Foraging behavior of female Guadalupe fur seals (Arctocephalus townsendi) and the implications for offspring dependence
María José Amador-Capitanachi·Tenaya Norris·Roxanne S. Beltran·Jeffrey Harris·Fernando R. Elorriaga-Verplancken·Joffrey Jouma’a·Héctor Villalobos·Rodrigo Moncayo-Estrada
Female fur seals and sea lions are central place foragers during the lactation period. Understanding foraging behavior is key to informing conservation and management of otariids, particularly for species whose populations are still recovering from near extinction like the Guadalupe fur seal (Arctocephalus townsendi; GFS). This is the first study to examine the movements of lactating female GFS beyond the second month of maternal care and assess how these movements relate to pup and maternal bod