Most of the knowledge about the behavior, ecology and population dynamics of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) comes from research conducted in the austral spring and summer. This study addresses the overwinter movements and diving behavior of adult seals near McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. The project will rely on satellite-linked time-depth recorders attached to the seals, giving periodic location and summaries of dive durations and depths from seals that haul out on ice or beaches. The habitual return by the seals offers the opportunity to recover the satellite time-depth recorders and a twenty-year population study provides the population background for the study. This will result in a better understanding of age related differences in important behavioral traits that may explain demographic features and selective pressure on the life history of Weddell seals and by extension, that of other large mammals.
