Atypical records of pinniped specimens housed in the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ‘Bernardino Rivadavia’

Abstract

Pinnipeds are widely distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. The most common species that occur along the Argentinean coast are the southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina), the southern fur seal (Arctocephalus australis) and the South American sea lion (Otaria flavescens), with their breeding colonies lying at different sites throughout the continental coast and adjacent islands (Reeves et al., 1992; Bastida et al., 2007). However, individuals from other pinniped species such as the leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx), the crabeater seal (Lobodon carcinophaga), the Subantarctic fur seal (A. tropicalis) and the Antarctic fur seal (A. gazella), have also been reported for the area (Rodríguez et al., 19941 ; Rodríguez et al., 2003; Oliveira et al., 2006; Bastida et al., 2007).