S. Mecenero

TL;DR: In this paper, the temporal variation within the cephalopod component of the diet of the Cape fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus) was investigated.

TL;DR: The South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON) as discussed by the authors has evolved significantly over the last five years and has established its credentials within the South African scientific community, created and staffed a national office at the National Research Foundation, launched the first three of six envisaged distributed observation nodes, expanded its regional and international relevance, and made great strides with an educational outreach programme.

TL;DR: A uniform and low diversity of cephalopods was identified, indicating that independently the scat sampling method is unsatisfactory for determining species diversity within the diet, and it is suggested that seals from Van Reenen Bay and Possession Island forage south of the upwelling cell at Lüderitz (in the southern Benguela ecosystem), while previous evidence of Atlas/Wolf Bay and Cape Cross seals foraging north of this upwelled cell is supported.

TL;DR: Scat sampling was found to be an unreliable method of providing estimates of total prey weight consumption by seals, but was considered an acceptable method for proportional comparisons, especially given the ease of scat collection over extended periods.