Elephant seals, Mirounga spp., are highly dimorphic, having different energetic requirements according to age and sex, and foraging in various ecological and oceanographic contexts. Resource partitioning has been shown for the sub‐Antarctic populations of southern elephant seals, M. leonina, where colonies are surrounded by narrow shelves that deepen abruptly. In contrast, seals from Península Valdés (Argentina), in the northernmost extent of the breeding range, face an extended, shallow, temperate, and productive continental shelf. We integrated tracking data from 98 animals (juveniles and adults, males and females) gathered over more than two decades, and found that although all available habitats were used, individuals segregated by age and sex. Juvenile males favored shelf habitats, whereas subadult and adult males also used the shelf break. Juvenile females preferred the shelf and the more distant Argentine Basin used by postbreeding and postmolt adult females. Males showed the highest proportion of area‐restricted search locations, suggesting more spatially concentrated feeding activity, and likely reflecting a preference for foraging habitat and prey. Our results are consistent with those from other populations, implying that elephant seals show remarkable similarities in habitat use by age and sex classes, despite broad differences in the offshore habitats between sub‐Antarctic and temperate ecosystems.

中文翻译：

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阿根廷巴塔哥尼亚南部象海豹的个体发育小生境划分

象海豹，Mirounga spp。，是高度双态的，根据年龄和性别具有不同的能量需求，并在各种生态和海洋环境中觅食。已经显示了南象海豹M. leonina的南极亚次种群的资源分配，殖民地周围环绕着狭窄的架子，这些架子突然加深。相比之下，位于繁殖范围最北端的PenínsulaValdés（阿根廷）的海豹面临着扩展的，浅的，温带的和有生产力的大陆架。我们整合了来自超过20年的98种动物（幼年和成年，雄性和雌性）的跟踪数据，发现尽管使用了所有可用的栖息地，但按年龄和性别区分了个体。少年雄性喜欢架子栖息地，而成年雄性和成年雄性也使用架子休息。幼年雌性更喜欢后代和后蜕皮成年雌性使用的架子和距离较远的阿根廷盆地。雄性显示区域限制搜索位置的比例最高，表明空间上的采食活动更加集中，并可能反映出对觅食栖息地和猎物的偏好。我们的结果与其他种群的结果一致，这表明，尽管南极和温带生态系统之间的近海生境差异很大，但按年龄和性别分类的海豹在栖息地使用方面显示出显着的相似性。