Age-specific vibrissae growth rates: a tool for determining the timing of ecologically important events in Steller sea lions

L.D. Rea; A.M. Christ; A.B. Hayden; V.K. Stegall; S.D. Farley; Craig A. Stricker; J.E. Mellish; John M. Maniscalco; J.N. Waite; V.N. Burkanov; K.W. Pitcher

doi:10.1111/mms.12221

Age-specific vibrissae growth rates: a tool for determining the timing of ecologically important events in Steller sea lions

Marine Mammal Science

University of Alaska Fairbanks; Alaska Department of Fish and Game; Alaska SeaLife Center; North Pacific Wildlife Consulting

By: L.D. Rea, A.M. Christ, A.B. Hayden, V.K. Stegall, S.D. Farley, Craig A. Stricker, J.E. Mellish, John M. Maniscalco, J.N. Waite, V.N. Burkanov, and K.W. Pitcher

https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12221

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Abstract

Steller sea lions (SSL; Eumetopias jubatus) grow their vibrissae continually, providing a multiyear record suitable for ecological and physiological studies based on stable isotopes. An accurate age-specific vibrissae growth rate is essential for registering a chronology along the length of the record, and for interpreting the timing of ecologically important events. We utilized four methods to estimate the growth rate of vibrissae in fetal, rookery pup, young-of-the-year (YOY), yearling, subadult, and adult SSL. The majority of vibrissae were collected from SSL live-captured in Alaska and Russia between 2000 and 2013 (n = 1,115), however, vibrissae were also collected from six adult SSL found dead on haul-outs and rookeries during field excursions to increase the sample size of this underrepresented age group. Growth rates of vibrissae were generally slower in adult (0.44 ± 0.15 cm/mo) and subadult (0.61 ± 0.10 cm/mo) SSL than in YOY (0.87 ± 0.28 cm/mo) and fetal (0.73 ± 0.05 cm/mo) animals, but there was high individual variability in these growth rates within each age group. Some variability in vibrissae growth rates was attributed to the somatic growth rate of YOY sea lions between capture events (P = 0.014, r² = 0.206, n = 29).

Additional publication details
Publication type	Article
Publication Subtype	Journal Article
Title	Age-specific vibrissae growth rates: a tool for determining the timing of ecologically important events in Steller sea lions
Series title	Marine Mammal Science
DOI	10.1111/mms.12221
Volume	31
Issue	3
Year Published	2015
Language	English
Publisher	Society for Marine Mammalogy
Publisher location	Lawrence, KS
Contributing office(s)	Fort Collins Science Center
Description	21 p.
First page	1213
Last page	1233
Online Only (Y/N)	N
Additional Online Files (Y/N)	N
Google Analytic Metrics	Metrics page