Discriminant analysis was used to identify the sexes of fledglings and yearlings in the Magellanic Penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus). Eleven morphometric measurements were recorded in a sample of 102 fledglings and 140 yearlings from the breeding stock at Punta Clara, Chubut, Argentina. Total (body) length and bill depth were the most useful variables for discriminating between age classes, followed by length of the middle toe and bill length. Yearling, besides being distinguishable by plumage, were invariably bigger than fledglings. For distinguishing the sexes among yearlings, bill depth and tarsus length proved useful; 95.7% of cases were correctly classified (Chi square, p
Abstract:
A survey of Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella) in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, during the 1986/87 austral summer indicated that this species is continuing its population recovery and recolonization of rookery sites following 19th Century commercial exploitation. Eleven fur seal pupping sites were identified, some of which had not previously been reported. The largest pupping sites were at Telmo Island and Cape Shirreff, Livingston Island, and at the Seal Islands, Elephant Island. Total fur seal pup production in the South Shetland Islands in 1986/87 was estimated to be approximately 4000 individuals.
