On sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island, we examined pup weaning mass of southern elephant seals in relation to human presence. Pup weaning mass was previously found to be positively associated with 1st-year survivorship. Weaned pups were weighed in a remote area, Middle Beach, and in an area of relatively high human presence, Isthmus East. The areas were reasonably similar in beach topography, wind and surf conditions, numbers of seals present per kilometre of coastline, and numbers of males and females present in harems. For a sub-sample of measured pups, data on the respective maternal size were collected using photogrammetry. Both male and female weaned pups on Middle Beach were significantly heavier than those on Isthmus East. Estimated length of mothers was significantly higher on Middle Beach. In proportion to their own size, mothers in both areas produced weaners of similar mass, indicating no direct effect of human disturbance or the efficiency of lactation. It remained unclear whether the area differences in maternal and pup size were due to natural or human-related factors.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Research Division:	Environmental Sciences
Research Group:	Environmental management
Research Field:	Wildlife and habitat management
Objective Division:	Environmental Management
Objective Group:	Coastal and estuarine systems and management
Objective Field:	Assessment and management of coastal and estuarine ecosystems
UTAS Author:	Field, IC (Dr Iain Field)
ID Code:	22684
Year Published:	2001
Web of Science® Times Cited:	31
Deposited By:	Zoology
Deposited On:	2001-08-01
Last Modified:	2011-08-03
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