The University of Pretoria's Mammal Research Institute has been conducting marine mammal research at Marion Island for more than four decades uninterrupted

 

Southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) are the largest living seal species. They are among the world’s most sexually dimorphic mammals, with adult males tipping the scales at between 3 000 and 4 000 kilograms – up to 10 times the weight of an average adult female. They are distributed in the Southern ocean....

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The Prince Edward Islands boast the world’s largest sympatrically breeding population of Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella) and Subantarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus tropicalis). In 1952, when leading light scientist Bob Rand conducted the first survey of fur seals at Marion Island, only a few Subantarctic fur seals...

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A society of killer whales inhabit the waters around Marion Island. Around 25 individuals are regularly encountered close inshore at the island, while a further ~35 individuals occasionally make an appearance there.

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