The grey seal, Halichoerus grypus (Fabricius), in Finnmark, Norway

The distribution, abundance and breeding season of grey seals in Finnmark, Norway are reviewed. The seals are divided into eight hypothetical stocks: Sørøya, Magerøya, Laksfjord, Tanafjord, Kongsfjord, Syltefjord, Vardø and Varangerfjord. Breeding has been verified for five of these stocks. The total minimum observed stock size is 353 grey seals, but the real number is probably much higher. The breeding season seems to be in October-November west of Nordkapp and in December in the eastern part of the county

The grey seal, Halichoerus grypus (Fabricius), in Finnmark, Norway

The distribution, abundance and breeding season of grey seals in Finnmark, Norway are reviewed. The seals are divided into eight hypothetical stocks: Sørøya, Magerøya, Laksfjord, Tanafjord, Kongsfjord, Syltefjord, Vardø and Varangerfjord. Breeding has been verified for five of these stocks. The total minimum observed stock size is 353 grey seals, but the real number is probably much higher. The breeding season seems to be in October-November west of Nordkapp and in December in the eastern part of the county

Distribution and catch of white whales (Delphinapterus leucas) at Svalbard

The distribution and catch of white whales at Svalbard are discussed based on literature, interviews with local residents, trappers and pilots, opportunistic observations recorded in the Norwegian Polar Institute fauna-data-base, and personal observations by the authors. The total number of white whales killed in Svalbard from the 18th century to the early 1960s was considerably higher than 15 000 animals. Today white whales are protected in Norwegian waters. Most white whales seem to appear at Svalbard in the spring and to leave again when the western fjords freeze in the autumn. However it is not known whether they come from and return to the eastern Greenland Sea or the Barents Sea. The number of white whales using the Svalbard area is not known, but since they have been protected for the last 30 years the population is assumed to be secure

Past and Present Distribution of Walruses in Svalbard

Walruses were once very abundant in the Svalbard archipelago. However three and a half centuries of commercial exploitation had caused the walrus to be on the verge of extinction in this region when it finally was totally protected in 1952. Since the mid-1980s walruses have again been commonly seen in parts of Svalbard. Based on information from literature, interviews and field observations, we attempt to identify in which areas of Svalbard, both historically and presently, walruses most frequently are observed and indicate the presence of all known walrus haul-out sites in the archipelago. Our study shows that walruses most frequently have been encountered during summer in four main areas. The results further indicate that walruses in Svalbard are predominantly males. Females and calves are, when encountered, mostly found in the extreme northeast part of Svalbard, neighboring the Russian archipelago Franz Josef Land. We discuss the possibility of migrations occurring between these two geographical areas and suggest that walruses in these two archipelagos are part of one common stock.Key words: walrus, Odobenus rosmarus, Svalbard, distributionLes morses abondaient autrefois dans l'archipel du Svalbard, mais trois siècles et demi d'exploitation commerciale avaient amené cette espèce animale au bord de l'extinction dans cette région, quand elle fut finalement déclarée espèce protégée en 1952. Depuis le milieu des années 80, les morses sont de nouveau observés couramment dans diverses parties du Svalbard. En s'appuyant sur des documents publiés, des interviews et des observations sur le terrain, on tente d'identifier les régions du Svalbard où l'on a observé ces animaux, dans le passé et de nos jours, et d'indiquer la présence de tous les sites connus où abordent les morses dans l'archipel. Notre étude révèle qu'on a aperçu le plus souvent les morses durant l'été dans quatre grandes régions. Les résultats indiquent en outre que les morses du Svalbard sont en majorité des mâles. L'observation de femelles et de petits a été faite en majorité aux confins nord-est du Svalbard, jouxtant l'archipel russe François-Joseph. On discute de la possibilité de migrations se produisant entre ces deux régions géographiques et on suggère que les morses peuplant ces deux archipels font partie d'une population commune.Mots clés: morse, Odobenus rosmarus, Svalbard, repartitio

Assessing dental wear in reindeer using geometric morphometrical methods

Assessing dental wear is a useful tool for monitoring the interaction between ungulates and their food resources. However, using a univariate measurement for dental wear, like for instance height of the first molar may not capture the variation in dental wear important for the dental functional morphology. We here demonstrate a method for assessing dental wear for ungulates by using geometric morphometrical methods on 11 mandibles from nine Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus). Shape measurements were obtained from a combination of fixed and sliding semi-landmarks, and dental wear was estimated using residual variation of the landmarks. The morphometric measurements obtained showed a good fit when compared to subjective scores of dental wear. We conclude that this method may give a more integrated and robust assessment of dental wear than univariate methods, and suggest it to be used as an alternative or in addition to traditional measurements of dental wear.Abstract in Norwegian / Sammendrag:Vurdering av tannslitasje hos rein ved hjelp av geometrisk morfometriske metoder Vurdering av tannslitasje er en anvendbar metode for å overvåke betydningen av miljøet for livshistorien til hovdyr. Imidlertid vil bruk av et enkelt mål, som for eksempel høyde på første molar, ikke nødvendigvis fange opp variasjonen i tannslitasje som er viktig i forhold til tennenes funksjonelle morfologi. I denne artikkelen viser vi hvordan tannslitasje kan vurderes ved å anvende geometrisk morfometriske metoder på 11 underkjever fra ni Svalbardrein (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus). Formen på tannrekka ble målt ved hjelp av en kombinasjon av fikserte og glidende semi-landemerker, hvor tannslitasje ble estimert ved å bruke residual variasjon av landemerkene. De morfometriske målene stemte godt overens med subjektiv vurdering av tannslitasje. Vi konkluderer at denne metoden kan gi en mer integrert og robust vurdering av tannslitasje enn univariate metoder, og foreslår den brukt som et alternativ til eller i tillegg til mer tradisjonelle mål på tannslitasje