Additional notes on stomach contents of sperm whales Physeter macrocephalus stranded in the north-east Atlantic

2002 ◽  
Vol 82 (3) ◽  
pp. 501-507 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.B. Santos ◽  
G.J. Pierce ◽  
M. García Hartmann ◽  
C. Smeenk ◽  
M.J. Addink ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Physeter Macrocephalus ◽  
Sperm Whales ◽  
East Atlantic ◽  
Main Prey ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Oceanic Species ◽  
Fish Remains

The stomach contents of seven male sperm whales Physeter macrocephalus (Odontoceti: Physeteridae) from the north-east Atlantic were examined. One animal was stranded on 27 November 1997 near Wassenaar (the Netherlands). Four became stranded the following day, 28 November 1997, on the island of Ameland (the Netherlands); three of these had food remains in the stomach. Samples were also examined from a whale stranded in August 1998 at Bettyhill (Scotland) and one live-stranded in March 1996 at Tory Island, Co. Donegal (Ireland). Finally, a sample of the stomach contents from a whale stranded near Terneuzen (Scheldt Estuary, the Netherlands) in February 1937 was also examined.All samples consisted almost entirely of cephalopod beaks. Some fish remains were also found in the stomach of the Wassenaar and one of the Ameland whales. The cephalopod prey were mainly oceanic species: Gonatus sp. (probably Gonatus fabricii, Oegopsida: Gonatidae) was the main prey for all the animals stranded in the Netherlands. The specimen stranded in Ireland had consumed a wider range of prey, mainly Histioteuthis bonnellii (Oegopsida: Histiotetuhidae), but also Architeuthis sp. (Oegopsida: Architeuthidae), Chiroteuthis sp. (Oegopsida: Chiroteuthidae), Teuthowenia megalops (Oegopsida: Cranchiidae) and the octopod Haliphron atlanticus (Incirrata: Alloposidae). The fish remains from the Wassenaar whale were saithe (Pollachius virens, Gadiformes: Gadidae), while remains of monkfish (Lophius sp., Lophiiformes: Lophiidae) and an unidentified fish were recorded from one of the Ameland animals.

Stomach contents of northern bottlenose whales Hyperoodon ampullatus stranded in the North Sea

2001 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.B. Santos ◽  
G.J. Pierce ◽  
C. Smeenk ◽  
M.J. Addink ◽  
C.C. Kinze ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Important Species ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Northern Latitudes ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Fish Remains ◽  
Northern Bottlenose Whales ◽  
Hyperoodon Ampullatus

This paper presents information on the stomach contents of four northern bottlenose whales Hyperoodon ampullatus (Odontoceti: Ziphiidae) from the north-east Atlantic, an area for which there are few recent data on the feeding ecology of this species. Two of these whales were relatively recent strandings, a female stranded in August 1993 at Hargen (the Netherlands) and a male stranded in February 1997 on the island of Tåsinge (Denmark). Stomach content samples were also examined from a juvenile male stranded in November 1885 at Dunbar (Scotland) and a female stranded in August 1956 on the island 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 Tåsinge whales, and the latter also had crustacean remains in the stomach. The cephalopod prey consisted mainly of oceanic cephalopods: Gonatus sp. (probably G. fabricii, Cephalopoda: Teuthoidea), Taoniuspavo and Histioteuthis sp. for the Dunbar whale; Gonatus and Teuthowenia megalops for the Texel whale; Gonatus for the Hargen whale and Gonatus, T. megalops and Taonius pavo for the Tåsinge whale. Other prey species found in the Tåsinge specimen included the squid Histioteuthis reversa, H. arcturi, and the octopods Vampiroteuthis infernalis and Vitreledonella richardi. Based on the size of the lower beaks, the squid eaten included juvenile and mature individuals of the most important species (Gonatus and Teuthowenia megalops). The fish remains consisted of vertebrae of Gadidae and fish eye lenses (Hargen whale) and two Trisopterus otoliths (Tåsinge 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 main prey of the northern bottlenose whale and other toothed whales in northern latitudes.

scholarly journals Strandings of northern bottlenose whales, Hyperoodon ampullatus, in the north-east Atlantic: seasonality and diet

2014 ◽  
Vol 94 (6) ◽  
pp. 1109-1116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth Fernández ◽  
Graham J. Pierce ◽  
Colin D. MacLeod ◽  
Andrew Brownlow ◽  
Robert J. Reid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
East Atlantic ◽  
North East ◽  
Deep Diving ◽  
The North ◽  
Coastal Species ◽  
Northern Bottlenose Whales ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Hyperoodon Ampullatus

Peaks in northern bottlenose whale, Hyperoodon ampullatus, strandings are found between August and September in the UK and August and November in The Netherlands, consistent with a hypothesized southward migration. However, results on diet suggest that several whales stranded during these months were not travelling from northern latitudes prior to stranding. We analysed the stomach contents of ten whales stranded in the north-east Atlantic (Scotland, N = 6, England, N = 1, Ireland, N = 2 and The Netherlands, N = 1). All but one of the analysed whales (live-stranded in the River Thames in January 2006) stranded between August and October. Food remains consisted almost entirely of cephalopod mandibles. Twenty-one cephalopod species (16 families) were recorded, the most abundant taxa being Gonatus spp., Teuthowenia spp. and Taonius pavo. No fish and few crustacean remains were found. Small amounts of cephalopod flesh were found in three of the stomachs and none in the others. Given that cephalopod beaks can remain within the stomach for several days, and that there was no evidence of inshore feeding (no coastal species were present among the prey), the whales may not have fed for several days prior to stranding. Three whales had remains of warm-temperate water cephalopods (e.g. Vampyroteuthis infernalis, Heteroteuthis sp.) in their stomachs, while three individuals showed a high diversity of prey in their stomachs, suggesting that several of the whales could have been either travelling north or consistently feeding in temperate latitudes prior to stranding. As previously recorded in other deep diving teuthophagous cetaceans, two animals had ingested small amounts of plastic debris.

Exceptional influx of oceanic species into the North Sea late 1997

1999 ◽  
Vol 79 (4) ◽  
pp. 737-739 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Edwards ◽  
A.W.G. John ◽  
H.G. Hunt ◽  
J.A. Lindley
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Indicator Species ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Historical Evidence ◽  
East Atlantic ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Oceanic Species

Continuous Plankton Recorder records from the North Sea and north-east Atlantic from September 1997 to March 1998 indicate an exceptional influx of oceanic indicator species into the North Sea. These inflow events, according to historical evidence, have only occurred sporadically during this century. This exceptional inflow and previous inflow events are discussed in relation to their similarity in terms of their physical and climatic conditions.

The Comparative Feeding Ecology of Six Species of Shark and Four Species of Ray (Elasmobranchii) In The North-East Atlantic

1996 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.R. Ellis ◽  
M.G. Pawson ◽  
S.E. Shackley
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Ecology ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Generalist Predators ◽  
Dietary Overlap ◽  
East Atlantic ◽  
Dietary Breadth ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Commercial Species

The stomach contents of ten species of elasmobranch from the north-eastern Atlantic indicate that most are generalist predators, eating a variety of polychaetes, molluscs, crustaceans and teleosts. Two species, Mustelus asterias and Squatina scjuatina were found to be specialist feeders, consuming portunid crabs and pleuronectids, respectively. Measures for both dietary breadth and dietary overlap are given and the implications of elasmobranch predation on the prey communities and on commercial species are discussed.

The diet of sperm whales ( Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus 1758) off the Azores

1993 ◽  
Vol 339 (1287) ◽  
pp. 67-82 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Sperm Whale ◽  
Physeter Macrocephalus ◽  
Sperm Whales ◽  
Commercial Activities ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
Modal Mass ◽  
Neutrally Buoyant

Stomach contents from 17 sperm whales, 15 males and two females, caught during commercial activities in 1981-1984 in the Azores region were identified and measured. A total of 28 738 cephalopods and 16 fish were represented in the collections. In addition, there were tunicates in two whales and m an-m ade products in three whales. None of the stomachs were empty. Flesh was present in 94.1% and indigestible fragments alone, including mandibles (beaks) of cephalopods, were present in 5.9% of the stomachs. Twelve species of cephalopod were represented by flesh and 40 species were represented by lower beaks. The cephalopod families contributing food to the whales in this region are, in order of their contribution by estimated mass, the O ctopoteuthidae (39.8%), the Histioteuthidae (32.7%), the Architeuthidae (12.1%), the Lepidoteuthidae (4.5% ), the Ommastrephidae (3.4% ), the Pholidoteuthidae (2.1% ), the Cycloteuthidae (1.9% ), the Cranchiidae (1.7%) and eight other families each contributing less than 1 % by mass. Presence of Gonatus beaks in the stomachs show which whales have migrated southwards to the Azores just prior to capture and the presence of a large Megalocranchia species possibly shows which whales have m igrated from higher latitudes off Iceland. However, the presence of Teuthowenia maculata shows which whales came north from the West coast of Africa, just prior to capture. The modal mass of cephalopods consumed is 400-450 g which represents 0.00001 of the whales’ body mass. 77.5% of the species eaten have luminous organs and 82% of the species are neutrally buoyant. It seems likely that the sperm whale is obtaining 77% of its food by swimming through luminous shoals of slow-swimming, neutrally bouyant squids and only about 23% by chasing faster swimming, larger cephalopods. Cephalopods not previously recorded from the North Atlantic are Onychoteuthis boreali-japonicus , and Histioteuthis bonnellii corpuscula . Histioteuthis ?miranda may have been collected by the whales much further south than the Azores. Species not recorded previously in the diet of sperm whales in the North Atlantic are Ommastrephes bartrami , Gonatus steenstrupi , Histioteuthis ?miranda , H. bonnellii corpuscula , H. meleagroteuthis , Discoteuthis laciniosa , Mastigoteulhis species, Chiroteulhis species, ?Helicocranchia , Liocranchia reinhardti , and ?Liguriella .

Feeding ecology of Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris): a review with new information on the diet of this species

2001 ◽  
Vol 81 (4) ◽  
pp. 687-694 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.B. Santos ◽  
G.J. Pierce ◽  
J. Herman ◽  
A. López ◽  
A. Guerra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Sperm Whales ◽  
Important Species ◽  
North West ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
New Information ◽  
Beaked Whales ◽  
Ziphius Cavirostris ◽  
Cuvier’S Beaked Whale

Published information on the diet of Cuvier's beaked whales Ziphius cavirostris (Odontoceti: Ziphiidae) is reviewed and new information on the stomach contents of three animals: two stranded in Galicia (north-west Spain) in February 1990 at A Lanzada, and in February 1995 at Portonovo; and the third stranded in February 1999 in North Uist (Scotland), is presented. The whale stranded in 1990 was a male; the other two were adult females. All animals were >5 m long.  The limited published information on the diet of this species indicates that it feeds primarily on oceanic cephalopods although some authors also found remains of oceanic fish and crustaceans.  Food remains from the three new samples consisted entirely of cephalopod beaks. The Scottish sample set is the largest recorded to date for this species. The prey identified consisted of oceanic cephalopods, mainly squid (Cephalopoda: Teuthoidea). The most frequently occurring species were the squid Teuthowenia megalops, Mastigoteuthis schmidti and Taoniuspavo (for the Galician whale stranded in 1990), Teuthowenia megalops and Histioteuthis reversa (for the second Galician whale) and T. megalops, Gonatus sp. and Taoniuspavo (for the Scottish whale). Other prey included the squid Histioteuthis bonnellii, Histioteuthis arcturi and Todarodes sagittatus as well as Vampiroteuthis infernalis (Cephalopoda: Vampyromorpha), Stauroteuthis syrtensis and Japetella diaphana (Cephalopoda: Octopoda). The squid eaten (estimated from the measurement of the lower beaks) included juvenile and mature individuals of the most important species (Teuthowenia megalops, Gonatus sp.).  The range of species found in the diet of Z. cavirostris is greater than that reported for sperm whales and bottlenosed whales in the north-east Atlantic.

scholarly journals Stomach contents of sperm whales Physeter macrocephalus stranded in the North Sea 1990-1996

1999 ◽  
Vol 183 ◽  
pp. 281-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
MB Santos ◽  
GJ Pierce ◽  
PR Boyle ◽  
RJ Reid ◽  
HM Ross ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Physeter Macrocephalus ◽  
Sperm Whales ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Sea

Stomach contents of cetaceans stranded in the Canary Islands 1996–2006

2009 ◽  
Vol 89 (5) ◽  
pp. 873-883 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Fernández ◽  
M.B. Santos ◽  
M. Carrillo ◽  
M. Tejedor ◽  
G.J. Pierce
Keyword(s):  
Canary Islands ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Sperm Whale ◽  
Physeter Macrocephalus ◽  
Sperm Whales ◽  
Jaw Bones ◽  
Deep Diving ◽  
Fish Remains ◽  
Demersal Species ◽  
Belone Belone

Stomach contents were analysed from 23 cetaceans, including individuals of 12 species from the families Delphinidae, Physeteridae, Kogiidae and Ziphiidae, stranded between 1996 and 2006 in the Canary Islands. Cephalopod mandibles(beaks)were found in 21 stomachs and fish remains(otoliths and jaw bones)appeared in 4 stomachs. Two stomachs contained only eye lenses. Cephalopods eaten by dolphins were mainly from the families Ommastrephidae, Sepiidae and Enoploteuthidae, whereas whales had mainly taken specimens of the oceanic squid families Histiotheutidae and Cranchiidae. Fish remains included a pelagic species(i.e. garfish,Belone belone)in dolphin stomachs and bathypelagic(i.e. black scabbard fish,Aphanopus carbo, lantern fish,Lampadena luminosa)and demersal species(Lophiussp.)in a pygmy sperm whale(Kogia breviceps)stomach. Most of the prey species identified are not of commercial interest but one of the sperm whales(Physeter macrocephalus)contained a fishing hook among the stomach contents. Five(22%)of the cetaceans examined had also plastic debris in their stomachs, with big plastic items being taken by deep diving teuthophagous whales.

Food and feeding ecology of the striped dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba, in the oceanic waters of the north-east Atlantic

2006 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 909-918 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julien Ringelstein ◽  
Claire Pusineri ◽  
Sami Hassani ◽  
Laureline Meynier ◽  
Rémi Nicolas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Ecology ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
East Atlantic ◽  
Fish Family ◽  
Stenella Coeruleoalba ◽  
Striped Dolphin ◽  
Mature Adults ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Food And Feeding

The food and feeding ecology of the striped dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba, in the oceanic waters of the north-east Atlantic were studied using the stomach contents of 60 striped dolphins caught in the albacore drift-net fishery throughout the summer months of 1992 and 1993 off the Bay of Biscay. Thirty-eight per cent of these dolphins were calves (0–1 years old), 25% were juveniles (2–8) and 37% were mature adults (9–32, of which 7 females and 14 males). The diet was found to be primarily composed of fish (39% by mass (M)) and cephalopods (56% M) and secondarily of crustaceans (5% M). The most significant fish family identified was the lanternfish (24% M) with Notoscopelus kroeyeri and Lobianchia gemellarii being predominant. Among squid, the oceanic Teuthowenia megalops and Histioteuthis spp. were the most significant. The pelagic shrimp Sergastes arcticus and Pasiphaea multidentata were the most prevalent crustaceans. Prey sizes ranging from 30 to 170 mm accounted for 80% of the prey items while 80% of the reconstituted biomass consisted of prey measuring between 60 and 270 mm. Prey composition and size-range differed slightly with sex and age or body size of the dolphins. The state of digestion of food remains suggested that predation took place at dusk or during the early hours of the night on which the dolphins were caught.

The Diet of Sperm Whales (Physeter Macrocephalus) Captured Between Iceland and Greenland

1986 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 779-790 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.R. Martin ◽  
M. R. Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Bodies ◽  
Prey Species ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Sperm Whale ◽  
Physeter Macrocephalus ◽  
Sperm Whales ◽  
Rock Fragments ◽  
Cyclopterus Lumpus ◽  
Fish Remains ◽  
Neutrally Buoyant

The stomach contents of 221 sperm whales were examined at the Icelandic whaling station between 1977 and 1981. Evidence of at least eight species of fish and 22 species of cephalopod was found, together with an assortment of foreign bodies including rock fragments and fishing nets. Fish remains were found in 87% and cephalopods in 68% of the sperm whale stomachs in this area, but quantification of dietary input is complicated by differential rates of digestion and variation in the retention of indigestible remains in the stomach. Prey species are benthic or pelagic in habit and are caught by the whale in waters from 400 m to at least 1200 m in depth. One fish, the lumpsucker Cyclopterus lumpus, forms a major part of the diet. Ninety-four per cent of cephalopods are oceanic and neutrally buoyant and 84 % of these are ammoniacal. Cranchiids contribute 57% by number and an estimated 25% of the weight, and histioteuthids 26% by number and 38 % of the weight of cephalopods eaten. Three species offish and two of cephalopod have not been previously recorded in sperm whale diets. Comparison with an earlier study shows that the diet is essentially stable over a 14-year period.

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