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A Wandering Weddell Seal (Leptonychotes Weddellii) at Trindade Island, Brazil: the Extreme Sighting of a Circumpolar Species

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A Wandering Weddell Seal (Leptonychotes Weddellii) at Trindade Island, Brazil: the Extreme Sighting of a Circumpolar Species Polar Biology https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-017-2218-9 SHORT NOTE A wandering Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) at Trindade Island, Brazil: the extreme sighting of a circumpolar species Guilherme Frainer1,2,3 · Vanessa L. Heissler3 · Ignacio B. Moreno1,2,3 Received: 30 May 2017 / Revised: 12 September 2017 / Accepted: 27 November 2017 © Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2017 Abstract Records of vagrant marine organisms provide important information on oceanographic anomalies and the changing envi- ronment. We report on an immature Weddell seal, Leptonychotes weddellii, sighted at Calheta Beach in Trindade Island (20°31′S 29°19′W), Brazil, on July 9, 2015. A number of injuries were noted, including blisters on the dorsal surface of the body and a small cut at the right-hand side distal portion of the mandible. Based on its size and the state of fusion of cranial sutures, we suggest that it was born in the 2014 austral spring and was possibly 8–10 months old. We suggest that it comes from the South Shetland Islands, Antarctic Peninsula. This is the closest breeding location of this species. This sighting is the northernmost of L. weddellii, being at least ~ 5140 km from the Antarctic Peninsula (63°12′S 55°04′W) and ~ 2840 km north from the second northernmost sighting of this species in Uruguay. Keywords Weddell seal · Circumpolar distribution · El Niño · Trindade Island · Climate change Introduction Fernandez Archipelago (Pacifc Ocean) and on the coasts of Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina and Uruguay The Weddell seal Leptonychotes weddellii (Lesson, 1826) (Fig. 1) (Albert 1901; Olrog 1950; Torres et al. 1984; Skin- is a marine mammal (order Carnivora) belonging to family ner and Smithers 1990; Thomas and Terhune 2009; Shaugh- Phocidae. It has a circumpolar distribution in waters around nessy et al. 2012; Miskelly 2015). This species is sexual the Antarctic Continent and associated islands (Stirling dimorphic with the length of males being 2.5–2.9 m and 1971). L. weddellii is associated with Antarctic fast ice; it females being 2.6–3.3 m. The body mass ranges from 400 is seldom found in temperate seas. However, sightings of to 450 kg for both males and females (Kooyman et al. 1973). vagrants have been recorded in the Southern Ocean at Heard This species breeds during the austral spring (late Sep- Island, Macquarie Island, Marion Island, the Kerguelen tember–late December) and it is limited to the areas south to Islands and the Malvinas (Falkland) Islands. They have Antarctic Convergence during this time (Laws 1984). Behav- been sighted further north at the Auckland Islands and Juan iour at sea is little known (Testa 1994). * Guilherme Frainer Materials and methods [email protected] 1 Programa de Pós‑Graduação em Biologia Animal On July 9, 2015 a young L. weddellii (total length: 172 cm) (PPGBAN), Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade (Fig. 2) was sighted alive in Trindade Island, southeastern Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500, Bloco IV, Prédio 43435, Porto Alegre, Brazil (Fig. 1). The specimen was observed alive for 2 days Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil before being found dead at the Calheta Beach (20°31′S; ′ 2 Centro de Estudos Costeiros Limnológicos e Marinhos 029°19 W). The animal was buried at this location by the (CECLIMAR/UFRGS), Av. Tramandaí 976, Imbé, Brazilian Navy and was recovered by one of us (VLH) in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil February 2017. The partial skeleton including several verte- 3 Laboratório de Sistemática e Ecologia de Aves e Mamíferos brae, ribs, forelimbs, hindlimbs and several parts of the bro- Marinhos (LABSMAR/UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves, ken skull and teeth were accessioned to the Scientifc Col- 9500, Bloco IV, Prédio 43435, Sala 206, Porto Alegre, lection of Mammalogy of the Museu de Ciências Naturais Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil Vol.:(0123456789)1 3 Polar Biology Fig. 1 Primary distribution of Leptonychotes weddellii provided Island (triangle) is described here. Published records were compiled by the IUCN (Red List Data) (grey) from Hückstädt (2015) and the from Miskelly 2015 (1), Shaughnessy et al. 2012 (2), Thomas and extralimital sightings reported so far (n = 21), including the north- Terhune 2009 (3), Torres et al. 1984 (4), Olrog 1950 (5), Albert 1901 ernmost sighting and the frst record for Brazilian waters in Trindade (6) and Skinner and Smithers 1990 (7). Map: VLH (MUCIN) of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do diagrams presented in Stirling (1971). Based on size and Sul (UFRGS) under the collection number MUCIN 0054. state of skeletal ossifcation, we determined that this speci- men was born in the 2014 austral spring, suggesting that it was 8–10 months old. Results and discussion Throughout the austral winter, some Weddell seals main- tain holes in coastal land-fast ice while other individuals are Blisters were presented on the dorsal surface of the body of commonly seen on ofshore pack ice (Thomas and Terhune the seal and it had a small cut at the right-hand side distal 2009). However, the post-reproductive period of some pin- portion of mandible. Skeletal material recovered had par- niped species is characterized by long distance movements tially deteriorated due to the young age of the animal (i.e. of adult individuals from the breeding colonies to the open the bones were more cartilaginous than those of adults, and ocean (Ferreira et al. 2008). Testa et al. (1991) pointed out many cranial sutures were not fused) and the high tempera- that changes on some biological parameters in this species— ture at the burial location. The remaining parts of the disar- such as population size, age structure, productivity and regu- ticulated skull, including the mandible (Fig. 3), were used lar interannual variability, especially in reproduction—might to confrm species identifcation based on comparison to be correlated with El Niño—Southern Oscillation events 1 3 Polar Biology Current to fnd its way to Trindade Island. Alternatively, this animal could also be infuenced by the intense Subtropical Gyre which is a counterclockwise circulation in the Southern Atlantic, thus increasing the possibilities of the real origin of this vagrant (Peterson and Stramma 1991). While rare events, such as records of vagrants, should be interpreted with caution since this is unusual behaviour (Stachowicz et al. 2002) and they are important in indicating potential distances and directions of dispersal. They are also important in indicating potential efects of climate change on the species in question. According Ruiz et al. (1997), changes on water temperature would afect the ranges of marine species, e.g. as seen on the short-term range exten- sion of species from the southern and northern hemispheres Fig. 2 Young Leptonychotes weddellii (total length: 172 cm) sighted due to ENSO consequences (Glynn 1988). Therefore, the at Calheta Beach, Trindade Island, southeastern Brazil, exhibiting a occurrence of this compromised wandering L. weddellii at cut at the right-hand side distal portion of the mandible. Photo: Joel Braga Trindade Island could also refect the biological responses to climate change, as observed for other marine mammals (Scheinin et al. 2011). Acknowledgements We are thankful to Joel Braga for providing images of the live stranding and the animal size information, and the Brazilian Navy for logistical support for the recovery of the skeleton. Special thanks to Dr. Greg Hofmeyr for his comments and suggestions that improved considerably this manuscript. Many thanks to Msc. Mau- rício Tavares for comments and suggestions on early drafts. Financial and logistical support to the Projects: “A Fauna de Odontocetos no Brasil, Biogeografa e Taxonomia: Subsídios para a Conservação” (pro- cesses 557182/2009-3 and 404558/2012-7) was provided by “Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científco e Tecnológico” (CNPq) and Fig. 3 Right-hand side mandible, in lateral view, of the vagrant Lep- Brazilian Navy, respectively. GF was supported by a PhD fellowship tonychotes weddellii (MUCIN 0054, total length: 172 cm) stored at from “Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Supe- the Scientifc Collection of Mammalogy of the Museu de Ciências rior” (CAPES) (2015–2018). VLH was supported by an undergraduate Naturais (MUCIN) of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul scholarship from PROPESQ/UFRGS (2015–2016). This is a contribu- (UFRGS). Scale bar: 1 cm. Photo: GF tion of the Research Group “Evolução e Biodiversidade de Cetáceos/ CNPq”. (ENSO). This record coincides with a typical El Niño event that strengthened in the preceding month (NOAA 2015). References Oliveira et al. (2001) noted a similar link with records of other vagrants pinnipeds species in Brazil such as the Sub- Albert F (1901) Los Pinipedos de Chile. An Univ Chile 108:1007–1039 antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus tropicalis) and the Antarc- Ferreira JM et al (2008) Multiple origins of vagrant Subantarctic fur seals: a long journey to the Brazilian coast detected by molecular tic fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella). markers. Polar Biol 31:303–308 This is the frst sighting of this species in Brazil and Glynn PW (1988) El Niño-Southern Oscillation 1982–1983: nearshore the northernmost of a L. weddellii, being ~ 2840 km north population, community, and ecosystem responses. Annu Rev Ecol from the previous record in Uruguay (Thomas and Terhune Syst 19:309–346 Hofmeyr G, Amir OA (2010) Vagrant Subantarctic fur seal on the coast 2009). It is some 5140 km distant from the nearest part of of Tanzania. Afr Zool 45:144–146 the range of this species on the Antarctic continent (63o12′S; Hückstädt L (2015) Leptonychotes weddellii. The IUCN red list of 55o04′W). A plausible origin of this vagrant is the closest threatened species 2015: eT11696A45226713. https://dx.doi. part of Antarctica, the South Shetland Islands, or even South org/102305/IUCNUK2015-4RLTST11696A45226713en.
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