Brain size in neonatal and adult Weddell seals: Costs and co

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TitleBrain size in neonatal and adult Weddell seals: Costs and consequences of having a large brainAbstractLittle is known about the ontogeny of brain size in pinnipeds despite potential functional implications of brain substrate (glucose, oxygen) requirements for diving, fasting, growth, and lactation strategies. We measured brain mass (brM) and cranial capacity (CC) in newborn and adult Weddell seals. Neonatal Weddell seals had brM that represented Â 70% of adult brM. Weddell seals have the largest neonatal brain, proportional to adult brain, reported for any mammal to date, which is remarkable considering the relatively small size of Weddell seal pups at birth (67% of maternal body mass) compared to neonates of other highly precocial mammals. Provision of sufficient glucose to maintain the large, well-developed brain of the neonatal Weddell seal has a nontrivial metabolic cost to both pup and mother. We therefore hypothesize that this phenomenon must have functional significance, such as allowing pups to acquire complex under-ice navigation skills during the period of maternal attendance. Ã‚Copyright 2013 by the Society for Marine Mammalogy.AcknowledgementsWe thank our research team who assisted in the field in 2007 (C. Angelici, J. Bechtel, W.Hood, R. Joss, C. Lenky, W. Lynch, R. Palozzi, L. Ware). We also thank the staff at Scott Base and McMurdo Station for their support of our research, and R. Marinelli of the National Science Foundation-Office of Polar Programs for authorization to transport heads and skulls from McMurdo Station to the United States via frozen storage on a ship. R. Garrott of Montana State University kindly provided estimated birth and death dates for tagged mothers and pupsbased on their census records; these estimates were adjusted by us when our observations weremore detailed. I. Stirling of the University of Alberta generously provided original data sheets for the University of Canterbury Weddell seal skull collection. We thank M. R. Alley of the Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand for the pathology report on the adult Weddell seal. RE is indebted to the Wild Life Health Sciences Department at the National Zoo for radiography of skulls. We thank M. Takahashi for assistance and in particular J. Ososky at the Smithsonian Osteology Facility for prepping the skulls. This research was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation-Office of Polar Programs ANT-0538592 to OTO, RE, and D. Boness.

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1st AuthorEisert, R.AuthorEisert, R.Potter, C.Oftedal, O.Year2014JournalMarine Mammal ScienceVolume30Number1Pages184-205DOI10.1111/mms.12033URLhttps://www.scopus.com/inward/recor.....1713b0c65ec9cab6d7e7c6d15Keywordsadultbraincraniumfunctional roleglucosegrowth ratelactationlife history traitmaternal caremilkneonateontogenypinniped, Leptonychotes weddelliiMammaliaPinnipediaLeptonychotes weddelliiPinnipedia, rank5Author KeywordsBrain sizeCranial capacityGlucoseGrowthMilk compositionOntogenyPinnipeds

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TypeArticleCitationEisert, R., Potter, C. and Oftedal, O. (2014). Brain size in neonatal and adult Weddell seals: Costs and consequences of having a large brain. Marine Mammal Science, 30(1): 184-205 IdentifierEisert2014Relevancerank5