Species Leptonychotes weddelli (Lesson, 1826)

Museums

Regional Maps

• Otaria weddelli Lesson, R.P. 1826. Sur le Phoque Léopard de Mer des Orcades Australes; par James Weddell. [A voyage toward the South Pole, performed in the years 1822–24]. London : Longman 6 + 276 pp. & maps. [437] [spelled Weddelli on p. 438; based on description and poor drawing only].

  Type data:

   Status unknown, South Orkney Ils.

  Secondary source:

   Scheffer, V.B. 1958. Seals, Sea Lions and Walruses. A review of the Pinnipedia. Stanford : Stanford University Press x 179 pp. 32 pls.
• Phoca leopardina Hamilton, R. 1839. The natural history of the amphibious carnivora, including the walrus and seals, also the herbivorous cetacea. Jardine's Natural Library 6: 183 [183 pl. 12].

  Type data:

   Status unknown, whereabouts unknown, South Orkney Ils.

  Secondary source:

   Iredale, T. & Troughton, E. le G. 1934. A check-list of the mammals recorded from Australia. Memoirs of the Australian Museum 6: i-xii 1-122 (Order Pinnipedia pp. 87–89).

 

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Scheffer, V.B. 1958. Seals, Sea Lions and Walruses. A review of the Pinnipedia. Stanford : Stanford University Press x 179 pp. 32 pls. [122]

 

Generic Combinations

• Leptonychotes weddelli (Lesson, 1826).

 

Distribution

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IMCRA

Macquarie Island Province (24), Spencer Gulf Shelf Province (33), Tasmanian Shelf Province (36)

Other Regions

Australian Antarctic Territory, Heard & McDonald Islands (Aust. Terr.)

Ecological Descriptors

Continental shelf, continental slope, piscivore, predator, sedentary, territorial.

Extra Ecological Information

Diet includes cephalopods and various crustacea, males territorial during breeding season.

 

General References

Gales, N.J. 1988. Use of emetics and anaesthesia for dietary assessment of Weddell seals. Australian Wildlife Research 15: 423-433

Green, K., Burton, H.R., McFarlane, D.C. et al. 1995. Difficulties in assessing population status of ice seals. Wildlife Research 22: 193-200

Green, K., Burton, H.R. & Watts, D.J. 1995. Studies of the Weddell seal in the Vestfold Hills, East Antarctica. ANARE Research Notes 93: 1-64

Green, K., Wong, V. & Burton, H.R. 1992. A population decline in Weddell seals: real or sampling artefact. Wildlife Research 19: 59-64

Green, K. & Burton, H.R. 1987. Seasonal and geographical variation in the food of Weddell seals, Leptonychotes weddellii, in Antarctica. Australian Wildlife Research 14: 475-489

Hastings, K.K. & Testa, J.W. 1998. Maternal and birth colony effects on survival of Weddell seal offspring from McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Journal of Animal Ecology 67: 722-740

King, J.E. 1983. Seals of the World. 2nd Edition. St Lucia : Univ. Queensland Press 240 pp.

Kooyman, G.L. 1981. Weddell seal Leptonychotes weddelli Lesson, 1826. pp. 275-296 in Ridgway, S.H. & Harrison, R.J. (eds). Handbook of Marine Mammals. Volume 2. Seals. London : Academic Press.

Morrice, M.G., Burton, H.R. & Green, K. 1994. Microgeographic variation and songs in the underwater vocalisation repertoire of the Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) from the Vestfold Hills, Antarctica. Polar Biology 14: 441-446

Pahl, B.C., Terhune, J.M., Burton, H.R. 1997. Repertoire and geographic variation in underwater vocalisations of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddelli, Pinnipedia: Phocidae) at Vestfold Hills, Antarctica. Australian Journal of Zoology 45: 171-187

Scheer, J.F., Hastings, K.K. & Testa, J.W. 1996. Preweaning mortality of Weddell seal pups. Canadian Journal of Zoology 74: 1775-1778

Tedman, R.A. 1985. The Weddell seal, Leptonychotes weddelli, at McMurdo Sound, Antarctica: milk production in relation to pup growth. pp. 41-52 in Ling, J.K. & Bryden, M.M. (eds). Studies of sea mammals in south latitudes. Adelaide : South Australian Museum 13 pp.

Tedman, R.A. 1995. Weddell Seal Leptonychotes weddelli. pp. 689-691 in Strahan, R. (ed.). The Mammals of Australia: The National Photographic Index of Australian Wildlife. Sydney : Reed New Holland 756 pp.

Thomas, J.A., Puddicombe, R.A., George, M. & Lewis, D. 1988. Variations in underwater vocalizations of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddelli) at the Vestfold Hills as a measure of breeding population discreteness. Hydrobiologia 165: 279-284

 

Common Name References

ABRS 2001. Census of Australian Vertebrates. Australian Biological Resources Study. (Weddell Seal)

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
14-Dec-2010		16-Oct-2013	MODIFIED
		12-Feb-2010	(import)