Diet of the Leopard Seal Hydrurga leptonyx at the Danco Coast, Antarctic Peninsula

CASAUX R.; BARONI A.; RAMÓN A.; CARLINI A.; BERTOLIN M.; DI PRINZIO C.

POLAR BIOLOGY

SPRINGER

Año: 2009 vol. 32 p. 307 - 310

0722-4060

<!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:70.85pt 3.0cm 70.85pt 3.0cm; mso-header-margin:36.0pt; mso-footer-margin:36.0pt; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> A total of 14 scats of the Leopard Seal were collected on ice floes close to Cierva Point, DancoCoast, Antarctic Peninsula, during February and March 2000. Krill was the most frequent and numerous prey and also constituted the bulk of the diet; penguins and fish followed in importance by mass. Among fish, Gobionotothen gibberifrons was the most frequent prey and also predominated by mass whereas the myctophid Gymnoscopelus nicholsi was the most numerous prey. The results are compared with previous studies and the differences in the composition of the diet observed among the Leopard seal and other seals at the study area are discussed.