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Aquatic bird predation by antarctic and subantarctic pinnipeds vagrants off argentina

Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic pinnipeds are well-known seasonal visitors of the Southwest Atlantic Ocean. According to the literature, at their breeding grounds, they feed mainly on a variety of fish, cephalopods, and crustaceans. During the non-breeding period and far away from its breeding colonies,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Polar biology 2024-08, Vol.47 (8), p.793-800
Main Authors: Padula, Antonella D., Romero, M. Alejandra, Machado, Rodrigo, Rosenthal, Alan F., Dassis, Mariela, Rodríguez, Diego H., Carlos, Caio J., Pon, Juan Pablo Seco, Denuncio, Pablo
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic pinnipeds are well-known seasonal visitors of the Southwest Atlantic Ocean. According to the literature, at their breeding grounds, they feed mainly on a variety of fish, cephalopods, and crustaceans. During the non-breeding period and far away from its breeding colonies, little is known about their feeding habits. Here, we present records of predation on aquatic birds by Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic pinnipeds off northern Argentinian coast (37°27′ S, 57°06′ W to 41°50' S 65°02' W). We examined the gastrointestinal contents of 22 specimens of three pinnipeds species ( Arctocephalus gazella [n = 10], A. tropicalis [n = 11] and Hydrurga leptonyx [n = 1]) collected from 1996 to 2023. Aquatic birds remains were found in the gastrointestinal tracts of three individuals (13.64%): two A. gazella and one H. leptonyx . We identified feathers, and other bird parts by comparing them to specimens from scientific collections and descriptions/illustrations from the literature. Two of the three aquatic birds found in the gastrointestinal tracts were most probably Magellanic Penguins ( Spheniscus magellanicus ), whereas the other one was a Great grebe ( Podiceps major ). To our knowledge, this is the first study reporting predation on aquatic birds by Antarctic pinnipeds far from their breeding colonies.
ISSN:0722-4060
1432-2056
DOI:10.1007/s00300-024-03271-8