Abstract:
Pinnipeds occur only occasionally in Panamanian Pacific waters, usually during extreme climatic events such as the El Nino phenomenon (Felix et al., 2007; Autoridad de los Recursos Acuaticos de Panama [ARAP], 2014). In general, these specimens are wandering animals recorded on beaches where they came to rest probably exhausted after a long journey. Although several specimens have been recorded, the only confirmed species of pinniped in the Pacific Panamanian waters to date is the Galapagos fur seal (Arctocephalus galapagoensis) (ARAP, 2014). The period of highest occurrence of this species coincides with seasonal upwelling in the Gulf of Panama between December and March when the sea surface temperature can be as low as 17[degrees] C (D'Croz et al., 1991), and with the lower primary productivity season in the Galapagos Islands due to annual weakening of the Humboldt Current (Wyrtki, 1966).