Mb. Santos et al., Stomach contents of northern bottlenose whales Hyperoodon ampullatus stranded in the North Sea, J MARINE BI, 81(1), 2001, pp. 143-150
Citations number
48
Categorie Soggetti
Aquatic Sciences
Journal title
JOURNAL OF THE MARINE BIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED KINGDOM
This paper presents information on the stomach contents of four northern bo
ttlenose whales Hyperoodon ampullatus (Odontoceti: Ziphiidae) from the nort
h-east Atlantic, an area for which there art: few recent data on the feedin
g ecology of this species. Two of these whales were relatively recent stran
dings, a female stranded in August 1993 at Hargen (the Netherlands) and a m
ale stranded in February 1997 on the island of Tasinge (Denmark). Stomach c
ontent samples were also examined from a juvenile male stranded in November
1885 at Dunbar (Scotland) and a female stranded in August 1956 an the isla
nd of Texel (the Netherlands).
Food remains from the four samples consisted almost entirely of cephalopod
beaks. Some fish remains were also found in the stomach of the Hargen and T
asinge whales, and the latter also had crustacean remains in the stomach. T
he cephalopod prey consisted mainly of oceanic cephalopods: Gonatus sp. (pr
obably G: fabricii, Cephalopoda: Teuthoidea)? Taonius pavo and Histioteuthi
s sp. for the Dunbar whale; Gonatus and Teuthowenia megalops for the Texel
whale; Gonatus for the Hargen whale and Gonatus, T. megalops and Taonius pa
vo for the Tasinge whale. Other prey species found in the Tasinge specimen
included the squid Histioteuthis reversa, H. arcturi, and the octopods Vamp
iroteuthis infernalis and Vitreledonella richardi. Based on the size of the
lower beaks, the squid eaten included juvenile and mature individuals of t
he most important species (Gonatus and Teuthowenia megalops). The fish rema
ins consisted of vertebrae of Gadidae and fish eve lenses (Hargen whale) an
d two Trisopterus otoliths (Tasinge whale).
The results from this study are in agreement with those of previous authors
in that cephalopods in general, and G. fabricii in particular, are the mai
n prey of the northern bottlenose whale and other toothed whales in norther
n latitudes.