Studies on Albatrosses and Seals on Campbell Island

Abstract

The studies given here were made whilst I was on Campbell Island between 1942 and 1947. I spent about four and a half years on this subantarctic island and utilised all spare time in studying the flora and fauna. Field studies on the four seals found on Campbell Island are set down. Only one is dealt with fully, the elephant seal Mirounga leoninus Linn. During the years I spent in the subantarctic this species was selected for special study. The fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri), the sea lion (Otaria hookeri), and the sea leopard (Ogmorhinus leptonyx) are present too, the first two breeding and resident, the last a casual and seasonal visitor. All these seals occur on the Auckland Island group to the north of Campbell Island but the sea elephant is only a straggler. Hence it was felt that this species deserved special attention, particularly as no writer in the New Zealand region had hitherto studied it, and what studies there were from other areas were compiled from notes made during brief visits. The advantage of being able to live alongside the animals and see the whole annual cycle through, and then compare it with subsequent years, will be obvious. In consequence, much new materiel is set down about sea elephants and disagreement with the findings of other authors is recorded. Also on Campbell Island are three species of large albatross, the wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans), the royal albatross (Diomedea epomophora), and the sooty albatross (Phoebetria palpebrata). The first is not of common occurrence on Campbell Island although it breeds in great numbers on the Auckland Group to the north. Then, too, it was not discovered breeding on Campbell Island until 1944 when the party coastwatching there in that year located it breeding in small numbers at a spot remote from the camp and not easy of access for the taking of continuous records. This species, therefore, is not treated fully, the record consisting of field notes made on the odd occasions when the birds were visited. On the other hand, both royal and sooty albatrosses were selected for special study. This was done for several reasons, not the least of which was the fact that the birds were in large numbers, find easy of access at all times. Then, too, the life history of the royal albatross was known only from notes made by visiting scientists during very brief calls at the island. True, the subspecies sanfordi, at Otago Peninsula, had been studied intensively; but the subspecies epomophora at Campbell Island was not well known. The life history of the sooty albatross was completely unknown, and here, too, the only records were those made on odd occasions during brief visits to subantarctic islands. The full life history of both royal and sooty albatrosses on Campbell Island is therefore given for the first time, and again the advantage of being able to see the whole annual cycle through, and then of being able to check this with similar studies in succeeding years, will be obvious.