A phylogeny of the extant Phocidae inferred from complete mitochondrial DNA coding regions.

Despite extensive interest in the systematics of Pinnipedia, questions remain concerning phylogenetic relationships within the Phocidae or "true" seals. Relationships within the phocids and their placement relative to the remaining pinnipeds and major lineages of arctoid carnivores were examined using a large molecular data set consisting of 12 mitochondrial protein coding genes. Phylogenetic analysis including 15 extant species of the Phocidae, and representatives of the Otariidae, Odobenidae, Ursidae, Mustelidae, Canidae, and Felidae confirmed the monophyletic origins of the Pinnipedia within the Arctoidea. Slightly more support was found for an ursid affinity of the pinnipeds, however, this relationship remains contentious. The Phocidae were placed as the sister group to a common odobenid-otariid clade. Within the family Phocidae, strong support for the traditionally accepted subfamilies Phocinae (northern seals), and Monachinae (southern seals plus monk seals) was found. In contrast to recent suggestions, a monophyletic Monachus was strongly supported and was placed in a deep branching position within the Monachinae. Evidence from sequence divergence under a maximum likelihood model illustrated that the rarely used tribal distinction within the Monachinae are comparable, in terms of evolutionary distance, to accepted tribal distinctions within the Phocinae. In addition, results suggest that Pagophilus should be accepted as a genus within the Phocini. Sequence divergence between Phoca, Pusa, and Halichoerus is minimal, supporting a taxonomic reclassification of the three genera into an emended genus Phoca, without subgeneric distinctions.

Factors affecting stroking patterns and body angle in diving Weddell seals under natural conditions.

Aquatic animals use a variety of strategies to reduce the energetic cost of locomotion. Efficient locomotion is particularly important for breath-holding divers because high levels of exercise may quickly deplete oxygen reserves, leading to the termination of a dive. We investigated the swimming behavior of eight adult Weddell seals, which are proficient divers, in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. A newly developed data logger was attached to free-ranging females at their own breeding sites to record swimming speed, depth, two-dimensional accelerations (stroke frequency and body angle) and temperature. All seals conducted multiple deep dives (the mean dive depth range for each animal was 223.3+/-66.5-297.9+/-164.7 m). Prolonged gliding while descending was observed with thinner females (N=5 seals). But the fatter females (N=3 seals) exhibited only swim-and-glide swimming, characterized by intermittent stroking and fluctuating swim speed, throughout their descent and ascent. The body angles of four of the seals were restricted to less than 30 degrees by the location of breathing holes in the ice and the slope of local bathymetric features. Of these four, the three fatter seals adopted the stroke-and-glide method while the other thinner seal descended with prolonged periods of gliding. Prolonged gliding seems to be a more efficient method for locomotion because the surface time between dives of gliding seals was significantly less than that of stroking animals, despite their same stroke frequencies.