A rare 33 year-old Weddell mom with her new male pup was recently recorded by the field team. Team Leader Parker Levinson reports,"We saw her on the crack North of Turtle Rock today. Also included is a photo of her teeth. They actually look to be in pretty good shape. Her individual number in the database is speno 9926. She was born in 1991 at Hutton Cliffs. Since then, she's had 21 pups, including the male pup we tagged today. She had her first pup at the age of 5 years-old." 

The condition of this Weddell mom's teeth is vitally important as Weddell seals use their teeth to keep holes and cracks open in the sea ice that are needed for accessing the surface to breath. Weddell moms also use their teeth extensively to rake the sea ice to make smoother edges and ramps on sea ice holes and cracks for their young pups to more easily exit the water after swimming. Over many years, this activity wears down the Weddell mom's teeth. As her teeth wear down, she will have more difficulty abrading the ice and, possibly, more difficulty foraging and catching fish. Substantial tooth wear may affect her very survival. So, the pretty good condition of this 33 year-old Weddell mom's teeth is a reassuring indication of her ongoing survival and pup rearing capability. Of the approximately 20% of female Weddell pups that do survive long enough to return to the colonies and have pups of their own, very few of these seals survive into their late 20s and early 30s to reproduce. The ones that do are among a very special group!

– Mary Lynn Price