Postweaning duration and body composition changes in Southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) pups at King George Island.

Weaning mass in southern elephant seals is highly variable, the heaviest pups being three times as heavy as the lightest ones. After weaning, pups undergo an extensive postweaning period in which they draw on their reserves. To quantify the energy expenditure during the postweaning period, changes in mass, body composition, and postweaning duration were measured in southern elephant seals at King George Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. Overall, mean pup weaning mass was 154 +/- 26 kg (n=117) and did not differ between sexes. Mean minimum postweaning duration was 42.5 +/- 7.5 d. Heavier animals at weaning had lower mass-specific mass loss rates than lighter ones, and a faster depletion of body reserves was associated with a shorter postweaning period. The proportion of body mass represented by fat at weaning was 37% +/- 4% (n=47) and did not differ between sexes. Of these pups, 36 were recaptured after a mean period of 36 d after weaning. On average, total mass loss measured in these animals (39 kg) was composed of 39% water, 47% fat, and 12% protein. The composition of mass loss was not significantly different between sexes and was not related to weaning mass or total body energy reserves. However, fatter animals at weaning lost more fat per kilogram lost than thinner ones. Late in the fast, males and females appeared to be in a similar body condition. Nevertheless, the overall proportion of body mass represented by fat at this time was lower than that presented by the same animals at weaning. We estimated that during the postweaning period pups lost, on average, 30% of their mass at weaning. This comprised approximately 35% of the energy and 32% of the fat in the pup's body.

Microscopic anatomy of the eye of the deep-diving Antarctic Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii).

The microscopic anatomy of the eye of the Weddell seal was studied with various light and electron microscopic methods with a view to correlating morphological findings with the biology of this seal which is adapted to the extremes of the Antarctic environment and to extreme diving excursions into the lightless depths of the sea. In the retina an area centralis was found but no fovea centralis. The densely packed photoreceptors consist exclusively of highly differentiated rods, which in primates detect light at low intensity but have rather poor image discrimination. The ganglion cells are relatively scarce, suggesting a high degree of convergence of the light-sensitive cells on the ganglion cells. The pigment epithelium is almost devoid of pigment granules. The extensive tapetum lucidum is about 400-500 microm thick and is composed of about 30 layers of specialized cells. The cornea is 650 (center) to 800-900 (periphery) microm thick. Its structure and glycosaminoglycan histochemistry correspond to that of other mammals. The iridocorneal angle is unusually deep and pervaded by an elaborate trabecular meshwork, which together with a complex canal of Schlemm can be correlated with the ability to absorb large amounts of fluid. The ciliary muscle and its antagonist, the membrane of Bruch, are poorly developed, suggesting relatively poor abilities of accommodation. The combination of a well-developed tapetum lucidum, an unpigmented pigment epithelium, well-developed rods, and a high number of rods converging on only few ganglion cells is obviously an adaptation to an extreme light sensitivity, enabling the animals to make use of the little light available in the deep sea.