Prey of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Iceland
Publisher's version (útgefin grein) Killer whales have a cosmopolitan distribution and as a species are generalists, feeding on a variety of prey. However, local populations tend to specialise on specific prey types. In Icelandic waters, killer whales are generally associated with herring and,...
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Language: | English |
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Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/1095 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0207287 |
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ftopinvisindi:oai:opinvisindi.is:20.500.11815/1095 2023-05-15T16:46:56+02:00 Prey of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Iceland Samarra, Filipa Bassoi, Manuela Béesau, Julie Elíasdóttir, Margrét Ó. Gunnarsson, Karl Mrusczok, Marie-Thérèse Rasmussen, Marianne Rempel, Jonathan N. Þorvaldsson, Baldur Víkingsson, Gísli Rannsóknasetur á Húsavík (HÍ) Research Centre in Húsavík (UI) Háskóli Íslands University of Iceland 2018-12-12 e0207287 https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/1095 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0207287 en eng Public Library of Science (PLoS) Plos One;13(12) http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0207287 Samarra, F. I. P., Bassoi, M., Béesau, J., Elíasdóttir, M. Ó., Gunnarsson, K., Mrusczok, M.-T., . . . Víkingsson, G. A. (2018). Prey of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Iceland. PLoS One, 13(12), e0207287. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0207287 1932-6203 https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/1095 Plos One doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0207287 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Killer whales Predation Minke whales Seals Iceland Pilot whales Marine mammals Porpoises Háhyrningur Ránlífi Hrefna Selir Grindhvalur Sjávarspendýr info:eu-repo/semantics/article 2018 ftopinvisindi https://doi.org/20.500.11815/1095 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0207287 2022-11-18T06:51:43Z Publisher's version (útgefin grein) Killer whales have a cosmopolitan distribution and as a species are generalists, feeding on a variety of prey. However, local populations tend to specialise on specific prey types. In Icelandic waters, killer whales are generally associated with herring and, thus, have been presumed to be herring specialists. However, recent studies suggest a more complex foraging ecology, possibly including a mosaic of strategies. With increased observational effort in recent years due to research and whale-watching activities, there have been several reports of interactions with different prey, including confirmed predation events. In this study we aimed to summarise the range of potential prey of killer whales observed in Icelandic waters. We report on 12 previously unpublished accounts and review 15 accounts published in the scientific literature or local newspapers, making a total of 27 events where killer whales were observed interacting with actual or potential prey. Thirteen different species, including birds (n = 1), cephalopods (n = 1), fish (n = 5) and marine mammals (n = 6), are reported, although herring is by far the species that killer whales are most often observed interacting with. This study provides the first summary of actual and suspected killer whale prey in Icelandic waters, and contributes towards our understanding of this population’s prey preferences. However, describing the diet of individuals/groups was not possible and this study points to a need for continued monitoring to understand the intricacies of killer whale foraging behaviour in this area. MB was employed by Elding Whale Watching, MOE was employed by Whales Hauganes ehf., MTM was employed by Láki Tours, JNR was employed by Special Tours and BT was employed by Iceland Pro Cruises. The funders provided support in the form of salaries for authors and in all cases (except Iceland Pro Cruises) provided platforms from where observations were made, but did not have any additional role in the study design, ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Iceland Killer Whale Orca Orcinus orca Killer whale Opin vísindi (Iceland) Hauganes ENVELOPE(-18.300,-18.300,65.917,65.917) Moe ENVELOPE(-45.683,-45.683,-60.733,-60.733) PLOS ONE 13 12 e0207287 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Opin vísindi (Iceland) |
op_collection_id |
ftopinvisindi |
language |
English |
topic |
Killer whales Predation Minke whales Seals Iceland Pilot whales Marine mammals Porpoises Háhyrningur Ránlífi Hrefna Selir Grindhvalur Sjávarspendýr |
spellingShingle |
Killer whales Predation Minke whales Seals Iceland Pilot whales Marine mammals Porpoises Háhyrningur Ránlífi Hrefna Selir Grindhvalur Sjávarspendýr Samarra, Filipa Bassoi, Manuela Béesau, Julie Elíasdóttir, Margrét Ó. Gunnarsson, Karl Mrusczok, Marie-Thérèse Rasmussen, Marianne Rempel, Jonathan N. Þorvaldsson, Baldur Víkingsson, Gísli Prey of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Iceland |
topic_facet |
Killer whales Predation Minke whales Seals Iceland Pilot whales Marine mammals Porpoises Háhyrningur Ránlífi Hrefna Selir Grindhvalur Sjávarspendýr |
description |
Publisher's version (útgefin grein) Killer whales have a cosmopolitan distribution and as a species are generalists, feeding on a variety of prey. However, local populations tend to specialise on specific prey types. In Icelandic waters, killer whales are generally associated with herring and, thus, have been presumed to be herring specialists. However, recent studies suggest a more complex foraging ecology, possibly including a mosaic of strategies. With increased observational effort in recent years due to research and whale-watching activities, there have been several reports of interactions with different prey, including confirmed predation events. In this study we aimed to summarise the range of potential prey of killer whales observed in Icelandic waters. We report on 12 previously unpublished accounts and review 15 accounts published in the scientific literature or local newspapers, making a total of 27 events where killer whales were observed interacting with actual or potential prey. Thirteen different species, including birds (n = 1), cephalopods (n = 1), fish (n = 5) and marine mammals (n = 6), are reported, although herring is by far the species that killer whales are most often observed interacting with. This study provides the first summary of actual and suspected killer whale prey in Icelandic waters, and contributes towards our understanding of this population’s prey preferences. However, describing the diet of individuals/groups was not possible and this study points to a need for continued monitoring to understand the intricacies of killer whale foraging behaviour in this area. MB was employed by Elding Whale Watching, MOE was employed by Whales Hauganes ehf., MTM was employed by Láki Tours, JNR was employed by Special Tours and BT was employed by Iceland Pro Cruises. The funders provided support in the form of salaries for authors and in all cases (except Iceland Pro Cruises) provided platforms from where observations were made, but did not have any additional role in the study design, ... |
author2 |
Rannsóknasetur á Húsavík (HÍ) Research Centre in Húsavík (UI) Háskóli Íslands University of Iceland |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Samarra, Filipa Bassoi, Manuela Béesau, Julie Elíasdóttir, Margrét Ó. Gunnarsson, Karl Mrusczok, Marie-Thérèse Rasmussen, Marianne Rempel, Jonathan N. Þorvaldsson, Baldur Víkingsson, Gísli |
author_facet |
Samarra, Filipa Bassoi, Manuela Béesau, Julie Elíasdóttir, Margrét Ó. Gunnarsson, Karl Mrusczok, Marie-Thérèse Rasmussen, Marianne Rempel, Jonathan N. Þorvaldsson, Baldur Víkingsson, Gísli |
author_sort |
Samarra, Filipa |
title |
Prey of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Iceland |
title_short |
Prey of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Iceland |
title_full |
Prey of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Iceland |
title_fullStr |
Prey of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Iceland |
title_full_unstemmed |
Prey of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Iceland |
title_sort |
prey of killer whales (orcinus orca) in iceland |
publisher |
Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/1095 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0207287 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-18.300,-18.300,65.917,65.917) ENVELOPE(-45.683,-45.683,-60.733,-60.733) |
geographic |
Hauganes Moe |
geographic_facet |
Hauganes Moe |
genre |
Iceland Killer Whale Orca Orcinus orca Killer whale |
genre_facet |
Iceland Killer Whale Orca Orcinus orca Killer whale |
op_relation |
Plos One;13(12) http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0207287 Samarra, F. I. P., Bassoi, M., Béesau, J., Elíasdóttir, M. Ó., Gunnarsson, K., Mrusczok, M.-T., . . . Víkingsson, G. A. (2018). Prey of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Iceland. PLoS One, 13(12), e0207287. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0207287 1932-6203 https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/1095 Plos One doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0207287 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/20.500.11815/1095 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0207287 |
container_title |
PLOS ONE |
container_volume |
13 |
container_issue |
12 |
container_start_page |
e0207287 |
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1766037025314570240 |