Biology; of the Seal

7 PREFACE The first International Symposium on the Biology papers were read by title and are included either in of the Seal was held at the University of Guelph, On full or abstract form in this volume. The 139 particip tario, Canada from 13 to 17 August 1972. The sym ants represented 16 countries, permitting scientific posium developed from discussions originating in Dub interchange of a truly international nature. lin in 1969 at the meeting of the Marine Mammals In his opening address, V. B. Scheffer suggested that Committee of the International Council for the Ex a dream was becoming a reality with a meeting of ploration of the Sea (ICES). The culmination of such a large group of pinniped biologists. This he felt three years’ organization resulted in the first interna was very relevant at a time when the relationship of tional meeting, and this volume. The president of ICES marine mammals and man was being closely examined Professor W. Cieglewicz, offered admirable support as on biological, political and ethical grounds. well as honouring the participants by attending the The scientific session commenced with a seven paper symposium. section on evolution chaired by E. D. Mitchell which The programme committee was composed of experts showed the origins and subsequent development of representing the major international sponsors. W. N. this amphibious group of higher vertebrates. Many of Bonner, Head, Seals Research Division, Institute for the arguments for particular evolutionary trends are Marine Environmental Research (IMER), represented speculative in nature and different interpretations can ICES; A. W. Mansfield, Director, Arctic Biological be attached to the same fossil material. Readers of this Station, Fisheries Research Board of Canada (FRB) volume should be aware of such differences when read represented the International Commission for North ing the papers in this section. The twelve papers of west Atlantic Fisheries (ICNAF); and K. S. Norris, S. H. Ridgway’s section on functional anatomy illus Director, Marine Mammal Council Executive Com trated the fundamental structure of the seal, as well mittee, represented the International Biological Pro as its associated control mechanisms. R. J. Schusterman gram (IBP). The Food and Agriculture Organization followed this theme by introducing ten papers on be of the United Nations (FAO) also offered its support haviour. He established a major focus on social or to the programme and ICNAF has contributed to the ganization and communication and their association financing of this volume. with the functional anatomy of the pinnipeds. D. E. Sponsors of national origin were the Fisheries Re Sergeant chaired the population dynamics section of search Board of Canada (FRB), the National Re seven papers, covering the modelling of populations search Council of Canada (NRCC), the Canadian and method of analysis of seal populations around the National Sportsmen’s Show (CNSS), the World Wild world. In the fifth section, J. R. Geraci, by means of life Fund (Canada) (WWF), and the University of papers and a panel discussion dealt with the care and Guelph. management of captive pinnipeds. W. N. Bonner co In his preliminary remarks Professor Ronald intro ordinated a presentation in the broad area of ecology, duced the representatives of these groups; namely J. R. and was able to bring together studies on environmen Weir, Chairman, Fisheries Research Board of Canada; tal factors and their associated behavioural and gene S. Bata, International Director and J. S. McCormack, tic control systems. The physiology section was chaired Director, World Wildlife Fund (Canada); and R. T. by H. T. Andersen, his introductory remarks forming D. Birchall, President, Canadian National Sportsmen’s the initial paper of the section. The other six papers Show and a Director of WWF (Canada). of his section emphasized the underwater responses of W. C. Winegard, President of the University of seals. The final and general section, chaired by J. E. Guelph, welcomed participants to the symposium and King, offered a broad coverage of several of the more commented particularly on how pleased he was to interesting areas in various disciplines. welcome representatives from so many countries. Later, A. W. Mansfield acted as rapporteur for the entire at a banquet sponsored by the Department of the En programme, and his report stressed the need for con vironment, Canada, he offered an invitation to the tinued cooperation by all biologists so that they might group to return in 1975 for a Second International understand seals and their importance to environmen Seal Symposium. tal studies. Altogether 62 papers were presented. A further 14 This volume includes with one exception, those pa- 8 K. Ronald pers either presented, read by title, or abstracted, but mammals of the world’ by D. W. Rice and V. B. the continuing discussion on the biology of the seals Scheffer (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washing led to one further paper that is included here. Some ton, 1968) has been used as the standard reference on of the discussion was formal and, where recordable, is nomenclature. included here, but by far the greater part of discussion The work of the chairmen of each of the seven sec was informal and hence must remain as extremely tions of this volume is especially recognized. As well, valuable, but merely mental recollections of the par the convenor wishes to thank the programme com ticipants in the symposium. mittee for their ability to support a somewhat unortho The symposium achieved its purpose of bringing dox procedural system, and particularly the sponsors together scientists interested in the Pinnipedia and it ICES, ICNAF, IBP, CNSS, FRB, NRCC, WWF (Ca offered leads into the international examination of nada), FAO, and the University of Guelph for their marine mammals. valuable financial assistance. The editors with little apology recognized that they The convenor is most grateful to Mr. H. Tambs- have not reached a completely uniform format in this Lyche, General Secretary of ICES, for his advice and volume since they have allowed use of both English encouragement from the embryonic stages of the sym and metric systems of measurement and both English posium to the publication of the proceedings; he also and North American word usage for the sake of har recognizes the considerable amount of expert help pro mony. The main editorial structure has been the con vided by A. W. Mansfield in co-editing this volume. sistency of usage throughout a particular paper. Finally, the effort put into both the symposium and Attempts have also been made to attain a fairly this volume by Mrs. Ginny Bandesen has been beyond uniform taxonomy for the species, but where there has measure, but I hope that she will accept the results of been any doubt caution has not overridden clarity. As the symposium recorded here as tangible proof of her in other mammalian groups, the systematics of the most valuable contribution. To the members of the Pinnipedia are still open to much interpretation. The Dean of the College of Biological Science’s office, the references are cited according to an Annotated Biblio- university support staff and our host Dr. W. C. Wine- praphy on the Pinnipedia*. The ‘List of the marine gard, I express on behalf of the participants and my self, our sincerest thanks. * Ronald, K., L. M. Hanly and P. J. Healey, College of Bio K. Ronald, logical Science, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Convenor The following have kindly acted as Discussion Care and Management Section Leaders of the different Sections and also assisted in J. R. Geraci the editing of the contributions: Department of Zoology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Evolution Section Ecology Section E. D. Mitchell Arctic Biological Station, Fisheries Research Board W. N. Bonner of Canada, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, Canada. Seals Research Division IMER, c/o Fisheries Labora tories, Lowestoft, Suffolk, England. Functional Anatomy Section Physiology Section S. H. Ridgway H. T. Andersen School of Anatomy, University of Cambridge, Nutrition Institute, University of Oslo, Blindern, Cambridge, England. Oslo, Norway. Behaviour Section General Session R. J. Schusterman J. E. King Department of Psychology, California State University Department of Zoology, University of New South Hayward, California 94542, U.S.A. Wales, Kensington, N.S.W., Australia. Population Dynamics Section Summary D. E. Sergeant A. W. Mansfield (Rapporteur) Arctic Biological Station, Fisheries Research Board of Arctic Biological Station, Fisheries Research Board Canada, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, Canada. of Canada, Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec, Canada. 188 Rapp. P.-v. Réun. Cons. int. Explor. Mer, 169: 189-194. 1975. COMPARATIVE SOCIAL BEHAVIOR OF EARED SEALS R. L. G e n t r y Division of Natural Science, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95060, U.S.A.* INTRODUCTION Finally, this paper will suggest a standard research The eared seals studied to date seem fairly similar format for future studies on the behavior of eared in general social organization and social behaviour. seals. Using this or a similar format, comparable data They seem so like each other that by extrapolation we can be obtained on each species being studied. would expect more variations on existing themes than startlingly new concepts from the as-yet unstudied species. This realization dictates that we orient our METHODS future studies away from simple description, however The Steller sea lion was observed for approximately detailed, and move toword comparative studies. 3000 hour at Ano Nuevo Island, California during the The comparative approach, in which the same con reproducive seasons of 1967 through 1969. The South ceptual framework and the same study methods are Australian fur seal was observed at South Neptune applied to several species, allows us to emphasize the Islands, South Australia during the reproductive season differences that exist among living species. From these of 1970-71 for approximately 840 hours.

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