Demography, ecology and behaviour of southern elephant seals of Sea Lion Island, Falkland Islands (1995-2019)

The dataseries on southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) of Sea Lion Island (Falkland Islands) is based on data collected from 1995 to present. The general goal of this long term research project is the study of breeding and survival strategies of individual seals, by marking seals at birth and following up them along their whole lifetime, thanks to the high breeding site fidelity of these seals. The study of lifetime individual strategies can greatly help in elucidating some core aspects of the theory of evolution by natural and sexual selection. The study has a special focus on behavioural strategies and tactics used to compete, mate, and breed, but we are using a multi-factorial approach, and we are collecting data on the seal structural phenotype (age, size and morphology), on the effect of the spatial and social structure of the population on individual behaviour, on the effects of hormones and physiology at large on behaviour; and on the genetic correlates of the social system. On the applied side, we are producing estimates of population size and trend, vital statistics and life tables, analysis and forecast of population viability, and study of habitat selection and usage. Along the years we produced a rather large amount of articles on different aspects of seal biology, ranging from demography to vocal communication. Further information is available on the research group website, www.eleseal.org.