Prey switching by killer whales in the north-east Atlantic: observational evidence and experimental insights
Studies in the Pacific have identified distinct killer whale ecotypes that are either specialized mammal- or fish-eaters. The different types have developed hunting strategies that would suggest specialization could be more advantageous than generalism. However, it has been suggested, based on long-...
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0025315413001707 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0025315413001707 |
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crcambridgeupr:10.1017/s0025315413001707 2024-05-12T08:06:29+00:00 Prey switching by killer whales in the north-east Atlantic: observational evidence and experimental insights Vongraven, Dag Bisther, Anna 2013 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0025315413001707 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0025315413001707 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom volume 94, issue 6, page 1357-1365 ISSN 0025-3154 1469-7769 Aquatic Science journal-article 2013 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/s0025315413001707 2024-04-18T06:54:15Z Studies in the Pacific have identified distinct killer whale ecotypes that are either specialized mammal- or fish-eaters. The different types have developed hunting strategies that would suggest specialization could be more advantageous than generalism. However, it has been suggested, based on long-term dietary markers of tooth wear and stable isotope values, that lineages in the North Atlantic are generalist, but with individual variation in the proportion of prey types consumed. Here, we present the results of ten years of observational and photo-identification data of a population of killer whales that follows the Norwegian spring-spawning stock of Atlantic herring. Although the whales were predominantly observed while feeding upon herring, one pod of herring-eating whales was also observed interacting with seals. This supports the hypothesis based on the long-term markers, of a degree of specialization, with a small number of groups persistently feeding upon mammals, but switching between herring and seals. We further investigated this prey switching by conducting playbacks of herring-eating killer whale sounds to harbour seals at haul-out sites on the herring spawning grounds. We recorded changes in behaviour consistent with an anti-predator response, suggesting the seals perceived the herring-eating killer whales as a potential predatory threat and had not habituated to their calls. This could be due to the risk of herring-eating killer whales switching to mammalian prey, or the difficulty of discriminating between killer whale pods due to the large population size and number of killer whale call dialects in this population, or a combination of both. Article in Journal/Newspaper Killer Whale North Atlantic North East Atlantic Killer whale Cambridge University Press Pacific Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 94 6 1357 1365 |
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Cambridge University Press |
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crcambridgeupr |
language |
English |
topic |
Aquatic Science |
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Aquatic Science Vongraven, Dag Bisther, Anna Prey switching by killer whales in the north-east Atlantic: observational evidence and experimental insights |
topic_facet |
Aquatic Science |
description |
Studies in the Pacific have identified distinct killer whale ecotypes that are either specialized mammal- or fish-eaters. The different types have developed hunting strategies that would suggest specialization could be more advantageous than generalism. However, it has been suggested, based on long-term dietary markers of tooth wear and stable isotope values, that lineages in the North Atlantic are generalist, but with individual variation in the proportion of prey types consumed. Here, we present the results of ten years of observational and photo-identification data of a population of killer whales that follows the Norwegian spring-spawning stock of Atlantic herring. Although the whales were predominantly observed while feeding upon herring, one pod of herring-eating whales was also observed interacting with seals. This supports the hypothesis based on the long-term markers, of a degree of specialization, with a small number of groups persistently feeding upon mammals, but switching between herring and seals. We further investigated this prey switching by conducting playbacks of herring-eating killer whale sounds to harbour seals at haul-out sites on the herring spawning grounds. We recorded changes in behaviour consistent with an anti-predator response, suggesting the seals perceived the herring-eating killer whales as a potential predatory threat and had not habituated to their calls. This could be due to the risk of herring-eating killer whales switching to mammalian prey, or the difficulty of discriminating between killer whale pods due to the large population size and number of killer whale call dialects in this population, or a combination of both. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Vongraven, Dag Bisther, Anna |
author_facet |
Vongraven, Dag Bisther, Anna |
author_sort |
Vongraven, Dag |
title |
Prey switching by killer whales in the north-east Atlantic: observational evidence and experimental insights |
title_short |
Prey switching by killer whales in the north-east Atlantic: observational evidence and experimental insights |
title_full |
Prey switching by killer whales in the north-east Atlantic: observational evidence and experimental insights |
title_fullStr |
Prey switching by killer whales in the north-east Atlantic: observational evidence and experimental insights |
title_full_unstemmed |
Prey switching by killer whales in the north-east Atlantic: observational evidence and experimental insights |
title_sort |
prey switching by killer whales in the north-east atlantic: observational evidence and experimental insights |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
2013 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0025315413001707 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0025315413001707 |
geographic |
Pacific |
geographic_facet |
Pacific |
genre |
Killer Whale North Atlantic North East Atlantic Killer whale |
genre_facet |
Killer Whale North Atlantic North East Atlantic Killer whale |
op_source |
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom volume 94, issue 6, page 1357-1365 ISSN 0025-3154 1469-7769 |
op_rights |
https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0025315413001707 |
container_title |
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom |
container_volume |
94 |
container_issue |
6 |
container_start_page |
1357 |
op_container_end_page |
1365 |
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1798848975666675712 |