Southern Elephant Seal (Mirounga leonina) Foraging Trips in the Southern Tip of South America

We present a summary of the initial findings regarding the foraging patterns of southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) departing from the small, nascent colony of Jackson Bay, Tierra del Fuego, Chile. Eight juvenile males were satellite tracked while foraging at sea; four of them yielded complete tracks of their trips. The study highlights the importance of both the inland waters in the Chilean fjords and the pelagic waters off the coast deeper than 200 m as preferred foraging areas. Southern elephant seals utilizing the fjords also undertook extensive excursions into the SE Pacific, up to 600 km offshore. In open waters, the study animals engaged in extended loops lasting up to 30 days and covering 2,580 km of horizontal travel, characterized by few focal areas of activity. A comparison with individuals from the Península Valdés colony in Argentina underscores connectivity between colonies and identifies the Strait of Magellan and the Drake Passage as important corridors for southern elephant seal foraging migrations. Overall, high individual variability precludes identifying a dominant strategy for the Jackson Bay southern elephant seals, at least during this early stage of recolonization of the species’ historical range.