Biochemical-Nutritional Studies Applied To The Lactation Pattern, Post-Natal Growth And Development Of Southern Elephant Seal In Antarctica.

The southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) spend most of their lives at sea
and breed mainly on Antarctic and sub-Antarctic islands. During the last years,
the South Shetland Islands breeding population (at Potter Peninsula, King
George Island, Antarctica) is apparently declining. Thus, it is important to
identify possible factors involved in this decline.

The isolation of the Antarctica and its pristine environmental condition should
provide valuable information on baseline data for this species, since the
influence of human activities is relatively small. The present project proposes
a comparative biochemical study which should provide analytical data for
veterinary medicine. The knowledge of the obtained information from
morphometric and biochemical studies of mother-pup pairs in this species, will
be used to evaluate the nutritional status of specimens from this population
during their annual cycle (reproductive and post-reproductive periods) and
along their development.