Food and feeding habits of the blue shark Prionace glauca caught off Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico, with a review on its feeding

Author(s):  
Unai Markaida ◽  
Oscar Sosa-Nishizaki

Stomach contents of 893 blue shark (Prionace glauca) caught off Ensenada, Todos Santos Bay, Baja California, from 1995 to 1997 were analysed. 614 had identifiable food remains. A large variety of pelagic cephalopods occurred in 55.5% of all stomachs and accounted for 46.2% of all prey and 84% by estimated weight of stomach contents. The most abundant (17%) and frequent (32%) was Histioteuthis heteropsis and the most important by estimated weight (22%) was ‘Gonatus californiensis’. Argonauta spp. and Vampyroteuthis infernalis were also abundant prey. A pair of beaks of giant squid Architeuthis sp. constitutes the first record for Mexican waters. Feeding habits and the probability of scavenging on mesopelagic cephalopods is discussed. The single most abundant prey was the pelagic, red crab Pleuroncodes planipes (41.7%). Other prey included teleost fish, amniotes and floating items. Diet varied greatly between months with no clear seasonal pattern. Tiny diet differences due to shark size or sex were inconclusive. A thorough review of studies on blue sharks stomach contents analysis is given. Blue shark feed on a large variety of passive pelagic prey, mainly mesopelagic cephalopods, that could be preyed upon as well as scavenged. Depletion of this predator due to overfishing may be leading to unknown cascading top-down effects in the mesopelagic realm.

1955 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 781-792 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie M. Tuck ◽  
H. J. Squires

A study of the food and feeding habits of Brünnich's murre (Uria lomvia lomvia) on Akpatok Island, Ungava Bay, was made during the period August 9–28, 1954. The adults often dropped the food they were bringing to the young. This was collected in a restricted area, daily Some young were fed experimentally with this food which showed that 13.4 grams were required to build a gain in weight of 1 gram.Examination of the stomach contents of 34 adults showed a predominance of crustaceans but the presence of otoliths and vertebrae suggest that fish are a large part of the diet of the adult as well. Twenty species of fish and 12 of invertebrates are identified and discussed with relation to their occurrence in the area and proportion in the food of the young murre.A first record for the Eastern Canadian Arctic, Onchidiopsis glacialis (M. Sars), is recorded.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 148-155
Author(s):  
Olusola Olaniyi KOMOLAFE ◽  
Timothy Olalekan AMOO ◽  
Michael Olufemi AWODIRAN

The food and feeding habits of the redbelly Tilapia (Tilapia zillii) and Guenther’s mouthbrooder (Chromidotilapia guntheri) were investigated in an abandoned gold mine reservoir at Igun from June 2013 to May 2014. Using a cast net and gill-net fishing gears, 370 fish individuals were caught and their stomach contents were analysed by using the frequency of occurrence and numerical methods. Tilapia zillii comprised 53.78% (199 individuals), while Chromidotilapia guntheri covered up the remaining percentage (46.22%) which is made up of 171 individuals. Food items in the stomachs of T. zillii individuals predominantly consisted of detritus, mud and algae (77.97%), while those in C. guntheri individuals mostly consisted fish remains, detritus and algae (81.67%). T. zillii exploited more food items (23 of 27) as compared to C. guntheri (17 of 27). The Schoener’s index value for the species was 0.65. The study showed that T. zillii and C. guntheri exhibited benthopelagic exploitation and are mainly herbivorous and omnivorous respectively based on the food items observed in the stomach contents of these species. The fish species fed on related food items as confirmed by Schoener’s overlap index (0.65), suggesting that there was overlap in the dietary requirements of the two species. This index value, however, was probably not an indication of competition for food between these two species because they exploited abundant food sources.


Author(s):  
Edem, Edem Thomas ◽  
Patience B. Opeh

The present study is aimed to provide information on the food and feeding habit of adult Auchenoglanis biscutatus in Lower River Benue. The natural food of A. biscutatus in the Lower River Benue was studied from stomach contents of the fish. The stomach contents were analyzed using two methods; the frequency of occurrence and point methods. A total of 100 stomachs were randomly examined. Eleven major items constituted the diet of A. biscutatus. The stomach content analysis of A. biscutatus have shown that they fed on the various food items ranging from plant parts, detritus, seeds, digested food particles, fish parts, mollusc, sand/mud, insect parts and algae. This indicates that A. biscutatus is an omnivorous bottom feeder since; bottom dwelling immature insects dominated most of the food items of animal origin, digested food and detritus. A. biscutatus in Lower Benue River feeds on a wide range of food items which could make it to be regarded as an omnivore. Future attempts to culture this species must take cognizance of its food habits in the wild.


2015 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-239
Author(s):  
M Beniaz Zaman ◽  
M Sarwar Jahan

Experiments on food and feeding behaviour of Telescopium telescopium was conducted in the Sundarbans and surrounding area during January to December 2008. The stomach contents of 960 individuals were examined, in which 74.79% and 25.21% were found with and without food respectively. Of the 74.79% stomach with food 16.98%, 18.23%, 21.14% and 18.44% were full fed, ¾ fed, ½ fed and ¼ fed respectively. The intensity of feeding in tidal cycle and monthly sampling periods showed a clear trend. The snail fed mainly at low tide and preferred grazing at day time in winter and night in summer in spring tide. They consumed fine particulate mud along with organic detritus from upper intertidal surface sediment using its long extensible snout. In the time of neap tide especially in winter when the muddy habitat of Telescopium telescopium became dry, the animal survived a long time without food.Bangladesh J. Zool. 41(2): 233-239, 2013


2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-74
Author(s):  
W. O. ABDUL ◽  
I. T. OMONIYI ◽  
A. O. AGBON ◽  
F. I. ADEOSUN ◽  
O. S. OLOWE ◽  
...  

The food and feeding habits of eight (8) fish species Elops lacerta, Chrysichthys auratus, Schilbe mys-tus, Sardinella maderensis, Synodontis schall, Hepsetus odoe, Tilapia zillii and Mugil cephalus in Ogun estuary, Ogun State, Nigeria were studied and estimated for six months, between February and July, 2014. A total of 470 fishes were randomly collected from the commercial fishermen during the study. Results from the stomach contents analysed using frequency of occurrence and numerical methods showed that S. mystus, E. lacerta, S. maderensis, H. odoe, S. schall, T. zillii, M. cephalus and C. auratus were predators, piscivores, herbivores, piscivores, omnivores, herbivores, herbivores and omnivores respectively while H. odoe and S.mystus partly fed on E. lacerta and T. zillii respec-tively. The Diet Breadth (D) ranged from 0.76 to 0.88 and the percentage Gut Repletion Index (GRI), a reflection of frequency of feeding, ranged between 60-100%.


Author(s):  
Unai Markaida ◽  
Oscar Sosa-Nishizaki

Stomach contents of 533 jumbo squid, Dosidicus gigas, ranging between 14·5 and 87·5 cm dorsal mantle length were collected on a monthly basis in the central Gulf of California from November 1995 to April 1997. Fish prey were identified by sagittal otoliths, cephalopods by beaks and crustaceans by exoskeletal features. The diet was dominated by Benthosema panamense, an abundant near-shore nyctoepipelagic myctophid that forms dense aggregations. Another myctophid, Triphoturus mexicanus, several micronektonic squid, pelagic red crab and small pelagic fish such as northern anchovy and Pacific sardine played a secondary role. The largest differences in diet were due to spatial and monthly changes, while differences regarding squid size or sex were smaller. Prey size (averaging 5–7 cm) and prey number did not vary with size of jumbo squid. Jumbo squid in the slopes of the Guaymas basin feed on abundant schooling mesopelagic micronekton of annual nature with a quick response to environmental changes, which could partly explain the large annual fluctuations of this commercial resource.


2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 55-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teodoro Vaske Júnior ◽  
Rosangela Paula Lessa ◽  
Otto Bismarck Fazzano Gadig

Stomachs from 222 blue sharks collected along the Brazilian coast were analyzed - 116 from the northeastern region and 106 from the southern region. A total of 51 prey taxa were identified. The most important prey items in the southern region were Mysticeti whales, teleosteans, the gempylid Ruvettus pretiosus and the nomeid Arioma bondi. Cephalopods were more diverse, with dominance of vertical migrants Histioteuthis spp., Cranchiidae and the epipelagic octopus Ocythoe tuberculata. In the northeastern region, blue sharks consumed mainly teleosteans, including the alepisaurid Alepisaurus ferox and the gempylid Gempylus serpens. Among cephalopods, Histioteuthis spp. and the epipelagic octopus Tremoctopus violaceus were the dominant items. Predation upon schooling prey was occasional, as observed on Arioma bondi. Birds also were consumed in both regions; Puffinus gravis was the fifth most frequent item in the northeastern region. During the reproductive migration cycle, blue sharks likely prey in the thermocline, which is deeper in the northeastern region and closer to the surface in the southern region.


2013 ◽  
Vol 65 ◽  
pp. S112
Author(s):  
Angelica Maria Barrera-Garcia ◽  
Lia Celina Mendez-Rodriguez ◽  
Felipe Galvan-Magana ◽  
Todd Michael OHara ◽  
Tania Zenteno-Savin

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