Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-s2hrs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T06:14:43.526Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) along the Brazilian coast: review and additional records

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 March 2010

Jailson Fulgencio de Moura ,
Bruna Pagliani S. di Dario ,
Luciano Moreira Lima  and
Salvatore Siciliano
Jailson Fulgencio de Moura*
Affiliation:
PPG em Saúde Pública e Meio Ambiente, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública/FIOCRUZ Grupo de Estudos de Mamíferos Marinhos da Região dos Lagos—Projeto de Monitoramento de Aves, Quelônios e Mamíferos Marinhos na Bacia de Campos—CENPES/PETROBRAS & ENSP/FIOCRUZ—Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública—FIOCRUZ, Departamento de Endemias. Rua Leopoldo Bulhões, 1480–6° andar, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21041-210Brazil
Bruna Pagliani S. di Dario
Affiliation:
Grupo de Estudos de Mamíferos Marinhos da Região dos Lagos—Projeto de Monitoramento de Aves, Quelônios e Mamíferos Marinhos na Bacia de Campos—CENPES/PETROBRAS & ENSP/FIOCRUZ—Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública—FIOCRUZ, Departamento de Endemias. Rua Leopoldo Bulhões, 1480–6° andar, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21041-210Brazil
Luciano Moreira Lima
Affiliation:
Grupo de Estudos de Mamíferos Marinhos da Região dos Lagos—Projeto de Monitoramento de Aves, Quelônios e Mamíferos Marinhos na Bacia de Campos—CENPES/PETROBRAS & ENSP/FIOCRUZ—Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública—FIOCRUZ, Departamento de Endemias. Rua Leopoldo Bulhões, 1480–6° andar, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21041-210Brazil
Salvatore Siciliano
Affiliation:
Grupo de Estudos de Mamíferos Marinhos da Região dos Lagos—Projeto de Monitoramento de Aves, Quelônios e Mamíferos Marinhos na Bacia de Campos—CENPES/PETROBRAS & ENSP/FIOCRUZ—Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública—FIOCRUZ, Departamento de Endemias. Rua Leopoldo Bulhões, 1480–6° andar, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21041-210Brazil
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: J.F. de Moura PPG em Saúde Pública e Meio Ambiente Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública/FIOCRUZ email: jailsonfm@gmail.com
Get access

Abstract

Southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) is a huge marine predator that has a widely circumpolar distribution and breeding sites near the subantarctic convergence. Nevertheless, this seal has been found in several locations far from their breeding grounds. In Brazilian waters this species has been occasionally recorded. The aim of this paper is to review the occurrence of this species along the Brazilian coast, adding new records in the territory. From 1954 to 2008 we compiled 46 records of M. leonina distributed in eight Brazilian coastal states. We present eight non-published records which represent 17.4% of all the records for the Brazilian coast. From 32 sexed seals, 81.2% were males and 61.3% of the specimens were immature. Most records occurred during autumn (N = 15) and winter (N = 18) seasons. Unexpectedly, the records did not show a clear pattern of decrease from high to low latitudinal coastal Brazilian states. The nectonic pattern of M. leonina with the lack of physical barriers and currents moving northwards could be the reason for the dispersion of this seal to different areas along South American coast.

Keywords

Mirounga leoninasouthern elephant sealBrazilian coastpinnipedvagrants
Type
Research Article
Information
Marine Biodiversity Records , Volume 3 , June 2010 , e18
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Bastida, R. and Rodríguez, D. (2003) Mamíferos marinos de Patagonia y Antartida. 1st edition. Buenos Aires: Vazquez Mazzini Press.Google Scholar
Bastos, B.L., Norberto, G.O., Maia-Nogueira, R. and Guimarães, J.E. (2006) Avaliação hematológica e dosagem bioquímica de ALT, AST e creatinina em elefante-marinho-do-sul, Mirounga leonina (Linnaeus, 1758), encontrado no litoral de Salvador, Bahia. Brazilian Journal of Veterinary Research and Animal Science 43, 18–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Campagna, C. and Lewis, M. (1992) Growth and distribution of a southern elephant seal colony. Marine Mammal Science 8, 387–396.Google Scholar
Carvalho, C.T. (1975) Ocorrência de mamíferos marinhos no Brasil. Boletim Técnico do Instituto Florestal 16, 13–32.Google Scholar
Carvalho, R.V. and Gonchorosky, J.C. (1992) Registro de um elefante marinho (Mirounga leonina) no município de Prado, Bahia, Brasil. In Abstract: 5a Reunión de Especialistas en Mamíferos Acuáticos de América del Sur, 28 September to 2 October 1992. Buenos Aires, Argentina, p.16.Google Scholar
Caseca-Santos, L.R. and Soto, J.M.R. (1998) Novos registros de Lobodon carcinophagus e Mirounga leonina (Pinnipedia, Phocidae) no Sul do Brasil. In Abstract: 8a. Reunião de Trabalho de Especialistas em Mamíferos Aquáticos da América do Sul, 25–29 October 1998. Olinda-Brasil, p. 46.Google Scholar
Castello, H.P. (1984) Registros del elefante marino, Mirounga leonina (Carnivora, Phocidade) en las costas del Atlántico S.O. fuera del área de cría. Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, Zoología 24, 235–243.Google Scholar
Castello, H.P. and Pinedo, M.C. (1977) Os visitantes ocasionais do nosso litoral. Natureza em Revista 2, 40–46.Google Scholar
Cherem, J.J., Simões-Lopes, P.C., Althoff, S. and Graipel, M.E. (2004) Lista dos mamíferos do estado de Santa Catarina, sul do Brasil. Mastozoología Neotropical 11, 151–184.Google Scholar
Drehmer, C.J., Borsatto, E.S. and Ferigolo, J. (1996) Mirounga leonina, Linaeus, 1758, novo registro para o extremo sul do Brasil: agressão e patologias. In Abstract: 7a Reunión de Trabajos de Especialistas en mamíferos acuáticos de América del Sur/1° Congreso de La Sociedad Latinoamericano de Especialistas en mamíferos acuáticos, 22–25 October 1996. Viña del Mar, Chile, p. 45.Google Scholar
Fabiani, A., Hoelzel, A.R., Galimberti, F. and Muelbert, M.M.C. (2003) Long range paternal gene flow in the southern elephant seal. Science 299, 676.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hindell, M.A. and McMahon, C.R. (2000) Long distance movement of a southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) from Macquarie Island to Peter 1 Ø y. Marine Mammal Science 16, 504–507.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hoelzel, A.R., Campagna, C. and Arnbom, T. (2001) Genetic and morphometric differentiation between island and mainland southern elephant seal populations. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Biological Sciences 268, 325–332.Google ScholarPubMed
Jefferson, T.A., Leatherwood, S. and Webber, M.A. (1993) Marine mammals of the world: FAO species identification guide. Rome: UNEP/FAO Press.Google Scholar
Johnson, D.W. (1990) A southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina Linn.) in the Northern Hemisphere (Sultanate of Oman). Marine Mammal Science 6, 242–243.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
King, J.E. (1983) Seals of the world. 2nd edition. London: British Museum (Natural History) and Cornell University Press.Google Scholar
Le Boeuf, B.J. and Laws, R.M. (1994) Elephant seals: an introduction to the genus. In Le Boeuf, B.J. and Laws, R.M. (eds) Elephant seals: population ecology, behavior, and physiology. Los Angeles: University of California Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lewis, M., Campagna, C. and Quintana, F. (1996) Site fidelity and dispersion of southern elephant seals from Patagonia. Marine Mammal Science 12, 138–147.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lewis, M., Campagna, C., Marin, M.R. and Fernandez, T. (2006) Southern elephant seals north of the Antarctic Polar Front. Antarctic Science 18, 213–221.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lodi, L. and Siciliano, S. (1989) A southern elephant seal in Brazil. Marine Mammal Science 5, 313.Google Scholar
Magalhães, F.A., Hassel, L.B., Venturotti, A.C. and Siciliano, S. (2003) Southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) on the coast of Rio de Janeiro State. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals 2, 55–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McMahon, C., Bester, M.N., Burton, H.R., Hindell, M. and Bradshaw, C.A. (2005) Population status, trends and a re-examination of the hypotheses explaining the recent declines of the southern elephant seal Mirounga leonina. Mammal Review 35, 82–100.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moura, J.F. and Siciliano, S. (2007) Straggler subantarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus tropicalis) on the coast of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals 6, 103–107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Muelbert, M.M.C., Robaldo, R.B., Martínes, P.E., Colares, E.P., Bianchini, A. and Setzer, A. (2003) Movement of southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina L.) from Elephant Island South Shetlands, Antarctica. Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology 47, 461–467.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oliveira, L.R., Danilewicz, D., Martins, M.B., Ott, P.H., Moreno, I.B. and Caon, G. (2001) New records of the Antarctic fur seal, Arctocephalus gazella (Peters, 1875) to the Brazilian coast. Comunicações do Museu de Ciências e Tecnologia da PUCRS, Série Zoologia 14, 201–207.Google Scholar
Oliveira, L.R., Machado, R., Alievi, M.M. and Wurdig, N. (2006) Crabeater seal (Lobodon carcinophaga) on the coast of Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals 5, 55–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oliveira, L.R., Ott, P.H. and Malabarba, L.R. (2008) Ecologia alimentar dos pinípedes do sul do Brasil e uma avaliação de suas interações com atividades pesqueiras. In Reis, N.R., Peracchi, A.L. and dos Santos, G.A.S.D. (eds). Ecologia de Mamíferos. Londrina, Paraná: Technical Books Editora, pp. 97–116.Google Scholar
Pinedo, M.C. (1990) Ocorrência de pinípedes na costa brasileira. Garcia d'Orta: Série Zoologica, Lisboa 15, 37–48.Google Scholar
Pinedo, M.C., Rosas, F.C. and Marmontel, M. (1992) Cetáceos e Pinípedes do Brasil. Uma revisão dos registros e guia para identificação das espécies. Manaus: UNEP/FUA Press.Google Scholar
Reeves, R.R., Stewart, B.S., Clapham, P.J. and Powell, J.A. (2002) Guide to the marine mammals of the world. New York: National Audobon Society Press.Google Scholar
Ross, G.J.B. (1969) The southern elephant seal Mirounga leonina on South African coasts. Annals of the Cape Provincial Museum 6, 137–139.Google Scholar
Sanctis, B., Souza, S.P. and Alvarenga, F.S. (2002) Nova adição à lista de pinípedes do estado de São Paulo, Brasil: Ocorrẽncias do elefante-marinho-do-sul (Mirounga leonino). In X Reunión de Trabaja de Especialistas en Mamíferos Acuáticos de América del Sur, 14 to 19 October 2002. Valdívia, Chile, pp. 75–76.Google Scholar
Serra, S.D., Hubner, A. and Dórea-Reis, L.W. (2000) Registros de mamíferos marinhos no litoral do Estado de Sergipe. In Abstract: 9a. Reunión de Trabajo de Especialistas en Mamíferos Acuáticos de América del Sur, 30 October to 3 November 2000. Buenos Aires, Argentina, p. 118.Google Scholar
Silva, K.G. (2004) Os Pinípedes no Brasil: Ocorrências, Estimativas Populacionais e Conservação. PhD thesis. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Brazil.Google Scholar
Simões-Lopes, P.C., Drehmer, C.J. and Ott, P.H. (1995) Nota sobre os Otariidae e Phocidae (Mammalia: Carnivora) da costa norte do Rio Grande do Sul e Santa Catarina. Biociências 3, 173–181.Google Scholar
Slade, R.W., Moritz, C., Hoelzel, A.R. and Burton, H.R. (1998) Molecular population genetics of the southern elephant seal Mirounga leonina. Genetics 149, 1945–1957.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed