The prey of Antarctic fur seals,
Arctocephalus gazella, was investigated through scat analysis at Marion Island from 1996 until 2000. A total of 25 different prey species were
identified from scats, of which 21 were fish, 1 crustacean and 3 cephalopods. Fish were by far the main prey item, occurring
in 96.1% of samples, followed by crustaceans (2.7%) and cephalopods (1.2%). Fishes from the family Myctophidae (
Gymnoscopelus piabilis,
Electrona carlsbergi, G. fraseri and
E. subaspera) were the most abundant prey (97.2%) every year, while those from the families Notothenididae, Paralepididae, Notosudidae,
Microstomatidae and Gempylidae were present in small numbers.
G. piabilis, E. carlsbergi, E. subaspera and
G. nicholsi contributed the most in terms of biomass to the diet. Significant seasonal differences existed in the diet when comparing
summer and winter.
G. piabilis, K. anderssoni,
P. bolini and
P. choriodon dominated in summer as opposed to
E. carlsbergi, E. subaspera, G. fraseri and
G. nicholsi that dominated in winter. The fish varied in size and mass, from the small
K. anderssoni to the large
Paranotothenia magellanica. Cephalopods and the crustacean
Nauticaris marionis, in very low numbers and in winter, appeared in the scats, but not in all years of study. Unidentified penguin remains rarely
turned up in scats.
Keywords
Arctocephalus gazella
- Otoliths - Prey species - Frequency of occurrence - Numerical abundance