations of counts made at colonies and major haul-out sites on Macquarie Island during summer 1987-88, and descriptions and maps of these locations. Tagging, mainly of pups, was also undertaken, and a total of 234 pups, 8 under-yearlings, 9 yearlings, 2 juveniles and 1 sub-adult male were tagged. Counts at 3-day intervals (pups) were made between 25 November and 19 December 1987, and major censuses were made between 19 December 1987 and 25 February 1988. The fields in this dataset are: Locality Age Class Date Colony Bulls Cows Pups

This database contains northern fur seal pup mass and length data by date, island, rookery and sex on the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, collected between 1957-2016. Mass has been used as an index of condition and can be on indicator of the health of the individual, the population and of the ecosystem.

To quantify the dietary preferences and trophic level consumption of post-breeding adult female Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella), we analysed the carbon:nitrogen composition of whiskers and blood samples from the females. Females were captured towards the end of the lactation period (March/April) and whiskers and a blood sample were collected at this time. Females were generally recaptured just prior to or after giving birth the following season and a further whisker and blood sample were collected at this time. Metadata for each individual include: Site, GLS ID, year, flipper tag number, season, sampling date, tissue type, whisker segment number, cumulative length along whisker of the segment, d15N, d13C, percentage N, percentage C and CN ratio.

To quantify the dietary preferences and trophic level consumption of post-breeding adult female Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella), we analysed the carbon:nitrogen composition of whiskers and blood samples from the females. Females were captured towards the end of the lactation period (March/April) and whiskers and a blood sample were collected at this time. Females were generally recaptured just prior to or after giving birth the following season and a further whisker and blood sample were collected at this time. Metadata for each individual include: Site, GLS ID, year, flipper tag number, season, sampling date, tissue type, whisker segment number, cumulative length along whisker of the segment, d15N, d13C, percentage N, percentage C and CN ratio.

This database is a compendium of histories of known age seals (Weddell and Southern elephant) from observations across the Southern Ocean but focussed on Macquarie Island, Marion Island, Heard Island, Mawson and the Vestfold Hills. At Macquarie Island 1000 seals were weighed per annum between 1993-2003 at birth and individually marked with two plastic flipper tags in the inter-digital webbing of their hind flippers. These tagged seals were weighed again at weaning, when length, girth, fat depth, and flipper measurements were made. Three weeks after weaning 2000 seals were permanently and individually marked by hot-iron branding. Recaptures and re-weighings of these known aged individuals were used to calculate growth and age-specific survival of the seals. Similar data were collected from elephant seals between 1950 and 1965 when seals were individually marked by hot-iron branding. Mark-recapture data from these cohorts were used to assess the demography of the declining population. Length and mass data were also collected for these cohorts and were used, for the first time, to assess the growth of individual seals without killing them. At Marion Island all the elephant seals have been individually marked with two plastic flipper tags in their rear flippers. Recaptures of these seals were used to compare survival at Marion and Macquarie Islands. At Heard Island, seals were branded between 1949-1953. Seal length was measured in feet and inches. Recaptures of seals were made up until 1955, and growth and age-specific survival was calculated. Survival data from Heard Island were compared with concurrent data from Macquarie Island. The database was held by the Australian Antarctic Data Centre, but was taken offline due to maintenance problems. A snapshot of the database was taken in June 2018 and stored in an access database. This work was completed as part of ASAC project 90.

Metadata record for data from ASAC Project 2695 See the link below for public details on this project. Variations in the winter extent of sea ice are thought to have profound effects on biological productivity, such as algal growth and the reproduction of Antarctic krill, with subsequent flow-on effects through the food web. This pilot study aims to measure the winter foraging patterns of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) as a first step in investigating their role in the winter sea-ice zone. Our specific objectives are to: Obtain satellite tracks from a sample of adult female Weddell seals Collect diving behaviour (dive depth, duration and frequency) from a sub-set of these seals Collect high precision water temperature data from a subset of these seals These data will enable us to assess the feasibility of including Weddell seals as a candidate species in a long-term study of winter sea-ice and predator performance. This project has now been merged into project number 2794 (ASAC_2794). It also contains data collected as part of project 1171 (ASAC_1171). The download file contains 13 Access Databases containing data from this project. An excel spreadsheet summarising the databases is also included. The data have also been loaded into the Australian Antarctic Data Centre's ARGOS tracking database. The database can be accessed at the provided URL.

Antarctic Fur Seals from Heard Island fed mainly on fish, but the prey species changed both seasonally and inter-annually. The majority of prey were pelagic myctophids characteristic of deep oceanic water, and were generally taken in autumn and winter. The only other fish taken in significant numbers was Champsocephalus gunnari which was mostly taken from late winter through early autumn when it was co-dominant in the diet with the Krefftichthys anderssoni. Males and females foraged in different localities and in different parts of the water column. Males foraged mainly to the south of Heard Island in winter usually diving deep by day, feeding on scattering layers. In summer males also fed on the shelf, presumably to the north and east of Heard Island on K. anderssoni at shallow depths primarily at night. Although diet studies provided little evidence of feeding on crustaceans, diving data indicate that some males may travel to Antarctic waters in winter to feed on krill. The fields in this dataset are: Months Species Scats Time foraging Number of Dives Time Submerged (minutes) Mean Dive Duration (minutes) Maximum Depth (metres)

This log contains notes and observations of Weddell seals at Mawson, collected between 1979 and 1991. The hard copy of the log has been archived by the Australian Antarctic Division library.

To quantify the post-breeding movements of adult female Antarctic females (Arctocephalus gazella) we tracked females using Biotrack GLS (geolocation) data loggers. Females were captured towards the end of the lactation period (March/April) and the GLS tag, affixed to a Dalton flipper tag, was deployed in the trailing edge of the left or right foreflipper. Tags were generally retrieved just prior to or after giving birth the following season. Data files were extracted from the tags using BASTrak software. .lig - light data .tem - temperature data .act - activity data Metadata for each individual include: Site, year, GLS ID, sex, age, deployment site, lat and long of deployment site, flipper tag number, deployment and retrieval times (GMT).