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Elephant Seal swam 29,000 km
The Wildlife Conservation Society has reported that a young male elephant seal tracked for the past year swam 18,000 miles
Credit: NOAA
Elephant Seal Tracked by WCS Travels 18,000 Miles
Wildlife Conservation Society | Elephant Seal Tracked by WCS Travels 18,000 Miles | 12-15-2011
Elephant seals are potential indicators of ocean health and may show how climate change influences the distribution of prey species in Patagonia's rich marine ecosystem. To protect this vast region, conservationists need to know how wildlife uses it throughout the year.
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Jackson's travels provide a roadmap of how elephant seals use the Patagonian Coast and its associated seas
”—Caleb McClennen, WCS Director for Global Marine Programs
WCS fitted a male seal, nicknamed Jackson, with a small satellite transmitter that recorded the locations where he surfaced to breathe and follow him from December 2010 to November 2011.
After being tagged on a beach in Admiralty Sound in Tierra del Fuego, Chile, Jackson swam 1,000 miles north, 400 miles west, and 100 miles south. All the while, he meandered though fjords and ventured past the continental shelf as he foraged for fish and squid.
According to the WCS report, Jackson thenreturned to Admiralty Sound, the site of the original tagging.
Each year, elephant seals haul ashore in colonies to molt and find mates. The satellite transmitter is expected to work until early next year, when it will eventually fall off.
Primary source â–º Elephant Seal Tracked by WCS Travels 18,000 Miles
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