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Phone: (612) 625-5700
Fax: (612) 624-6777
Email: wiggins@umn.edu

University of Minnesota
Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior
100 Ecology Building
1987 Upper Buford Circle
St. Paul, MN 55108

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Donald B. Siniff

Professor, Dept. of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior

Ph.D., University of Minnesota, 1967

Contact Information

Phone: 612-625-5732
Fax: 612-624-6777
E-mail: siniff@cbs.umn.edu

Graduate Faculty Memberships

Conservation Biology, Ecology, Wildlife Conservation, Zoology.

Research Interests

Population dynamics; life history, with emphasis on large mammals, particularly Arctic and Antarctic marine mammals.

Statement

My research has centered on the population dynamics of large mammals. I have considered the population characteristics of three species of Antarctic seals, concentrating on a long-term program on Weddell seals with shorter term studies on the crabeater and leopard seals of the Antarctic. I have also studied sea otters in Alaska and California since 1975.

I am involved with several scientific committees involving national programs and problems. These include: Convenor for the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Group of Specialists on Seals; U.S. Representative, SCAR Working Group on Biology, member California Sea Otter Recovery Team for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and member recovery team for Northern Sea Lion for National Marine Fisheries Service.

Selected Publications

Siniff, D.B. and K. Ralls. 1991. Reproduction, survival and tag loss in California sea otters. Marine Mammal Science 7(3):211-229.

Garrott, R.A. and D.B. Siniff. 1992. Limitations of male-oriented contraception for controlling feral horse populations. J. Wildl. Manage. 56(3):456-464.

Erickson, A.W., D.B. Siniff, and J. Harwood. 1993. Estimation of population sizes. In Antarctic Seals; Research Methods and Techniques. R.M. Laws, ed. Cambridge University Press. pp. 29-45.

Ralls, K., B. Hatfield and D. Siniff. 1995. Foraging patterns of California sea otters as indicated by telemetry. Canadian Journal of Zoology 73:523-531.

Brody, A.J., K. Ralls, and D. Siniff. 1996. Potential impact of oil spills on California sea otters: Implications of the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska. Marine Mammal Science 12(1):38-53.

Bowen, D., and D. Siniff. 1999. Distribution, population biology, and feeding ecology of marine mammals. In Biology of Marine Mammals. J.E. Reynolds and S.A. Rommel, eds. Smithsonian Press. pp. 423-484.

Gelatt, T., and D. Siniff. 1999. Line transect survey of crabeater seals in the Amundsen Bellingshausen Seas, 1994. Wildl. Soc. Bulletin 27(2):330-336.