Diving behavior of an epipelagically feeding alcid, the Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata)

2003 ◽  
Vol 81 (7) ◽  
pp. 1249-1256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maki Kuroki ◽  
Akiko Kato ◽  
Yutaka Watanuki ◽  
Yasuaki Niizuma ◽  
Akinori Takahashi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Dive Depth ◽  
Diving Behavior ◽  
Bottom Phase ◽  
Cerorhinca Monocerata ◽  
The Hours ◽  
Small Bird ◽  
Rhinoceros Auklet ◽  
Ascent Phase ◽  
Horizontal Bottom

The diving behavior of Rhinoceros Auklets (Cerorhinca monocerata) breeding at Teuri Island, Hokkaido, Japan, was studied using small bird-borne time–depth dataloggers. The eight auklets made dives without an obvious horizontal bottom phase to a median depth of 14.0 ± 1.8 (mean ± SD) m (maximum 57 m) for 53 ± 8 s (maximum 148 s) between the hours of 0300 and 2000. They made undulations (rapid depth changes), considered to represent prey pursuit, in 35% of the dives. Of the undulations, 57% occurred during the deep (>80% of maximum depth) parts of the dives and 26% during the ascent phase. The auklets performed 26 ± 31 dives continuously during dive bouts of 32 ± 34 min. Dive bouts at the end of the day were twice as long as in the morning and at midday. During dive bouts, the auklets showed consistent trends in dive depth, decreasing (23% of bouts), increasing (32%), or stable (19%), but sometimes they showed hectic depth changes (26%). V-shaped dives (with no horizontal bottom phase), potential prey pursuit in both the deep parts and ascent phases of the dives, and variable depth changes within dive bouts indicate the auklets' epipelagic feeding habits.

Diving performance of male and female Japanese Cormorants

1996 ◽  
Vol 74 (6) ◽  
pp. 1098-1109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yutaka Watanuki ◽  
Akiko Kato ◽  
Yasuhiko Naito
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
Dive Duration ◽  
Sexual Differences ◽  
Foraging Efficiency ◽  
Diving Behavior ◽  
Bottom Phase ◽  
Similar Proportion ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Surface Time ◽  
Ascent Phase

Sexual differences in the diving behavior of the sexually dimorphic Japanese Cormorant, Phalacrocorax capillatus (males are 26% heavier than females), were studied at Teuri Island, Hokkaido, using time–depth recorders. A typical dive cycle involved a rapid descent phase, a bottom phase where they remained for a while, an ascent phase, and a postdive surface phase. Depth and duration across individual birds were greater for males (15.1 ± 3.7 (mean ± SD) m, 37 ± 5 s, respectively) than those for females (7.2 ± 2.4 m, 24 ± 4 s, respectively). While submerged, females spent a similar proportion of time during the bottom phase to males, hence foraging efficiency (proportion of time at the bottom to total dive cycle time) did not differ between the sexes. No sexual differences were found in descent and ascent rates, dive bout duration, or time spent underwater per day. No significant effects of dive duration on postdive surface time were observed for either sex, indicating that birds dived within an aerobic dive limit. However, mean dive durations and maximum dive durations for individual birds were a function of body mass to the power 1.49 and 1.87, respectively, suggesting that body mass partly constrains the diving behavior of this opportunistically feeding cormorant.

A Satellite-linked Tag for the Long-term Monitoring of Diving Behavior in Large Whales

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel M. Palacios ◽  
Ladd M. Irvine ◽  
Barbara A. Lagerquist ◽  
James A. Fahlbusch ◽  
John Calambokidis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Event Detection ◽  
Satellite Telemetry ◽  
Dive Depth ◽  
Detection Algorithm ◽  
Diving Behavior ◽  
Accelerometer Data ◽  
Precision Data ◽  
Geographic Ranges ◽  
Dive Behavior ◽  
Tracking Period

Abstract Despite spending much of their time on activities underwater, the technology in use to track whales over large geographic ranges via satellite has been largely limited to locational data, with most applications focusing on characterizing their horizontal movements. We describe the development of the RDW tag, a new Argos-based satellite telemetry device that incorporates sensors for monitoring the movements and dive behavior of large whales over several months without requiring recovery. Based on an implantable design, the tag features a saltwater conductivity switch, a tri-axial accelerometer, and an optional pressure transducer, along with onboard software for data processing and detection of behavioral events or activities of interest for transmission. We configured the software to detect dives and create per-dive summaries describing behavioral events associated with feeding activities in rorqual whales. We conducted a validation by proxy of the dive summary and event detection algorithms using data from a medium-duration archival tag. The dive summary algorithm accurately reported dive depth and duration, while the accuracy of the lunge-feeding event detection algorithm was dependent on the precision of the accelerometer data that was used, with a predicted accuracy of 0.74 for correctly classifying feeding dives from 1/64-G precision data and 0.95 from 1-mG precision data. We also present data from field deployments of the tag on seven humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) and one blue whale ( Balaenoptera musculus ). The eight tags transmitted over a median tracking period of 17.5 d (range: 3.9-76.4 d) across both species. The median proportion of the tracking period summarized by received dives for the eight tags was 50.4% (range: 11.1-88.7%). The median number of received dives per day was 76.5 (range: 1-191). The results documented diel and longer-term variability in diving and feeding behavior, showing marked differences within and among individuals tracked contemporaneously. By monitoring the per-dive behavior of large whales over multi-month timescales of movement, the RDW tags provided some of the first assessments of previously unobservable behaviors across entire geographic ranges, linking local-scale behavior to broader, ecosystem-scale processes. The RDW tag extends the applications of whale satellite telemetry to new areas of physiology, ecology, and conservation.

Foraging energetics and diving behavior of lactating New Zealand sea lions, Phocarctos hookeri

2000 ◽  
Vol 203 (23) ◽  
pp. 3655-3665 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.P. Costa ◽  
N.J. Gales
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Dive Depth ◽  
Diving Behavior ◽  
Metabolic Rates ◽  
Sea Lion ◽  
Water Turnover ◽  
Sea Lions ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Phocarctos Hookeri

The New Zealand sea lion, Phocarctos hookeri, is the deepest- and longest-diving sea lion. We were interested in whether the diving ability of this animal was related to changes in its at-sea and diving metabolic rates. We measured the metabolic rate, water turnover and diving behavior of 12 lactating New Zealand sea lions at Sandy Bay, Enderby Island, Auckland Islands Group, New Zealand (50 degrees 30′S, 166 degrees 17′E), during January and February 1997 when their pups were between 1 and 2 months old. Metabolic rate (rate of CO(2) production) and water turnover were measured using the (18)O doubly-labeled water technique, and diving behavior was measured with time/depth recorders (TDRs). Mean total body water was 66.0+/−1.1 % (mean +/− s.d.) and mean rate of CO(2) production was 0. 835+/−0.114 ml g(−)(1)h(−)(1), which provides an estimated mass-specific field metabolic rate (FMR) of 5.47+/−0.75 W kg(−)(1). After correction for time on shore, the at-sea FMR was estimated to be 6.65+/−1.09 W kg(−)(1), a value 5.8 times the predicted standard metabolic rate of a terrestrial animal of equal size. The mean maximum dive depth was 353+/−164 m, with a mean diving depth of 124+/−36 m. The mean maximum dive duration was 8.3+/−1.7 min, with an average duration of 3.4+/−0.6 min. The deepest, 550 m, and longest, 11.5 min, dives were made by the largest animal (155 kg). Our results indicate that the deep and long-duration diving ability of New Zealand sea lions is not due to a decreased diving metabolic rate. Individual sea lions that performed deeper dives had lower FMRs, which may result from the use of energetically efficient burst-and-glide locomotion. There are differences in the foraging patterns of deep and shallow divers that may reflect differences in surface swimming, time spent on the surface and/or diet. Our data indicate that, although New Zealand sea lions have increased their O(2) storage capacity, they do not, or cannot, significantly reduce their at-sea metabolic rates and are therefore likely to be operating near their physiological maximum.

scholarly journals Applicability of the doubly labelled water method to the rhinoceros auklet, Cerorhinca monocerata

Biology Open ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (11) ◽  
pp. 1141-1145 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Shirai ◽  
M. Ito ◽  
K. Yoda ◽  
Y. Niizuma
Keyword(s):  
Doubly Labelled Water ◽  
Cerorhinca Monocerata ◽  
Rhinoceros Auklet

scholarly journals Foraging segregation of two congeneric diving seabird species breeding on St. George Island, Bering Sea

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 2579-2591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nobuo Kokubun ◽  
Takashi Yamamoto ◽  
Nobuhiko Sato ◽  
Yutaka Watanuki ◽  
Alexis Will ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bering Sea ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Foraging Ecology ◽  
Stress Hormones ◽  
Food Resource ◽  
Dive Depth ◽  
Bottom Phase ◽  
Seabird Species ◽  
Top Predators ◽  
The Bering Sea

Abstract. Subarctic environmental changes are expected to affect the foraging ecology of marine top predators, but the response to such changes may vary among species if they use food resources differently. We examined the characteristics of foraging behavior of two sympatric congeneric diving seabird: common (Uria aalge: hereafter COMUs) and thick-billed (U. lomvia: hereafter TBMUs) murres breeding on St. George Island, located in the seasonal sea-ice region of the Bering Sea. We investigated their foraging trip and flight durations, diel patterns of dive depth, and underwater wing strokes, along with wing morphology and blood stable isotope signatures and stress hormones. Acceleration–temperature–depth loggers were attached to chick-guarding birds, and data were obtained from 7 COMUs and 12 TBMUs. Both species showed similar mean trip duration (13.2 h for COMUs and 10.5 h for TBMUs) and similar diurnal patterns of diving (frequent dives to various depths in the daytime and less frequent dives to shallow depths in the nighttime). During the daytime, the dive depths of COMUs had two peaks in shallow (18.1 m) and deep (74.2 m) depths, while those of TBMUs were 20.2 m and 59.7 m. COMUs showed more frequent wing strokes during the bottom phase of dives (1.90 s−1) than TBMUs (1.66 s−1). Fish occurred more frequently in the bill loads of COMUs (85 %) than those of TBMUs (56 %). The δ15N value of blood was significantly higher in COMUs (14.5 ‰) than in TBMUs (13.1 ‰). The relatively small wing area (0.053 m2) of COMUs compared to TBMUs (0.067 m2) may facilitate their increased agility while foraging and allow them to capture more mobile prey such as larger fishes that inhabit deeper depths. These differences in food resource use may lead to the differential responses of the two murre species to marine environmental changes in the Bering Sea.

Resource allocation in fledglings of the rhinoceros auklet under different feeding conditions: an experiment manipulating meal size and frequency

2005 ◽  
Vol 83 (11) ◽  
pp. 1476-1485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Makiko Takenaka ◽  
Yasuaki Niizuma ◽  
Yutaka Watanuki
Keyword(s):  
Normal Group ◽  
Meal Size ◽  
High Group ◽  
Brain Mass ◽  
Cerorhinca Monocerata ◽  
Lipid Mass ◽  
Ammodytes Personatus ◽  
Fledging Mass ◽  
Rhinoceros Auklet ◽  
Large Meal

By manipulating meal size and frequency in an alcid, the rhinoceros auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata (Pallas, 1811)), we examined two hypotheses: (1) poorly fed chicks allocate resources preferentially to developing organs essential for fledging, and (2) intermittently fed chicks deposit more lipids than regularly fed ones. Chicks were fed normal (NORMAL; 40–80 g, mean meal mass in a normal year), small (LOW; 26–54 g, half of NORMAL), or large (HIGH; 80–160 g, twice as much as NORMAL) amounts of sandlance (Ammodytes personatus Girard, 1856) every day or the large meal (80–160 g) every 2 days (INTERMITTENT). Chicks fed more food grew faster. The HIGH group had the greatest fledging mass and shortest fledging period. The wingspan and brain mass of fledglings did not differ among groups. The heart, liver, and breast muscle at fledging were 15%–25% smaller in the LOW group than in the NORMAL group but did not differ between the NORMAL and HIGH groups. The total lipid was 43% greater in the HIGH group than in the NORMAL group, and that of the LOW group was 38% smaller. The INTERMITTENT group had a similar lipid mass to the NORMAL group. Chicks feeding on small meals seemed to maintain the growth of organs essential for fledging, while chicks feeding on large meals seemed to deposit a surplus as lipid rather than allocate more to the development of organs.

Physiological effects on dive patterns and foraging strategies in yearling Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii)

1997 ◽  
Vol 75 (11) ◽  
pp. 1796-1810 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer M. Burns ◽  
Michael A. Castellini ◽  
Jason F. Schreer
Keyword(s):  
Stepwise Regression ◽  
Dive Depth ◽  
Foraging Strategies ◽  
Diving Behavior ◽  
Physiological Effects ◽  
Morphometric Measurements ◽  
Leptonychotes Weddellii ◽  
Weddell Seals ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Relationship

Fifteen yearling Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) were captured, measured, weighed, bled, equipped with time–depth recorders, and released to determine if diving behavior was related to physical condition. Upon recovery of the time–depth recorders, dives were classified into four types based on shape, using cluster analysis. Based on maximum depth, two groups were further subdivided, for a total of seven types. The mean and maximal dive depth, duration, and frequency were determined for each yearling for all dive types combined and for each type separately. Stepwise regression and ANOVA techniques were used to test the relationship between diving behavior and physiological and morphometric measurements. In general, half of the variation in the pooled diving behavior could be explained by body-size differences. Larger yearlings made longer and shallower dives than smaller yearlings. Dive patterns suggested that large yearlings foraged primarily on small shallow-water prey items, while small yearlings concentrated on energy-dense deep-water prey. However, the interpretation of diving behavior, foraging locations, and diet that resulted from separating individuals and dive types was very different from that based on average diving behavior. This argues against ignoring variation among individuals and using only average diving behavior when describing marine mammal dive patterns.

Common Ravens (Corvus corax) Prey on Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata) Eggs, Chicks, and Possibly Adults

2015 ◽  
Vol 127 (2) ◽  
pp. 336-339 ◽  
Author(s):  
James L. Hayward ◽  
Gordon J. Atkins ◽  
Ashley A. Reichert ◽  
Shandelle M. Henson
Keyword(s):  
Corvus Corax ◽  
Cerorhinca Monocerata ◽  
Rhinoceros Auklet

scholarly journals Diving behavior of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) throughout their migratory cycle in the Western South Atlantic Ocean

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Érika Soares Coelho da Silva
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Dive Depth ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Ecological Modelling ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Diving Behavior ◽  
Depth Range ◽  
Western Atlantic ◽  
Migratory Cycle ◽  
Reported Data

Is poorly known how the diving behavior during the migratory cycle of humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae is affected by environmental characteristics of their seasonal habitats and their social roles. In this study, archival Argos satellite tags were deployed off the coast of Brazil in 32 humpback whales from the South Western Atlantic Ocean. Tags reported data for ~44 days (max = 124 days) and 92,058 dives. Statistical analysis showed that average dive depth varied between habitats, being shallower in the breeding area (BA, 22.6 m), intermediate during the migration (MI, 30.26 m), and deeper in the feeding area (FA, 35.16 m). The dives classified as deep (>80 m), were more predominant during migration. At FA, dives during the night were shallower and shorter than those performed during the day, at BA dives made during the day were deeper than all other diel phases. We have not found clear differences in dive depth and duration between social classes. The moon phases had a clear effect within BA but not within MI and FA, being shallower at full moon. We also saw that the shapes (U, V, Square), showed differences in dive depth and among habitats. Our data provide the first novel insights into the dive behaviors of individuals from the same population throughout their migratory cycle, performing different diving behaviors, different patterns of social class, shapes, depth range, diel and moon phase. Moreover, these findings and the understanding diving patterns in its drivers have important implications for ecological modelling, conservation policies.

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