Antarctic cranch squid - a top predator of the Antarctic waters - its distribution and relationship with Antarctic and Patagonian toothfish ...

• Main Authors: Remeslo, Alexander, Hieber, Christine, Krasnoborodko, Oleg
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: unknown
• Published: ASC 2011 - Theme session I 2024
• Subjects: Ecosystem observation, processes and dynamics; Pressures, impacts, conservation, and management; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctic Toothfish; Patagonian Toothfish
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.17895/ices.pub.25039097; https://ices-library.figshare.com/articles/conference_contribution/Antarctic_cranch_squid_-_a_top_predator_of_the_Antarctic_waters_-_its_distribution_and_relationship_with_Antarctic_and_Patagonian_toothfish/25039097

No abstracts are to be cited without prior reference to the author.Mesonychoteuthis is a very big species of squid (maximum recorded weight 498 kg), which hitherto has been caught only very rarely. Soviet and Russian biologists described the morphology of Mesonychoteuthis, calculated its biomass and also created a map defining its habitat on the basis of numerous finds in the stomachs of sperm whales. The material we collected during several assignments as CCALMR observers on longliners reveals a complex food and behavioural relationship between Mesonychoteuthis and Antarctic as well as Patagonian toothfish. When caught on longline hooks, toothfish are obviously exposed to attacks by squid. Our photographic material confirms that Mesonychoteuthis sometimes release their prey only when it is raised to the vesselʹs deck. On the bodies of numerous toothfish deep wounds and marks of large suckers were found. On the other hand, in the stomachs of big Antarctic toothfish pieces and beaks of Mesonychoteuthis were ...