MUSCLE TEMPERATURE AND SWIM VELOCITY PROFILES DURING DIVING IN A WEDDELL SEAL, LEPTONYCHOTES-WEDDELLII

Locomotory muscle temperature and swim velocity profiles of an adult W eddell seal were recorded over a 21 h period. The highest temperatures occurred during a prolonged surface period (mean 37.3-degrees-C, S.D. 0.16-degrees-C). Muscle temperature averaged 36.8 and 36.6-degrees-C (S.D. 0.25-degrees-C, 0.19-degrees-C) during two dive bouts and showed no consistent fluctuations between dive and interdive surface interva ls. Swim velocities were also constant, near 1.3 m s-1. These data ind icate that past records of low aortic temperatures (35-degrees-C) duri ng and after prolonged dives are not indicative of whole-body temperat ure changes, and that muscle temperature, even during dives as long as 45 min, remains near 37-degrees-C.