Do blonde fur seals have more fun? - 04:28 pm
09 Jun 2009
It was recently published in the journal Polar Biology that a leucistic southern elephant seal was spotted on Marion Island. This was one of the first confirmed reports of leucism in that species. (A leucistic animal has reduced pigmentation). We saw a leucistic version of an Antarctic fur seal - which is not as unusual as in elephant seals, but still a rarity. We found this one in another section of the Southern Ocean, on Cooper Bay in South Georgia. This male seems to be happily holding a territory during prime breeding season. He doesn’t seem to have any females though. But perhaps it was just a matter of time. Apparently 1% of Antarctic fur seals are leucistic but I don’t know if this has any negative - or indeed positive effects on breeding success. It would be interesting to find out.
Reisinger et al. 2009 Leucistic southern elephant seal at Marion Island. Polar Biology 32:509-511.
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