LAUSR

Ross seals Ommatophoca rossii breed in the Antarctic pack ice during November. There have been few studies of Ross seals during their breeding season because access in the pack ice is difficult then. The weight of Ross seal pups near birth has been reported rarely; estimates range from 16.8 to 27 kg. In November 1987, two pups were measured north of the Amery Ice Shelf near 65°S, 75°E, East Antarctica. One was considered to have been newborn because of its fleshy umbilicus, an after-birth on the ice floe and the absence of erupted teeth. It weighed 16.0 kg and had a standard length of 0.93 m. This is only the second report of a newborn Ross seal pup; both weights were between 16 and 17 kg.