The Southern Elephant Seal, Mirounga leonina (L.), in the Vestfold Hills, Antarctica

Abstract

The southern elephant seal regularly hauls out to moult at the Vestfold Hills, Antarctica. The population comprises mostly immature males. Local distribution and movement were assessed by a marking program. Marked seals returned the following year, demonstrating an annual constancy to site. The wallow sites of the area are described. No correlation was found between wallow population and macroclimate. Satellite data on sea ice were used in an attempt to determine the influence of the annual sea ice cycle on this population.