Translation 2783

...... 298
the f.irst sei I-•;}rales are observed south of 50 0 S as early as December.
!t'he ïirst to axrive ii ^.n;;arctic waters are prenant fe,lla.les•., then
come males and unmated females; and. finally, lactating fei:.a les and
young calves. i:ot all of the i•rhales, however, t.,o to. ni.g:ll latitudes.
Many of ti:em find favourable conditions (as the resul.ts of whaling
prove) in the-zone of the forties (400 S to 450 S)° There are also,
it appears, areas where lactating females with their calves, juveniles,
and even females that have just commenced reproduction stay
(e.g. the Falkla.nd Islands region).
:Cn
winter sei whales are found both in open parts of the
ocea.n and .in coastal waters.
On the basis of whaling statistics, ta;oing data, -and. obser--
vations we may d.istin.guish herds of sei whales analogous to those
of fin *•,Thales.
he e1xistence of herds does not e_ clude the -aossi--
bility of whales .lovi.ng from certain fattening.-•g'rounds to others
located near theXn<
The chief item of the diet of sei whales in knta.rct:i.c waters
Their diet in the zone from 4.0° to 450 S has been found
is krill.
to include the krill Euphausia_ valentini, Calanus tonsus, and other
erustacecans. The we-
IC;ht of their stomach contents reaches 300-4.00
kg or even 500 kg. 1,1hi7_e the ti,i.lales are living in i;•arm waters the
dietary spectrum is more varied, and includes a number of s_oecies
of Copepoda and T,upha.usiacea.
Sei whales eat less actively in the
coastal zone, where their sto^lachs usually contain not more than
50 or 60 kg of food.
Off tize coasts of South Africa male sei whales attain sexual
niaturity at an average body length of 13.6 metres (from 11.6 to 14.3
r^ctres;, with the weight of the testes being 3.0 k9, and fema.les at
a le-nuth of 13.;'-14.0 metres* in Sectors IT]. and IV of the Antarctic
the corresponding figures are 12.9 to 13.2 metres for males and 13.a
to 13-9 rnetres for females.,° in Sectors V and VI the average l(:nbths
a.:^°e
sornc^•rhat greater -- 1^.25-°13. 3 iae l;res for males and 14-0-1411 .2
metres for fer:la.les,
.0he mating of sei whales takes place fro