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Milk of the Galapagos fur seal and sea lion, with a comparison of the milk of Eared seals (Otariidae)
Author(s) -
Trillmich Fritz,
Lechner Erika
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
journal of zoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.915
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1469-7998
pISSN - 0952-8369
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-7998.1986.tb03581.x
Subject(s) - zalophus californianus , biology , fur seal , weaning , zoology , sea lion , foraging , fishery , ecology
The milk of two tropical species of Eared seals (Otariidae) was analysed. In the Galapagos fur seal ( Arclocephalus galapagoensis ), milk fat content decreased and calcium content increased with age of the young (Table 1), while protein content (12%) and potassium content (167 mg%) remained more or less constant. Fat content was 32% during the perinatal attendance period, later decreasing to 25%, while calcium increased from 57 to 70 mg%. The fewer samples of Galapagos sea lion ( Zalophus californianus wollebaeki ) milk contained on average 17% fat and 9% protein. Fat content in the milk of different otariid seal species correlates best with the average duration of maternal foraging trips and less with the weaning age of young (Fig. 1).