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TOOTH WEIGHTS OF JUVENILE MALE NORTHERN FUR SEALS, CALLORHINUS URSINUS
Author(s) -
Baker Jason D.,
Fowler Charles W.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
marine mammal science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.723
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1748-7692
pISSN - 0824-0469
DOI - 10.1111/j.1748-7692.1990.tb00224.x
Subject(s) - fur seal , rookery , elephant seal , juvenile , biology , zoology , ecology , demography , population , sociology
A bstract Tooth weight and body length of juvenile male northern fur seals, Callorhinus ursinus , collected on St. Paul Island, Alaska, from 1948 to 1984 were compared. The relationship between these variables was investigated for individual and combined age classes. A density‐dependent increase in mean tooth weight occurred during a decline in fur seal abundance. Consistent, though poorly understood, differences in tooth weight were found among males associated with different rookeries (breeding grounds). Storing the teeth for long periods may affect the weights, but such effects, if any, are too small to account for the changes observed.