Review of the current distribution of southern elephant seals in the eastern South Pacific

Southern elephant seals, once extirpated from the eastern South Pacific due to hunting, are showing signs of recolonization. A review of 409 confirmed sightings from 1900 to 2014 and tagged seal data reveals their presence from Cape Horn Archipelago in southern Chile to Ecuador, including oceanic island groups. Three incipient pupping sites south of 51°S in Chile indicate slow population growth, though the immigration source remains unclear. Satellite tagging suggests some seals originate from Peninsula Valdés and the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, with preliminary mtDNA analysis hinting at a stronger genetic link to the latter.

Acevedo, J., Aguayo‐Lobo, A., Brito, J., Torres, D., Cáceres, B., Vila, A., Cardeña, M., & Acuña, P. (2016). Review of the current distribution of southern elephant seals in the eastern South Pacific. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 50(2), 240–258. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1080/00288330.2015.1132746