Food Habits
Southern elephant seals feed exclusively when they are at sea. For this reason not much is known about what they eat. The main known sources of food are squid, crabs, shrimp, fish, and sharks. This prey is obtained both near the surface and also during very deep dives. They have been known to eat bottom dwelling fish. ("Elephant Seal", 2002; "Elephant Seals", 1983; "Southern Elephant Seal", 2003; Anderson, 2003; Crown, 1997; Nichols et al., 2003; Seal Conservation Society, 2001; Slip and Clippingdale, 2002; Slip, 1995)
- Bradshaw, C., M. Hindell, N. Best, K. Phillips, G. Wilson, P. Nichols. 2003. You are what you eat: Describing the foraging ecology of southern elephant seals using blubber fatty acids. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, 270: 1283-1292.
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© The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors
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Editor: Phil Myers, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan
Editor: Tanya Dewey, Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
Editor: Nancy Shefferly, Animal Diversity Web Staff
Editor: Chris Yahnke, University of Wisconsin Stevens Point
Author: Philip Meyer, University of Michigan
Block, D., P. Meyer and P. Myers. 2004. "Mirounga leonina" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed October 25, 2009 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Mirounga_leonina.html.
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