Seabirds in the diet of Cape fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus at three mainland breeding colonies in Namibia

Abstract

Predation by Cape fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus on seabirds has previously been attributed to a few individuals, mainly males. Scat samples were collected at three mainland breeding colonies of seals in Namibia to determine the extent of seabird predation. Mainly females were sampled. No scats from the van Reenen Bay and Atlas-Wolf Bay colonies, and only two from Cape Cross, contained feather remains, giving an overall frequency of occurrence of feathers in scats of 0.1%. The feathers found were of African penguin Spheniscus demersus and a species of cormorant (Phalacrocorax sp.).

Keywords: Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus; Cape fur seal; diet; predation; scat analysis; seabirds

African Journal of Marine Science 2005, 27(2): 509–512