Abstract

VILLEGAS-ZURITA, Francisco; CASTILLEJOS-MOGUEL, Fátima  and  ELORRIAGA-VERPLANCKEN, Fernando R.. Southernmost presence of the Guadalupe fur seal (Arctocephalus townsendi) in the Mexican South Pacific. Rev. Mex. Biodiv. [online]. 2015, vol.86, n.4, pp.1107-1109. ISSN 2007-8706.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmb.2015.09.011.

This note constitutes the first report of the Guadalupe fur seal (Arctocephalus townsendi) for Oaxaca. This subadult male was found stranded on a beach in Cerro Hermoso, in the Lagunas de Chacahua National Park (PNLC). This record is highly relevant because the normal range for this fur seal is farther north, in Guadalupe Island and a recolonization site in the San Benito Archipelago, more than 1,300 km from the stranding location. This is the southernmost report for A. townsendi and the first case for Oaxaca, increasing the number of known marine mammal species for this area in the Mexican South Pacific. Because of the current population growth of this otariid, we highlight the necessity of tracking these atypical sightings over time.

Keywords : Arctocephalus townsendi; Atypical distribution; Marine mammal; Oaxaca; Pinniped; Stranding.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in English     · English ( pdf )