Antarctic Fur Seal Winter Dive Data from Time-Depth Recorders

Wildlife Computers Time-Depth Recorders tracked adult female Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella) to quantify winter diving behavior and vertical habitat use. Females were captured towards the end of the lactation period in March or April, with tags retrieved just prior to or after giving birth the following season. The Australian Ocean Data Network hosts the data, which was last updated in July 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling winter foraging strategies based on dive depth and duration data.
• Analyzing vertical habitat use and potential prey distribution from dive profiles.
• Studying the behavioral ecology of female Antarctic fur seals during the inter‑breeding season.

Strengths

• Data collected using Wildlife Computers Time‑Depth Recorders, a standard instrument in marine animal tracking.
• Focus on adult female Antarctic fur seals during a specific life‑history phase (winter, post‑lactation).
• Time‑series data covers a multi‑month period from tag deployment to retrieval around the next birthing season.

Limitations

• Column‑level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Data collected via Wildlife Computers Time‑Depth Recorders attached dorsally to seals; files extracted using Wildlife Computers software Instrument Helper.

Time Range

Deployment in March/April, retrieval prior to or after the following birthing season (likely spanning Antarctic winter).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-22 01:48:10.851782; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Antarctic region (specific location not stated).