Polar Biol (2009) 32:1239–1243 DOI 10.1007/s00300-009-0680-8 123 SHORT NOTE Albino Weddell seal at Cape ShirreV, Livingston Island, Antarctica Jorge Acevedo · Anelio Aguayo-Lobo · Daniel Torres Received: 4 May 2009 / Revised: 23 June 2009 / Accepted: 24 June 2009 / Published online: 22 July 2009  Springer-Verlag 2009 Abstract To our knowledge, this paper is the Wrst record/ report of a juvenile light-coloured Weddell seal (Lep- tonychotes weddellii) at Cape ShirreV, Livingston Island in January 1998, determining that it was an albino individual. Based on available literature, three cases of albino seals have been reported exclusively for Harbour seal pups, and no albino has been reported for Antarctic pagophilic true seals. Therefore, this is the Wrst conWrmed case of albinism in Antarctic pagophilic true seals species, indicating that this phenomenon is indeed of a rare occurrence. Keywords Albino · Weddell seal · Cape ShirreV · Antarctica · Pagophilic seals Introduction In marine mammals, atypical colourations have a low fre- quency of occurrence. In cetaceans, light colourations (hypo-pigmentation) have been reported for 25 species; while in pinnipeds Wve species of otariids and two of phoc- ids (Table 1) have been reported before. No sightings are known in sea otters or sirenians (Fertl and Rosel 2002). Such atypical colourations have mainly been referred as “leucism”, which is characterized by reduced pigmentation such that hair may appear virtually pure white, while ani- mals still have normal coloured eyes and skin. Another atypical colouration is the “albinism”, which results in a complete lack of pigmentation in eyes, skin and hair. Thus, the albinos have white or light skin and hair, and often pink eyes (Fertl and Rosel 2002). Such type of albinism has been poorly documented in pinnipeds that include only one otariid species, Southern sea lion (López and López 1984) and one phocid species, Harbour seal (BBC News 2007; SCS 2001). The usual colouration in the four genera of Antarctic pagophilic 1 true seals is dark dorsally and greyish ventrally, with light streaks and/or splashes that extend from the dorso-lateral area to the ventro-lateral area, with the excep- tion of Crabeater seal (Lobodon carcinophaga Hombron and Jacquinot, 1842) that has variable chocolate brown col- our on the side and shoulder and fades throughout the year to a creamy white, particularly in summer (King 1983). Despite several decades of harvesting seals in Antarctica during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and long-term monitoring of many of them under the Antarctic Treaty of 1961 and the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals, signed in 1972, no anomalous colouration is known for Antarctic pagophilic true seals. J. Acevedo (&) Fundación Centro de Estudios del Cuaternario (CEQUA), PO Box 737, Avda. Bulnes 01890, Punta Arenas, Chile e-mail: jorge.acevedo@cequa.cl A. Aguayo-Lobo Instituto Antártico Chileno (INACH), Plaza Muñoz Gamero 1055, Punta Arenas, Chile e-mail: aaguayo@inach.cl D. Torres Luis Durand 3860, Macul, Santiago, Chile e-mail: dtorres.dir@gmail.com 1 We use the term pagophilic deWned by Reeves et al. (2002) as: “Lit- erally ice-loving, used to describe marine mammals that inhabit areas where there is considerable ice cover”. This term is used in this paper for Weddell seal, Leopard seal, Ross seal and Crabeater seal.