Growth of the southern elephant seal, Mirounga leonina (Linn.)
Bryden, M.M.
Growth 33(1): 69-82
1969
ISSN/ISBN: 0017-4793 PMID: 5790348 Document Number: 3111
Observations on the growth in length and weight of fetal and postnatal elephant seals (Mirounga leonina, Linn.) have revealed a normal sigmoid curve. The curves for males and females are different after puberty is reached, and the adult male is about eight times as heavy as the adult female. Very highly significant correlations with body weight have been demonstrated for length3 and girth,3 but the former has more practical value because it is easier to obtain in the field. Prediction equations for determining weight from girth or length measurements are presented. Seasonal changes of condition of adult female seals are illustrated, associated with an increase in body weight during winter, and a marked loss of weight during the breeding season and molting. The relationship between sexual disparity in size and polygyny, and whether copulation occurs in or out of the water (proposed by Bertram, 1940), is discussed.
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