# Beach Buffet: First Observations of White‐Backed Vultures Gyps africanus Feeding on a Cape Fur Seal Arctocephalus pusillus on the Skeleton Coast

## TL;DR

White-backed Vultures were observed feeding on a Cape fur seal for the first time, expanding their known foraging behavior and raising conservation concerns.

## Contribution

First documented observation of White-backed Vultures feeding on a Cape fur seal in a coastal environment.

## Key findings

- White-backed Vultures were observed feeding on a Cape fur seal killed by lions.
- This behavior suggests a potential role in transferring marine nutrients to terrestrial ecosystems.
- The observation raises concerns about vulture exposure to marine environmental toxins.

## Abstract

Vultures are avian obligate scavengers which provide important ecosystem services by efficiently removing carcasses from the landscape. Some species are now being observed feeding in coastal environments where they consume marine carcasses (i.e., whales, dolphins, seals and fish). On the African continent, only two species thus far have been reported to feed in the coastal ecosystems: the Lappet‐faced Vulture (Torgos tracheliotos) on the Skeleton Coast of Namibia and the Hooded Vulture (
Necrosyrtes monachus
) in southern Gambia. Here we report on the first observation of four White‐backed Vultures feeding on a Cape fur seal (
Arctocephalus pusillus
) killed by lions (Panthera leo). These observations carry several ecological and conservation implications and raise certain conservation concerns, including marine nutrients transfer and potential accumulation of marine environmental toxicants.

Vultures are specialized scavengers that provide critical ecosystem services by clearing carcasses, though their activity in African coastal environments has previously been limited to only two documented species (i.e., the Lappet‐faced and the Hooded Vultures). This report documents the observation of White‐backed Vultures feeding on Cape fur seals, marking a significant expansion in the known foraging behavior of this species. These findings highlight important conservation considerations, specifically regarding the transfer of marine nutrients to terrestrial ecosystems and the potential risks associated with the exposure of vultures to the accumulation of marine‐derived toxins.