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VIII.—Measurements and Weights of Antarctic Seals taken by the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition.

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 July 2012

William S. Bruce
William S. Bruce
Affiliation:
Director of the Scottish Oceanographical Laboratory, Edinburgh.
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Extract

During the voyage of the Scotia in the Weddell Sea, and during her wintering at Scotia Bay, South Orkneys, I measured as many of the seals taken as possible. I was usually assisted in this work by Mr WILTON. When a seal was killed near the ship, and it could be arranged, I also weighed them both in whole and in part, weighing the different viscera as at a human post-mortem examination. The results of these investigations are now summarised in tabular form, which makes it easy at a glance to make comparisons. In addition to the measurements and weights of the true seals of the Antarctic regions, those of a fine specimen of Otaria jubata (the Patagonian Sea-lion) secured at the Falkland Islands are also given.

Type
Research Article
Information
Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of The Royal Society of Edinburgh , Volume 49 , Issue 3 , 1913 , pp. 567 - 577
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Society of Edinburgh 1913

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References

page 567 note * Fully 6000 seals of the four Antarctic species were killed by the Balœna in 1892–93. They were mostly Crabeaters and Sea-leopards. Upwards of 25,000 were killed by four Dundee whalers and one Norwegian whaler at that time.

Thanks are due to the Executive Committee of the Carnegie Trust of the Universities of Scotland for defraying the expenses of this paper and that entitled “Skulls of Antarctic Seals,” recently published.

page 572 note * Stiff when measured, probably more.

page 576 note * Neck immediately posterior to occiput.