Pattern and depth of dives in Northern elephant seals, Mirounga angustirostris uri icon

abstract

  • A timedepth recorder was attached to a female Northern elephant seal at the end of her lactation fast before she entered the sea to feed. The animal dived continuously during its first 11 days at sea, the period recorded for a total of 653 dives. Mean dive time was 21 min, with the longest submersion lasting 32 min. Mean surface interval between dives was 3 min, resulting in a total surface time of 11 %. Mean dive depth was 333 m and the deepest dive was 630 m, the deepest ever recorded for a pinniped. A depth histogram recorder attached to another female yielded a similar frequency distribution of dive depths. 1986 The Zoological Society of London

published proceedings

  • Journal of Zoology

author list (cited authors)

  • Leboeuf, B. J., Costa, D. P., Huntley, A. C., Kooyman, G. L., & Davis, R. W.

citation count

  • 48

complete list of authors

  • Leboeuf, BJ||Costa, DP||Huntley, AC||Kooyman, GL||Davis, RW

publication date

  • January 1986

publisher