| pleistocene population expansions of antarctic seals. | we sequenced a portion (c. 475 bp) of the mitochondrial control region of three species of antarctic phocid carnivores (weddell seal, leptonychotes weddellii, n = 181; crabeater seal, lobodon carcinophaga, n = 143; and ross seal, ommatophoca rossii, n = 41) that live seasonally or permanently in the fast ice and seasonal pack ice of the western amundsen and ross seas of western antarctica. we resolved 251 haplotypes with a haplotype diversity of 0.98 to 0.99. bayesian estimates of theta from the ... | 2009 | 19344354 |
| sexing pinnipeds with zfx and zfy loci. | we developed and tested a protocol for determining the sex of individual pinnipeds using the sex-chromosome-specific genes zfx and zfy. we screened a total of 368 seals (168 crabeater, lobodon carcinophaga; 159 weddell, leptonychotes weddellii; and 41 ross, ommatophoca rossii) of known or unknown sex and compared the molecular sex to the sex assigned at the time of biopsy sample collection in the ross and amundsen seas, antarctica. we also screened 6 captive northern elephant seals (mirounga ang ... | 2007 | 17548861 |
| antarctic seals: molecular biomarkers as indicators for pollutant exposure, health effects and diet. | weddell (leptonychotes weddellii), ross (ommatophoca rossii) and crabeater seals (lobodon carcinophaga) are phocid seals with a circumpolar distribution around antarctica. as long-lived and large top predators, they bioaccumulate contaminants and are considered as sentinels of ecosystem health. antarctic seals are increasingly exposed to climate change, pollution, shipping and fisheries. to reveal and understand possible anthropogenic impacts on their immune and health status, this study investi ... | 2017 | 28535598 |
| serum chemistry and antibodies against pathogens in antarctic fur seals, weddell seals, crabeater seals, and ross seals. | information on health parameters, such as antibody prevalences and serum chemistry that can reveal exposure to pathogens, disease, and abnormal physiologic conditions, is scarce for antarctic seal species. serum samples from antarctic fur seals (arctocephalus gazella, n=88) from bouvetøya (2000-2001 and 2001-2002), and from weddell seals (leptonychotes weddellii, n=20), ross seals (ommatophoca rossii, n=20), and crabeater seals (lobodon carcinophagus, n=9) from the pack-ice off queen maud land, ... | 2012 | 22740529 |
| aspects of reproduction in female ross seals (ommatophoca rossii). | ovaries were collected from 26 ross seals shot in the king haakon vii sea south of the 60 degrees latitude during 3 periods, between 12 january and 2 february 1980-1982. the structure of the ovaries resembled that of other pinnipeds. a corpus luteum was found in 18 of 26 females, which therefore were regarded as reproductive. however, no females were lactating or visibly pregnant (presence of fetus in the uterus). of the remaining 8 females (non-reproductive), 3 had neither a corpus luteum nor a ... | 1989 | 2621716 |
| sensory anatomy of the most aquatic of carnivorans: the antarctic ross seal, and convergences with other mammals. | transitions to and from aquatic life involve transformations in sensory systems. the ross seal, ommatophoca rossii, offers the chance to investigate the cranio-sensory anatomy in the most aquatic of all seals. the use of non-invasive computed tomography on specimens of this rare animal reveals, relative to other species of phocids, a reduction in the diameters of the semicircular canals and the parafloccular volume. these features are independent of size effects. these transformations parallel t ... | 2017 | 29021317 |