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Australian Mammalogy Australian Mammalogy Society
Journal of the Australian Mammal Society
RESEARCH ARTICLE

The status and seasonal occurrence of Leopard Seals, Hydrurga leptonyx, in Tasmanian waters.

D. Rounsevell and D. Pemberton

Australian Mammalogy 17(1) 97 - 102
Published: 1994

Abstract

Seventy nine sightings of Leopard Seals, Hydrurga leptonyx, made over a period of 7 years in Tasmania are reported. They show that the species occurs annually in Tasmanian waters between July and November, probably as a result of northward movement from the Antarctic pack ice zone. Its seasonal occurrence in Tasmanian waters implies that it is a regular member of the marine fauna of the region. This is in contrast to previous reports that the species was a rare vagrant, occasionally stranding along the coastline. Comparisons of the age structure of H. leptonyx in Tasmania with those on subantarctic islands suggests that there is a clinal variation with latitude in the dispersal pattern, as young animals disperse further north than adults.

https://doi.org/10.1071/AM94010

© Australian Mammal Society 1994

Committee on Publication Ethics


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