Consumption of Antarctic krill by Minke whales
The consumption of Antarctic krill ( Euphausia superba ) by an “average-sized” (male 6994 kg; female 8249 kg), sexually mature Minke whale ( Balaenoptera acutorostrata ) was estimated, from stomach capacity, ingestion rate and respiratory allometry methods. Estimates obtained from the stomach capaci...
Published in: | Antarctic Science |
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Main Authors: | , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
1991
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0954102091000044 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0954102091000044 |
Summary: | The consumption of Antarctic krill ( Euphausia superba ) by an “average-sized” (male 6994 kg; female 8249 kg), sexually mature Minke whale ( Balaenoptera acutorostrata ) was estimated, from stomach capacity, ingestion rate and respiratory allometry methods. Estimates obtained from the stomach capacity and respiratory allometry methods differed by 17%–23%. An “average-sized” male Minke whale consumes 37.2 t of krill during a 90-day stay, and an “average-sized” female Minke whale consumes 56.2 t of krill during a 120-day stay, in Antarctic waters during the austral summer. It is estimated that the Minke whale population in the Antarctic (60°S and higher) consumes 35.5 × 10 6 t of krill annually. |
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