Far away from home: presence of fur seal (Arctocephalus sp.) in the equatorial Atlantic Ocean

Abstract

The occurrence of pinnipeds in areas distant from their reproductive sites is a well-known phenomenon, which could be influenced by oceanographic anomalies in a changing environment. In the present paper, we present an extra-limital record in deep pelagic waters of a young fur seal (Arctocephalus sp.) in the North Atlantic Ocean. The individual was recorded alive in March/April 2013 in the vicinity of the São Pedro and São Paulo Archipelago (ca. 00°56′N; 29°22′W), which is about 1010 km away from the Brazilian mainland, just above the equatorial line. The specimen was apparently healthy, and it was feeding upon flying fish (Cheilopogon cyanopterus). We hypothesized it to be one of the three main potential species (Arctocephalus tropicalis, Arctocephalus australis, and Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus), suggested their possible routes of arrival, and highlighted it as the northernmost record of a fur seal in the Atlantic Ocean.