Disease and injury in the southern elephant seal

Disease and injury was recorded in 170 tagged soughern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) on the Antarctic continent. Trauma due to interspecific predation was the most common disorder. No small seals were observed with lesions attributable to this in the Antarctic population. This finding differs from data recorded in a sub-Antarctic (Macquarie Island) population where seals of all class sizes exhibit lesions due to interspecific trauma. No external parasites were observed in the Antarctic population.