Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) scavenge offal from minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) whaling operations in Svalbard (Norway)
Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) tissue (mainly blubber) was found in the gastrointestinal tracks of Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) collected in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard, Norway. In order to determine whether the sharks were actively hunting the whales, finding naturally dead whale...
Published in: | Polar Research |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , |
Format: | Text |
Language: | unknown |
Published: |
Scholarship at UWindsor
2011
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/glierpub/395 https://doi.org/10.3402/polar.v30i0.7342 |
id |
ftunivwindsor:oai:scholar.uwindsor.ca:glierpub-1397 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftunivwindsor:oai:scholar.uwindsor.ca:glierpub-1397 2023-06-11T04:10:26+02:00 Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) scavenge offal from minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) whaling operations in Svalbard (Norway) Leclerc, Lisa Marie Lydersen, Christian Haug, Tore Glover, Kevin A. Fisk, Aaron T. Kovacs, Kit M. 2011-01-01T08:00:00Z https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/glierpub/395 https://doi.org/10.3402/polar.v30i0.7342 unknown Scholarship at UWindsor https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/glierpub/395 doi:10.3402/polar.v30i0.7342 https://doi.org/10.3402/polar.v30i0.7342 Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications Carrion Diet DNA register Greenland shark Minke whale text 2011 ftunivwindsor https://doi.org/10.3402/polar.v30i0.7342 2023-05-06T19:10:50Z Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) tissue (mainly blubber) was found in the gastrointestinal tracks of Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) collected in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard, Norway. In order to determine whether the sharks were actively hunting the whales, finding naturally dead whales or consuming offal from whaling, we checked the genetic identity of the whale tissue found in the sharks against the DNA register for minke whales taken in Norwegian whaling operations. All of the minke whale samples from the sharks that had DNA of sufficient quality to perform individual identifications were traceable to the whaling DNA register. During whaling operations, the blubber is stripped from the carcass and thrown overboard. The blubber strips float on the surface and are available for surface-feeding predators. This study revealed that Greenland sharks are scavenging this material; additionally, it demonstrates the capacity of this 'benthic-feeding' shark to utilize the whole water column for foraging. © 2011 L.-M. Leclerc et al. Text Balaenoptera acutorostrata Greenland Kongsfjord* Kongsfjorden minke whale Somniosus microcephalus Svalbard University of Windsor, Ontario: Scholarship at UWindsor Svalbard Greenland Norway Polar Research 30 1 7342 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Windsor, Ontario: Scholarship at UWindsor |
op_collection_id |
ftunivwindsor |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Carrion Diet DNA register Greenland shark Minke whale |
spellingShingle |
Carrion Diet DNA register Greenland shark Minke whale Leclerc, Lisa Marie Lydersen, Christian Haug, Tore Glover, Kevin A. Fisk, Aaron T. Kovacs, Kit M. Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) scavenge offal from minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) whaling operations in Svalbard (Norway) |
topic_facet |
Carrion Diet DNA register Greenland shark Minke whale |
description |
Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) tissue (mainly blubber) was found in the gastrointestinal tracks of Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) collected in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard, Norway. In order to determine whether the sharks were actively hunting the whales, finding naturally dead whales or consuming offal from whaling, we checked the genetic identity of the whale tissue found in the sharks against the DNA register for minke whales taken in Norwegian whaling operations. All of the minke whale samples from the sharks that had DNA of sufficient quality to perform individual identifications were traceable to the whaling DNA register. During whaling operations, the blubber is stripped from the carcass and thrown overboard. The blubber strips float on the surface and are available for surface-feeding predators. This study revealed that Greenland sharks are scavenging this material; additionally, it demonstrates the capacity of this 'benthic-feeding' shark to utilize the whole water column for foraging. © 2011 L.-M. Leclerc et al. |
format |
Text |
author |
Leclerc, Lisa Marie Lydersen, Christian Haug, Tore Glover, Kevin A. Fisk, Aaron T. Kovacs, Kit M. |
author_facet |
Leclerc, Lisa Marie Lydersen, Christian Haug, Tore Glover, Kevin A. Fisk, Aaron T. Kovacs, Kit M. |
author_sort |
Leclerc, Lisa Marie |
title |
Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) scavenge offal from minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) whaling operations in Svalbard (Norway) |
title_short |
Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) scavenge offal from minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) whaling operations in Svalbard (Norway) |
title_full |
Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) scavenge offal from minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) whaling operations in Svalbard (Norway) |
title_fullStr |
Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) scavenge offal from minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) whaling operations in Svalbard (Norway) |
title_full_unstemmed |
Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) scavenge offal from minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) whaling operations in Svalbard (Norway) |
title_sort |
greenland sharks (somniosus microcephalus) scavenge offal from minke (balaenoptera acutorostrata) whaling operations in svalbard (norway) |
publisher |
Scholarship at UWindsor |
publishDate |
2011 |
url |
https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/glierpub/395 https://doi.org/10.3402/polar.v30i0.7342 |
geographic |
Svalbard Greenland Norway |
geographic_facet |
Svalbard Greenland Norway |
genre |
Balaenoptera acutorostrata Greenland Kongsfjord* Kongsfjorden minke whale Somniosus microcephalus Svalbard |
genre_facet |
Balaenoptera acutorostrata Greenland Kongsfjord* Kongsfjorden minke whale Somniosus microcephalus Svalbard |
op_source |
Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications |
op_relation |
https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/glierpub/395 doi:10.3402/polar.v30i0.7342 https://doi.org/10.3402/polar.v30i0.7342 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3402/polar.v30i0.7342 |
container_title |
Polar Research |
container_volume |
30 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
7342 |
_version_ |
1768384837209554944 |