title: Electrocardiography of southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) weanlings.
abstract: The mean values for amplitude and duration of electrocardiogram intervals, cardiac rhythm, and mean frontal plane QRS-axis were measured in 18 free-living weanling southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) anesthetized with tiletamine-zolazepam. Animals were 30-50 days old and had been weaned about 3 wk earlier. All animals had a normal sinus rhythm. The mean P-wave duration per animal had a range of 0.06-0.09 sec, and mean PR interval and QT interval ranges were 0.08-0.12 sec and 0.25-0.26 sec, respectively. The amplitude of the R wave was 0.22 mV in a VR and 0.5 mV in DI. The electrical axis was between -60 and +30 in 13 of the weanlings. Electrocardiograms were also obtained from five anesthetized juveniles and one adult female. The electrical axis of juveniles was between 0 and 120 , whereas the QRS vector for the adult female had an orientation of -150 . This report is the first detailed description of the southern elephant seal electrocardiogram.
authors.affiliation: Centro Nacional Patagónico, Chubut, Argentina.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Falabella
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Campagna
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lewis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology*; D006339:Heart Rate; D008297:Male; D012016:Reference Values; D046048:Seals, Earless / Q000502:physiology*; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D014886:Weaning