New records of southern elephant seals Mirounga leonina L. on the coast of southern Africa

Systematic recording of elephant-seal sightings, including 92 hitherto unpublished records, has increased the number of records on the coast of southern Africa to 130. The data set is now the largest on record for any southern continent other than Antarctica. It provides an opportunity to examine the biological significance of such matters as seasonality, possible causes of haul-out, their possible origins and implications for interpretation of elephant-seal dispersal around their breeding colonies. The number of sightings has increased recently. The overall sex ratio is 52,4 per cent male to 21 per cent female, 26,6 per cent being of indeterminate sex. The seals haul out mainly from November to February, and indications are that males and females disperse straight after the breeding season and a few months later reach the coast of southern Africa. The most likely primary cause of haul-out for immature seals is to moult. It is postulated that the seals originated mainly from South Georgia. It is not clear...