Aguilar Palomino, B., F. Galvan Magana, L.A. Abitia Cardenas, A.F. Muhlia Melo, and J. Rodriguez Romero (1998). Aspectos alimentarios del dorado Coryphaena hippurus Linnaeus, 1758 en Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico. [Feeding aspects of the dolphin Coryphaena hippurus Linnaeus, 1758 in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico]. Ciencias Marinas 24(3): 253-265. ISSN: 0185-3880.
Descriptors: aquaculture, feeding behavior, fishes, dolphin.
Andrade, A.L., M.C. Pinedo, and A.S. Barreto (2001). Gastrointestinal parasites and prey items from a mass stranding of false killer whales, Pseudorca crassidens, in Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil. Brazilian Journal of Biology 61(1): 55-61. ISSN: 1519-6984.
Abstract: The gastrointestinal tract of 14 false killer whales, 6 males and 8 females, stranded in June 1995 in southern Brazil, with total standard lengths from 338 to 507 cm, were analysed for endoparasites and food items. A pregnant female had a male foetus of 77.5 cm. Parasites were found in all 14 false killer whales. The nematode Anisakis simplex (Rudolphi, 1809) was found in the stomach of 57% of the animals and the acanthocephalan Bolbosoma capitatum (Linstow, 1889) Porta, 1908 was present in the intestine of all specimens and showed densities up to 600 m-1. An unidentified cestode (Tethrabothridae) was found also in the intestines of 14% of the individuals. The high infections of B. capitatum and A. simplex were not directly related with the cause of death. In the stomachs of four females, beaks of at least eight specimens of the oceanic and epipelagic species Ommastrephes bartramii (Lesueur, 1821) were found, with mantle lengths ranging from 189.8 to 360.9 mm. The distribution of O. bartramii in the coast of Rio Grande do Sul is consistent with false killer whales feeding in continental shelf waters.
Descriptors: dolphins parasitology, food preferences, gastrointestinal diseases, helminthiasis, animal parasitology, helminths isolation and purification, Acanthocephala isolation and purification, Brazil, Cestoda isolation and purification, dolphins physiology, gastrointestinal diseases parasitology, Nematoda isolation and purification.
Archer, F.I. and K.M. Robertson (2004). Age and length at weaning and development of diet of pantropical spotted dolphins, Stenella attenuata, from the eastern tropical Pacific. Marine Mammal Science 20(2): 232-245. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Abstract: Using stomach contents from 203 spotted dolphins (Stenella attenuata) killed in the yellowfin tuna fishery, we modeled the weaning process of calves. Spotted dolphins began to take solid food at approximately 6 mo of age, or 115 cm, but continued to suckle until they were nearly 2 yr old. Calves tended to feed more frequently on squid as they got older, which suggested there was a shift in diet during weaning. The average age and total body length at weaning was estimated to be 0.8 yr (approximately 9 mo) and 122 cm. The oldest suckling calf was almost 2 yr old, which suggests that some calves continued to suckle for more than a year after they could have been weaned. A better understanding of the weaning process, especially quantifying the period of time when calves are nutritionally dependent on their mothers may lead to a better evaluation of their potential vulnerability to the disturbance caused by the yellowfin tuna purse-seine fishery.
Descriptors: Stenella attenuata, age, size, length, diet, molluscan prey, teuthida, piscean prey, myctophidae, feeding behavior, calf age and size relationships and development of diet, parental care, Pacific Ocean, eastern tropical region, weaning.
Au, W.W.L., J.K.B. Ford, J.K. Horne, and K.A. Newman Allman (2004). Echolocation signals of free-ranging killer whales (Orcinus orca) and modeling of foraging for chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 115(2): 901-909. ISSN: 0001-4966.
Abstract: Fish-eating "resident" -type killer whales (Orcinus orca) that frequent the coastal waters off northeastern Vancouver Island, Canada have a strong preference for chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). The whales in this region often forage along steep cliffs that extend into the water, echolocating their prey. Echolocation signals of resident killer whales were measured with a four-hydrophone symmetrical star array and the signals were simultaneously digitized at a sample rate of 500 kHz using a lunch-box PC. A portable VCR recorded the images from an underwater camera located adjacent to the array center. Only signals emanating from close to the beam axis (1185 total) were chosen for a detailed analysis. Killer whales project very broadband echolocation signals (Q equal 0.9 to 1.4) that tend to have bimodal frequency structure. Ninety-seven percent of the signals had center frequencies between 45 and 80 kHz with bandwidths between 35 and 50 kHz. The peak-to-peak source level of the echolocation signals decreased as a function of the one-way transmission loss to the array. Source levels varied between 195 and 224 dB re:1 [mu]Pa. Using a model of target strength for chinook salmon, the echo levels from the echolocation signals are estimated for different horizontal ranges between a whale and a salmon. At a horizontal range of 100 m, the echo level should exceed an Orcinus hearing threshold at 50 kHz by over 29 dB and should be greater than sea state 4 noise by at least 9 dB. In moderately heavy rain conditions, the detection range will be reduced substantially and the echo level at a horizontal range of 40 m would be close to the level of the rain noise.
Descriptors: Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, mammalian predators, Orcinus orca, echolocation by predator, North Pacific, Canada, British Columbia, Vancouver Island, echolocation by mammalian predator, modelling.
Bargu, S., C.L. Powell, S.L. Coale, M. Busman, G.J. Doucette, and M.W. Silver (2002). Krill: a potential vector for domoic acid in marine food webs. Marine Ecology Progress Series 237: 209-216. ISSN: 0171-8630.
NAL Call Number: QH541.5.S3M32
Descriptors: Euphausia pacifica, toxins and venoms, domoic acid, vector role for algal toxin, food webs, marine mammals, Monterey Bay, California.
Barros, N.B., T.A. Jefferson, and E.C.M. Parsons (2004). Feeding habits of indo-pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) stranded in Hong Kong. Aquatic Mammals 30(1): 179-188. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Abstract: Dietary information derived from the examination of stomach contents of 29 Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) stranded in Hong Kong waters is presented in this study. Humpback dolphins in this area have a diet comprised nearly exclusively of fish. Prey spectrum from the 15 dolphins with contents includes a minimum of 24 species of fish, and one species of cephalopod. The croaker (Johnius sp.) was the most frequent and numerically most important prey, followed by the lionhead (Collichthys lucida) and anchovies (Thryssa spp.). The fish families Sciaenidae, Engraulidae, Trichiuridae, and Clupeidae accounted for over 93% of all prey consumed. Most of these prey are common in murky, brackish waters of estuaries and often occur in large shoals. There is some dietary overlap with finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides); the two species share some 13 fish species, but only anchovies figure among the top five prey for both species. In addition, finless porpoises rely more heavily on cephalopods (squids, cuttlefishes, and octopus) and may venture into deeper, clearer waters during foraging, whereas humpback dolphins seem to exploit demersal and shoaling fish of productive estuaries. The stocks of some fish species important in the diet of humpback dolphins may have been subjected to heavy exploitation by the fisheries in Hong Kong waters. Behavioral observations of dolphins feeding in association with pair trawlers suggest a somewhat different prey preference for some dolphins from the results of this study.
Descriptors: behavior, estuarine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, marine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, estuaries, feeding behavior, feeding ecology, fish stocks, fisheries exploitation, prey preference, prey spectrum, trawler association feeding.
Barros, N.B., T.A. Jefferson, and E.C.M. Parsons (2002). Food habits of finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides) in Hong Kong waters. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement 10: 115-123.
Descriptors: behavior, ecology, coastal waters, competition, dietary overlap, estuaries, feeding habits, fisheries interactions, habitat use, pelagic habitats, predation, prey digestion, reefs, sandy substrates, stomach contents, water columns, finless porpoise, Hong Kong.
Benoit, B.K.J. (2004). Prey caloric value and predator energy needs: foraging predictions for wild spinner dolphins. Marine Biology (Berlin) 145(3): 435-444. ISSN: 0025-3162.
NAL Call Number: QH91.A1M35
Abstract: Spinner dolphins (Stenella longirostris) feed on individual small (2-10 cm long) prey that undergo diel vertical migrations, presumably making them inaccessible to dolphins during the day. To examine how time, prey behavior, prey distribution, and energy needs constrain dolphin foraging, a calorimeter was used to measure the caloric content of prey items. These data were combined with information on prey distribution in the field and the energetic needs of dolphins to construct basic bioenergetic models predicting the total prey consumption and mean feeding rates of wild dolphins as well as potential prey preferences. The mean caloric density of mesopelagic animals from Hawaii was high (2,837 cal/g wet weight for shrimps, squids, and myctophid fishes). Their total caloric content, however, was low because of their small size. Energy value of prey and energetic needs of spinner dolphins were used to examine the effect of time and energy constraints on dolphin foraging. The results predict that spinner dolphins need to consume an estimated minimum of 1.25 large prey items per minute to meet their maintenance energy needs. If the additional energy costs of foraging are considered, the estimated necessary foraging rate is predicted to increase only slightly when large prey are consumed. If smaller prey are consumed, the total energy demand may be twice the basic maintenance value. Prey density and size are predicted to be important in determining if dolphins can forage successfully, meeting their energetic needs. The prey size predictions compare well with results from previous gut content studies and from stomach contents of a recently stranded spinner dolphin that had enough prey in its stomach to meet its estimated basic maintenance energy needs for a day. Finally, the results suggest that spinner dolphins are time and therefore efficiency limited rather than being limited by the total amount of available prey. This may explain the diel migration exhibited by spinner dolphins that allows them to follow the movements of their prey and presumably maximizes their foraging time.
Descriptors: behavior, marine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, bioenergetic model, mathematical and computer techniques, foraging prediction, prey caloric value, predator energy needs.
Bjorge, A. (2003). The harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) in the North Atlantic: variability in habitat use, trophic ecology and contaminant exposure. North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (NAMMCO) Scientific Publications 5: 223-228. ISSN: 1560-2206.
Abstract: Harbour porpoises inhabit coastal waters, in habitats that are characterized by high diversity and complexity in terms of their bathymetry, substrate, fish communities and point sources of contaminants. The complexity in these habitats influences both the habitat use and feeding ecology of porpoises. Congregations of porpoises feeding primarily on one species are observed in some areas and seasons, while wide movements and diets composed of several species are observed in other areas. Due to these observations, this paper suggests that caution is needed when extrapolating knowledge from one area to another with regard to porpoise habitat use, exposure to contaminants, and interactions with fisheries. Management plans should be site specific and based on local knowledge incorporating porpoise population structure, habitat use, and multiple environmental factors in order to ensure appropriate conservation of this abundant but still vulnerable small cetacean species.
Descriptors: Phocoena, conservation measures, pollutants, diet, feeding behavior, trophic ecology, habitat utilization, chemical pollution, north atlantic, habitat use, trophic ecology and contaminant exposure, conservation implications, review.
Blanco, C., J. Aznar, and J.A. Raga (1995). Cephalopods in the diet of the striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba from the western Mediterranean during an epizootic in 1990. Journal of Zoology (London) 237(1): 151-158. ISSN: 0952-8369.
NAL Call Number: QL1.J68
Abstract: Fifteen cephalopod species from 28 stomach contents of striped dolphins, Stenella coeruleoalba (Meyen, 1833), stranded during an epizootic on the western Mediterranean coast in summer 1990, were analysed. Albraliopsis pfefferi, Onychoteuthis banksii, Todarodes sagittatus and Brachioteuthis riisei are species showing higher relative importance indices. Composition and characteristics of cephalopod preys were discussed and compared to the scarce literature for this cetacean. The data showed a mixed diet of muscular and gelatinous body squids, mainly consisting of oceanic and pelagic or bathypelagic species.
Descriptors: ecology, environmental sciences, nutrition, physiology, cephalopods, striped dolphin, diet, epizootic, stomach contents.
Blanco, C., O. Salomon, and J.A. Raga (2001). Diet of the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) in the western Mediterranean Sea. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 81(6): 1053-1058. ISSN: 0025-3154.
NAL Call Number: 442.9 M331
Descriptors: Tursiops truncatus, prey, Mediterranean Sea, Spain, dietary composition and intraspecific variation, stomach contents analysis.
Borjesson, P., P. Berggren, and B. Ganning (2003). Diet of harbor porpoises in the Kattegat and Skagerrak Seas: accounting for individual variation and sample size. Marine Mammal Science 19(1): 38-58. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Descriptors: behavior, ecology, bycatch, diet composition, individual variation, prey size, sample size, stomach contents, harbour porpoises.
Castello, H.P. (1977). Food of a killer whale: Eagle sting-ray, Myliobatis found in the stomach of a stranded Orcinus orca. Scientific Reports of the Whales Research Institute (29): 107-111.
Descriptors: killer whale, food, sting ray, stomach, Orcinus orca.
Language of Text: English summary.
Chou, L.S., A.M. Bright, and S.Y.A. Yeh (1995). Stomach contents of dolphins (Delphinus delphis and Lissodelphis borealis) from north Pacific Ocean. Zoological Studies 34(3): 206-210. ISSN: 1021-5506.
NAL Call Number: QL307.2.C54
Abstract: Nine dolphins (two Lissodelphis borealis and seven Delphinus delphis), killed incidentally by the driftnet fishery in the North Pacific Ocean, were collected during the periods from May to August 1991 and from September to November 1992. Stomach contents of each animal were weighed, sorted, examined, and counted. Prey species were identified to the lowest possible taxon. One stomach of D. delphis contained only a milky substance. In the other six of D. delphis and the two stomachs of L. borealis, fish otoliths numerically comprised 94% and 89% of the diet contents, respectively. Myctophid fish were the most abundant and commonly occurring fish group and numerically comprised 89% (L. borealis) and 95% (D. delphis) of all fish prey found. Among thirty-three fish prey species belonging to twelve families, Ceratoscopelas warmingi and Lampanyctus jordani were the most common and abundant species. Squid comprised proportionately less ( lt 11%) of these dolphins' diet. Among thirteen species belonging eight families, the most common and dominant squid species were Abraliopsis felis and Onychoteuthis borealijaponica.
Descriptors: ecology, environmental sciences, marine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, nutrition, diet.
Clapham, P.J. (2000). The humpback whale: seasonal feeding and breeding in a baleen whale. In: J. Mann, R.C. Connor, P.L. Tyack and H. Whitehead (Editors), Cetacean Societies: Field Studies of Dolphins and Whales, Chicago University Press: Chicago & London, p. 173-196. ISBN: 0226503410.
NAL Call Number: QL737.C4C39 2000
Descriptors: Megaptera novaeangliae, literature review, field studies, reproduction, social behavior, migration.
Clarke, M.R. and N. MacLeod (1982). Cephalopod remains from the stomachs of sperm whales caught in the Tasman Sea. Memoirs of the National Museum Victoria 43(1-2): 25-42. ISSN: 0084-5986.
Descriptors: Tasman Sea, sperm whale, stomach, cephalopod, remains.
Clarke, M.R., H.R. Martins, and P. Pascoe (1993). The diet of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus 1758) off the Azores. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B Biological Sciences 339(1287): 67-82. ISSN: 0962-8436.
NAL Call Number: 501 L84Pb
Abstract: Stomach contents from 17 sperm whales, 15 males and two females, caught during commercial activities in 1981-1984 in the Azores region were identified and measured. A total of 28,738 cephalopods and 16 fish were represented in the collections. In addition, there were tunicates in two whales and man-made products in three whales. None of the stomachs were empty. Flesh was present in 94.1% and indigestible fragments alone, including mandibles (beaks) of cephalopods, were present in 5.9% of the stomachs. Twelve species of cephalopod were represented by flesh and 40 species were represented by lower beaks. The cephalopod families contributing food to the whales in this region are, in order of their contribution by estimated mass, the Octopoteuthidae (39.8%), the Histioteuthidae (32.7%), the Architeuthidae (12.1%), the Lepidoteuthidae (4.5%), the Ommastrephidae (3.4%), the Pholidoteuthidae (2.1%), the Cycloteuthidae (1.9%), the Cranchiidae (1.7%) and eight other families each contributing less than 1% by mass. Presence of Gonatus beaks in the stomachs show which whales have migrated southwards to the Azores just prior to capture and the presence of a large Megalocranchia species possibly shows which whales have migrated from higher latitudes off Iceland. However, the presence of Teuthowenia maculata shows which whales came north from the West coast of Africa, just prior to capture. The modal mass of cephalopods consumed is 400-450 g which represents 0.00001 of the whales' body mass. 77.5% of the species eaten have luminous organs and 82% of the species are neutrally buoyant. It seems likely that the sperm whale is obtaining 77% of its food by swimming through luminous shoals of slow-swimming, neutrally bouyant squids and only about 23% by chasing faster swimming, larger cephalopods. Cephalopods not previously recorded from the North Atlantic are Onychoteuthis boreali-japonicus, and Histioteuthis bonnellii corpuscula. Histioteuthis miranda may have been collected by the whales much further south than the Azores. Species not recorded previously in the diet of sperm whales in the North Atlantic are Ommastrephes bartrami, Gonatus steenstrupi, Histioteuthis miranda, H. bonnellii corpuscula, H. meleagroteuthis, Discoteuthis laciniosa, Mastigoteuthis species, Chiroteuthis species, Helicocranchia, Liocranchia reinhardti, and Liguriella.
Descriptors: diet, whales physiology, animal nutrition, Azores, fishes, mollusca, shellfish, species specificity.
Das, K., G. Lepoint, Y. Leroy, and J.M. Bouquegneau (2003). Marine mammals from the southern North Sea: Feeding ecology data from [delta]13C and [delta]15N measurements. Marine Ecology Progress Series 263: 287-298. ISSN: 0171-8630.
NAL Call Number: QH541.5.S3M32
Descriptors: Halichoerus grypus Cetacea, Phocoena phocoena, inorganic substances, stable carbon and nitrogen isotope composition, nutrition, food webs, North Sea, diet and feeding ecology inferences from stable isotope composition, comparative study.
de Gurjao, L.M., M.A. de Andrade Furtado Neto, R.A. dos Santos, and P. Cascon (2003). Feeding habits of marine tucuxi, Sotalia fluviatilis, at Ceara State, northeastern Brazil. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals 2(2): 117-122. ISSN: 1676-7497.
Descriptors: Sotalia fluviatilis, prey, composition, south Atlantic, Brazil, Ceara, prey composition, stomach contents analysis.
De Oliveira Santos, M.C., S. Rosso, R.A. Dos Santos, S.H.B. Lucato, and M. Bassoi (2002). Insights on small cetacean feeding habits in southeastern Brazil. Aquatic Mammals 28(1): 38-45. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Descriptors: behavior, ecology, nutrition, diet, feeding habits, dolphins, Cetacean, stomach contents, strandings.
Domeneghini, C., P. Massoletti, and S. Arrighi (1997). Localization of regulatory peptides in the gastrointestinal tract of the striped dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba (Mammalia: Cetacea). An immunohistochemical study. European Journal of Histochemistry 41(4): 285-300. ISSN: 1121-760X.
Abstract: Samples of oesophagus, first, second and third stomach, duodenal ampulla, proximal intestine and distal intestine including rectum were obtained from striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) stranded along Italian coasts, fixed in formalin and used for immunohistochemistry. The possible presence of neuropeptides and the biogenic amine serotonin was investigated by a labelled streptavidin-biotin method. Neuropeptide Y (NPY)-, substance P-, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-, metenkephalin-, gastrin releasing peptide (GRP)/bombesin-, and somatostatin-like immunoreactivities were present in the submucosal as well as the myenteric plexuses, even with differences of distribution in the various organs. Vasoactive intestinal poly-peptide (VIP)-like immunoreactivity was detected in the submucosal plexus, whereas beta-endorphin- and leu-enkephalin-like immunoreactivities were shown in the myenteric plexus only. NPY-, substance P-, CGRP- and VIP-like-immunoreactivities were also observed in perivascular nerve fibres. In addition, VIP-, GRP- and somatostatin-like immunoreactivities were detected in myelinated nervous bundles. These were localized in the submucosal and muscular layers all along the gastrointestinal tract, and possibly sustain an exceptionally rapid response of the target structures. It is note-worthy that peptidergic axons in the wall of the gut of the majority of mammals are unmyelinated. A somatostatin-like peptide was identified in epithelial cells only in the second stomach, whereas in terrestrial mammals this endocrine cell type occurs widely. Immunoreactivity to serotonin was never detected, and this is a further difference in comparison with the majority of other mammals.
Descriptors: digestive system chemistry, dolphins anatomy and histology, dolphins metabolism, immunohistochemistry methods, peptides analysis, digestive system anatomy and histology, peptides immunology, staining and labeling methods.
Domenici, P., R.S. Batty, T. Simila, and E. Ogam (2000). Killer whales (Orcinus orca) feeding on schooling herring (Clupea harengus) using underwater tail-slaps: kinematic analyses of field observations. Journal of Experimental Biology 203(2): 283-94. ISSN: 0022-0949.
NAL Call Number: 442.8 B77
Abstract: Killer whales (Orcinus orca) feeding on herring (Clupea harengus) in a fjord in northern Norway were observed using underwater video. The whales cooperatively herded herring into tight schools close to the surface. During herding and feeding, killer whales swam around and under a school of herring, periodically lunging at it and stunning the herring by slapping them with the underside of their flukes while completely submerged. The kinematics of tail-slapping were analysed in detail. Tail-slaps were made up of a biphasic behaviour consisting of two phases with opposite angles of attack, a preparatory phase (negative angles of attack) and a slap phase (positive angles of attack). During the slap phase, the mean maximum angle of attack of the flukes was 47 degrees. The maximum speed of the flukes, measured at the notch, increased with whale length (L(w)) and was 2.2 L(w )s(-)(1), while the maximum acceleration of the flukes was size-independent and was 48 m s(-)(2). When killer whales slapped the herring successfully, disoriented herring appeared on the video at approximately the time of maximum fluke velocity, in synchrony with a loud noise. This noise was not heard when the tail-slaps 'missed' the target, suggesting that the herring were stunned by physical contact. Killer whales then ate the stunned herring one by one. Of the tail-slaps observed, 61 % were preceded by lunges into the school. We suggest that lunging was aimed at directing the school rather than at capturing the herring, since it occurred at a relatively low speed and there were no observations of the killer whales attempting to capture the herring during lunging behaviour. Given the high performance of the tail-slaps in terms of speed and acceleration, we suggest that tail-slapping by killer whales is a more efficient strategy of prey capture than whole-body attacks, since acceleration and manoeuvrability are likely to be poor in such large vertebrates.
Descriptors: dolphins physiology, feeding behavior physiology, tail physiology, biomechanics, fishes, water.
Dong, Z.Z. (1984). Mexiangjing de shiwu jiqi pushi xixing. [The food and feeding habits of the sperm whale (Physeter catodon Linnaeus)]. Journal of Fisheries of China 8(4): 327-332.
Descriptors: Physeter, feeds, feeding habits, behavior, Cetacea, mammals, vertebrates.
Language of Text: Chinese and English summaries.
Dunham, J.S. and D.A. Duffus (2002). Diet of gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) in Clayoquot Sound, British Columbia, Canada. Marine Mammal Science 18(2): 419-437. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Descriptors: ecology, population studies, biomass, density, diet, foraging, prey population, distribution, size, diet, grey whales, Canada.
Evans, K. and M.A. Hindell (2004). The diet of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) in southern Australian waters. ICES Journal of Marine Science 61(8): 1313-1329. ISSN: 1054-3139.
Descriptors: Cephalopoda, mammalian predators, Physeter macrocephalus, diet, south Pacific, Australia, Tasmania, mammalian predator diet.
Felleman, F.L., J.R. Heimlich Boran and R.W. Osborne (1991). The feeding ecology of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in the Pacific Northwest. In: K. Pryor and K.S. Norris (Editors), Dolphin Societies. Discoveries and Puzzles, University of California Press: Berkeley, Los Angeles & Oxford, p. 113-147.
NAL Call Number: QL737.C432D653
Descriptors: Orcinus orca, foraging, strategies, acoustic signals, orientation, tidal during foraging, habitat utilization, water movements, tidal orientation during foraging, British Columbia, Washington, north Pacific, Canada, USA, greater Puget Sound, foraging behavior.
Fernandez, M., B. Beron Vera, N.A. Garcia, J.A. Raga, and E.A. Crespo (2003). Food and parasites from two hourglass dolphins, Lagenorhynchus cruciger (Quoy and Gaimard, 1824), from Patagonian waters. Marine Mammal Science 19(4): 832-836. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Descriptors: diets, parasites, prey, dolphins, Lagenorhynchus.
Finley, K.J. and E.J. Gibb (1982). Summer diet of the narwhal (Monodon monoceros) in Pond Inlet, northern Baffin Island. Canadian Journal of Zoology 60(12): 3353-3363.
NAL Call Number: 470 C16D
Descriptors: narwhal, summer, diet, Baffin Island, Canada.
Language of Text: French summary.
Flinn, R.D., A.W. Trites, E.J. Gregr, and R.I. Perry (2002). Diets of fin, sei, and sperm whales in british columbia: an analysis of commercial whaling records, 1963-1967. Marine Mammal Science 18(3): 663-679. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Descriptors: marine ecology,commercial whaling records, diet, prey, fin whale, sei whale, sperm whale, stomach contents.
Ford, J.K.B., G.M. Ellis, L.G. Barrett Lennard, A.B. Morton, R.S. Palm, and K.C. Balcomb III (1998). Dietary specialization in two sympatric populations of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in coastal British Columbia and adjacent waters. Canadian Journal of Zoology 76(8): 1456-1471. ISSN: 0008-4301.
NAL Call Number: 470 C16D
Descriptors: Pisces, mammalian predators, Orcinus orca, dietary specialization of resident predator population, comparison with diet of transient predator population, north Pacific, Canada, British Columbia, USA, Alaska, Washington, dietary specialization in two sympatric populations of mammalian predator.
Gannon, D.P., A.J. Read, J.E. Craddock, and J.G. Mead (1997). Stomach contents of long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) stranded on the U.S. mid-Atlantic coast. Marine Mammal Science 13(3): 405-418.
Descriptors: stomach, prey, digestion, digestive tract, diet, feeding habits, feeding behavior, whales, squids, Loligo.
Gannon, D.P. and D.M. Waples (2004). Diets of coastal bottlenose dolphins from the U.S. Mid-atlantic coast differ by habitat. Marine Mammal Science 20(3): 527-545. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Abstract: We recorded 31 species in the stomachs of 146 coastal bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) from North Carolina, U.S.A. Sciaenid fishes were the most common prey (frequency of occurrence = 95%). By mass, Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus) dominated the diet of dolphins that stranded inside estuaries, whereas weakfish (Cynosicon regalis) was most important for dolphins in the ocean. Inshore squid (Loligo sp.) was eaten commonly by dolphins in the ocean, but not by those in the estuaries. There was no significant pattern in prey size associated with dolphin demography, but the proportion of the diet represented by croaker was higher for males than for females, and mature dolphins ate more croaker than did juveniles. Dietary differences between dolphins that stranded in the estuaries and those that stranded on ocean beaches support the hypothesis that some members of the population inhabit the ocean primarily while others reside principally in estuaries. The overwhelming majority of prey were soniferous species (75% of numerical abundance), which is consistent with the hypothesis that bottlenose dolphins use passive listening to locate noise-making fishes. However, spatiotemporal patterns in consumption of Sciaenid fishes did not coincide with their spawning, which is when peak sound production is thought to occur.
Descriptors: biogeography, population studies, estuarine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, marine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, sensory reception, demography, spatiotemporal patterns.
Geraci, J.R. (1981). Dietary disorders in marine mammals: synthesis and new findings. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 179(11): 1183-91. ISSN: 0003-1488.
NAL Call Number: 41.8 Am3
Descriptors: deficiency diseases, dolphins, Pinnipedia, seals, earless, anemia, animal feed standards, ascorbic acid metabolism, ascorbic acid deficiency, fishes, poisonous, histamine poisoning, hyponatremia diagnosis, hyponatremia therapy, hyponatremia, lactose intolerance, thiamine deficiency prevention and control, thiamine deficiency, vitamin E deficiency diagnosis, vitamin E deficiency prevention and control, vitamin E deficiency.
Gibbs, S.E., C.M. Kemper, R.W. Byard, and M. Long (2004). Deaths of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in South Australia and implication of human interaction. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 128(2): 231-237. ISSN: 0372-1426.
NAL Call Number: 514 AD3
Abstract: In November 1999 an adult female killer whale (Orcinus orca) was seen dead and floating off Tumby Bay, Spencer Gulf, South Australia. The body was never recovered, despite searching. The next day a juvenile killer whale, possibly the offspring of the adult off Tumby Bay, stranded alive twice and returned itself to sea at Tulka, about 50 km south of the adult. The 3.72 m juvenile subsequently washed up in a decomposed state at Emu Bay, Kangaroo Island. Cause of death was not established for either animal. The juvenile's stomach contained more than 20 kg of food, all recognisable parts being dolphin remains. These included two intact flippers, one tail stock, sizeable pieces of skin and dermis from the head and other unknown parts of the body, smaller pieces of semi-digested flesh, and defleshed bones from various regions of the skeleton. Most dolphin parts were identified as the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops aduncus, but some bones were possibly from a shortbeaked common dolphin, Delphinus delphis, and some were from an unknown species of dolphin. Remains from at least five individual dolphins were present in the stomach. Forensic examination concluded that most of the larger pieces of skin and dermis had been cut with a sharp-edged blade, and implicated human interaction with dead or live dolphins and possibly the juvenile killer whale. Such activities are illegal in South Australian waters. More information is needed on interactions between killer whales and humans in Australian waters.
Descriptors: Orcinus orca, disturbance by man, diet, stomach contents, mortality, adult and juvenile deaths, stomach contents and implication of human interaction, south Indian Ocean, Australia, South Australia, mortality records and implication of human interaction.
Gladstone, W. (1988). Killer whale feeding observed underwater. Journal of Mammalogy 69(3): 629-630. ISSN: 0022-2372.
NAL Call Number: 410 J823
Descriptors: Mola mola, predators, Orcinus orca, first underwater observation of predator feeding, west Pacific, Raine Island, first underwater observation of mammalian predator feeding.
Haug, T., U. Lindstrom, and K.T. Nilssen (2002). Variations in minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) diet and body condition in response to ecosystem changes in the Barents Sea. Sarsia 87(6): 409-422. ISSN: 0036-4827.
NAL Call Number: QH91.A1S3
Descriptors: behavior, ecology, annual variation, body condition, body girth, diet switching, ecological changes, ecosystem changes, feeding behavior, food availability, nursery areas, predation, prey abundance, stock recruitment, minke whale, capelin, herring.
Hernandez, G.V. (2002). Contents of the digestive tract of a false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) stranded in Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, central east Atlantic). Bulletin of Marine Science 71(1): 367-369. ISSN: 0007-4977.
Descriptors: behavior, marine ecology, epipelagic zones, intestinal contents, marine mammal strandings, parasitism, false killer whale, stomach.
Herwig, R.P., J.T. Staley, M.K. Nerini, and H.W. Braham (1984). Baleen whales: preliminary evidence for forestomach microbial fermentation [Balaena mysticetus, Escherichtius robustus]. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 47(2): 421-423. ISSN: 0099-2240.
NAL Call Number: 448.3 AP5
Descriptors: Baleen whales, microbial fermentation, forestomach.
Jacobsen, T.B., M. Mayntz, and M. Amundin (2003). Splitting suckling data of bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) neonates in human care into suckling bouts. Zoo Biology 22(5): 477-488. ISSN: 0733-3188.
NAL Call Number: QL77.5.Z6
Descriptors: Tursiops truncatus, behavioral techniques, suckling bout criterion interval calculation method, mathematical techniques, feeding rate, feeding behavior, suckling behavior.
Jarman, S.N., N.J. Gales, M. Tierney, P.C. Gill, and N.G. Elliott (2002). A DNA-based method for identification of krill species and its application to analysing the diet of marine vertebrate predators. Molecular Ecology 11(12): 2679-90. ISSN: 0962-1083.
NAL Call Number: QH540.M64
Abstract: Accurate identification of species that are consumed by vertebrate predators is necessary for understanding marine food webs. Morphological methods for identifying prey components after consumption often fail to make accurate identifications of invertebrates because prey morphology becomes damaged during capture, ingestion and digestion. Another disadvantage of morphological methods for prey identification is that they often involve sampling procedures that are disruptive for the predator, such as stomach flushing or lethal collection. We have developed a DNA-based method for identifying species of krill (Crustacea: Malacostraca), an enormously abundant group of invertebrates that are directly consumed by many groups of marine vertebrates. The DNA-based approach allows identification of krill species present in samples of vertebrate stomach contents, vomit, and, more importantly, faeces. Utilizing samples of faeces from vertebrate predators minimizes the impact of dietary studies on the subject animals. We demonstrate our method first on samples of Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) stomach contents, where DNA-based species identification can be confirmed by prey morphology. We then apply the method to faeces of Adelie penguins and to faeces of the endangered pygmy blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda). In each of these cases, krill species consumed by the predators could be identified from their DNA present in faeces or stomach contents.
Descriptors: birds metabolism, DNA genetics, euphausiacea genetics, whales metabolism, base sequence, DNA chemistry, DNA, ribosomal chemistry, DNA, ribosomal genetics, Euphausiacea classification, feces chemistry, feeding behavior, gastrointestinal contents chemistry, molecular sequence data, polymerase chain reaction, sequence alignment, DNA sequence analysis.
Jurasz, C.M. and V.P. Jurasz (1979). Feeding modes of the humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae, in southeast Alaska. Scientific Reports of the Whales Research Institute (31): 69-83. ISSN: 0549-5717.
Descriptors: humpback whale, Alaska, feeding modes, Megaptera novaeangliae.
Language of Text: English summary.
Kasamatsu, F. and S. Tanaka (1992). Annual changes in prey species of minke whales taken off Japan 1948-87. Bulletin of the Japanese Society of Scientific Fisheries 58(4): 637-651. ISSN: 0021-5392.
Descriptors: whales, predation, marine areas, Japan, digesta, mackerel, sardines, fishery data, dominant species, Asia, biological competition, Cetacea, East Asia, fishes, mammals, saltwater fishes.
Language of Text: English and Japanese summaries.
Kasamatsu, M., M. Tsunokawa, M. Taki, H. Higuchi, and H. Nagahata (2001). Serum lipid peroxide and alpha-tocopherol concentrations and superoxide dismutase activity in captive bottle-nosed dolphins. American Journal of Veterinary Research 62(12): 1952-6. ISSN: 0002-9645.
NAL Call Number: 41.8 Am3A
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To evaluate serum lipid peroxide (LPO) and alpha-tocopherol concentrations and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in captive bottle-nosed dolphins and to evaluate effects of storage on production of LPO in various marine fish. ANIMALS: 16 bottle-nosed dolphins. PROCEDURE: 8 dolphins (group A) were fed chub mackerel and herring (high fat) and arabesque greenling and banded blue-sprat (low fat); the other 8 dolphins (group B) were fed chub mackerel and Pacific saury (high fat) and shishamo smelt and Japanese horse mackerel (low fat). Each group had been on these respective diets for 3 years. Serum LPO and alpha-tocopherol concentrations, serum SOD activity, and superoxide production by neutrophils were measured. All types of marine fish were frozen at -20 C for 6 months, and concentrations of LPO were measured at various time points. RESULTS: Serum LPO concentrations in group-A dolphins were significantly higher than those in group B. Serum alpha-tocopherol concentrations and SOD activity in group A were significantly lower than those in group B. A significant negative correlation was found between serum LPO and alpha-tocopherol concentrations in all 16 dolphins. The LPO concentrations in mackerel and herring fed to group-A dolphins were higher than those of other fish. Concentrations of LPO in herring stored for 3 and 6 months at -20 C were higher than those in herring before freezing and in herring stored for 1 month. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Serum LPO and alpha-tocopherol concentrations in captive bottle-nosed dolphins may be strongly influenced by high amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acid and LPO found in marine fatty fishes. High concentrations of serum LPO, as found in group-A dolphins, were associated with decreased antioxidative states. Monitoring of serum LPO and alpha-tocopherol concentrations and serum SOD activity may be useful for the management of captive marine mammals.
Descriptors: dolphins blood, lipid peroxides biosynthesis, superoxide dismutase blood, alpha tocopherol blood, diet, fishes, lipid peroxides blood, neutrophils enzymology, neutrophils metabolism, statistics, nonparametric, superoxides metabolism, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances metabolism.
Kastelein, R.A., J. Kershaw, E. Berghout, and P.R. Wiepkema (2003). Food consumption and suckling in killer whales Orcinus orca at Marineland Antibes. International Zoo Yearbook 38: 204-218. ISSN: 0074-9664.
NAL Call Number: QL76.I5
Descriptors: metabolism, nutrition, reproduction, energetics, food consumption, food intake, lactation, seasonal patterns, suckling, killer whales.
Kastelein, R.A., J. Mosterd, N.M. Schooneman, and P.R. Wiepkema (2000). Food consumption, growth, body dimensions, and respiration rates of captive false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens). Aquatic Mammals 26(1): 33-44. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Descriptors: Pseudorca crassidens, size, body dimensions, growth relationships, weight, feeding rate, ventilation rate, captive population, growth rate.
Kastelein, R.A., C. Staal, and P.R. Wiepkema (2003). Food consumption, food passage time, and body measurements of captive Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Aquatic Mammals 29(1): 53-66. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Descriptors: Tursiops truncatus, age, size, body length, body weight relations, weight, digestion, passage of food, rate, feeding rate, body weight, reproduction and sex effects, reproduction, behavioral sex differences.
Kastelein, R.A., C.A. van der Elst, H.K. Tennant, and P.R. Wiepkema (2000). Food consumption and growth of a female dusky dolphin (Lagenorhynchus obscurus). Zoo Biology 19(2): 131-142. ISSN: 0733-3188.
NAL Call Number: QL77.5.Z6
Descriptors: Lagenorhynchus obscurus, weight, body temperature, digestion, gastrointestinal passage time, feeding rate, growth and temperature relationships, digestive system, gastrointestine, growth rate, temperature.
Kastelein, R.A., N. Vaughan, S. Walton, and P.R. Wiepkema (2002). Food intake and body measurements of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncates) in captivity. Marine Environmental Research 53(2): 199-218. ISSN: 0141-1136.
NAL Call Number: QH545.W3M36
Abstract: The food consumption (recorded in kg of individual fish species), body length and mass of 11 Atlantic bottlenose dolphins kept first at Windsor Safari Park, UK (1979-1993/1994), and later at Harderwijk Marine Mammal Park, The Netherlands (1993/1994-1995) are reported. This broad-scale, longitudinal study is based on historical data that were originally recorded for short-term husbandry purposes. The chemical composition and caloric value of the diet were variable and were not recorded. The food intake quantities should therefore be viewed as rough weight estimates of what wild conspecifics might eat (depending on their diet). The average annual food consumption of adult males and non-pregnant, non-lactating females was approximately 2000 kg of fish (estimated at 176 x 10(5) kJ). Food consumption showed little increase during gestation, but was 58-97% higher during lactation than during similar periods in non-reproductive years. All six calves began to eat solid food within a year of birth although suckling continued for 14-37 months after birth. The pattern of food intake of mothers and calves varied substantially between suckling periods. No seasonal changes in food consumption were detected, although there were small seasonal changes in water temperature. Births occurred at various times of year, since the timing of mating varied between years. The animals' body length increased rapidly during the first 3 years of life after which the growth rate decreased. Body length reached asymptote at approximately 270 cm. Adults of both sexes weighed around 260 kg. The relationship between standard body length (in cm) and body mass (in kg), although based on a small sample size (n = 16), can be expressed as body mass = 17.261e(0.0156(body length-100)). Animals weighing 155-225 kg consumed between 2 and 4% of their body mass per day.
Descriptors: animal husbandry, body constitution physiology, dolphins, eating, animals, zoo, lactation, longitudinal studies, reproduction, seasons.
Kastelein, R.A., S. Walton, D. Odell, S.H. Nieuwstraten, and P.R. Wiepkema (2000). Food consumption of a captive female killer whale (Orcinus orca). Aquatic Mammals 26(2): 127-131. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Descriptors: Orcinus orca, diet in captivity, female food consumption, influences, long term study, dietary requirements, energy requirements, feeding rate, temperature.
Kataoka, T., M. Furuta, and S. Kitamura (1974). On the feeding to newly captured finless black porpoise, Neophocaena phocaenoides. Journal of Japanese Association of Zoological Gardens and Aquariums 16(1): 1-5.
Descriptors: finless black porpoise, captured, feeding, Neophocaena phocaenoides.
Language of Text: English summary.
Kataoka, T., S. Kitamura, M. Sekio, and K. Yamamoto (1974). On the daily frequency of feeding and the amount of food consumed by the finless black porpoise, Neophocaena phocaenoides, in captivity. Journal of Japanese Association of Zoological Gardens and Aquariums 15(4): 73-76.
Descriptors: feeding, frequency, amount, finless black porpoise, consumed, captivity, daily.
Language of Text: English summary.
Kawakami, T. (1980). A review of sperm whale [Physeter macrocephalus] food. Scientific Reports of the Whales Research Institute (32): 199-218. ISSN: 0083-9086.
Descriptors: Physeter, feeding habits, squids, octopus genus, fishes, marine areas, sperm whale, food.
Language of Text: English summary.
Kawamura, A. (1980). Food habits of the Bryde's whales [Balaenoptera brydei] taken in the South Pacific and Indian Oceans. Scientific Reports of the Whales Research Institute (32): 1-23. ISSN: 0083-9086.
Descriptors: whales, feeding habits, krill, natural distribution, Coral Sea, Antarctic Pacific, Antarctic Indian Ocean.
Language of Text: English summary.
Kawamura, A. (1980). A review of food of balaenopterid whales. Scientific Reports of the Whales Research Institute (32): 155-197. ISSN: 0083-9086.
Descriptors: whales, balaenopterus, megaptera, feeding habits, marine areas, feeds, aggressive behavior.
Language of Text: English summary.
Kawamura, A. (1977). Characteristics of the subantarctic ecosystem as the feeding ground of southern baleen whales. Bulletin of the Japanese Society of Fisheries Oceanography (31): 93-97.
Descriptors: baleen whales, feeding ground, characteristics, subantarctic, ecosystem.
Kawamura, A. (1977). On the food of Bryde's whales caught in the south Pacific and Indian Oceans. Scientific Reports of the Whales Research Institute (29): 49-58.
Descriptors: Bryde's whales, food, south Pacific, Indian Oceans.
Language of Text: English summary.
Kenny, D.E., T.M. O'Hara, T.C. Chen, Z. Lu, X. Tian, and M.F. Holick (2004). Vitamin D content in Alaskan Arctic zooplankton, fishes, and marine mammals. Zoo Biology 23(1): 33-43. ISSN: 0733-3188.
NAL Call Number: QL77.5.Z6
Descriptors: comprehensive zoology, vitamins, vitamin D content, plankton, food webs, nutritional implications, mammalian predators, piscean predators, Arctic Ocean, USA, Alaska, Kaktovik, plankton vitamin D content, food web nutritional implications.
Kjeld, M. (2003). Salt and water balance of modern baleen whales: rate of urine production and food intake. Canadian Journal of Zoology 81(4): 606-616. ISSN: 0008-4301.
NAL Call Number: 470 C16D
Descriptors: chemical coordination and homeostasis, evolution and adaptation, marine ecology, allometry, food intake, osmoregulatory control mechanisms, prey ingestion, salt balance, water balance, baleen whales.
Koopman, H.N., D.A. Pabst, W.A. McLellan, R.M. Dillaman, and A.J. Read (2002). Changes in blubber distribution and morphology associated with starvation in the harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena): evidence for regional differences in blubber structure and function. Physiological and Biochemical Zoology 75(5): 498-512. ISSN: 1522-2152.
NAL Call Number: QL1.P52
Descriptors: Phocoena phocoena, dermis, blubber, distribution and morphology related to starvation, starvation, variation, mortality, north west Atlantic, Canada and USA, blubber distribution and morphology related to starvation, implications for regional differences.
Laidre, K.L. and M.P. Heide Jorgensen (2005). Winter feeding intensity of narwhals (Monodon monoceros). Marine Mammal Science 21(1): 45-57. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Abstract: Stomach contents from 121 narwhals (Monondon monoceros) harvested in the eastern Canadian High Arctic and West Greenland were used to quantify seasonal changes in feeding activity and prey selection. Stomachs collected from summer harvests were mostly empty with little evidence of recent feeding. Stomachs collected in late fall and winter harvests had considerable amounts of undigested material with evidence of recent feeding. In summer, Arctic cod (Arctogadus glacialis), polar cod (Boreogadus saida), and Gonatus squid spp. constituted the narwhal diet. In fall, Gonatus fabricii was the only prey item observed. In late fall and winter, Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) and G. fabricii were the dominant prey items, observed in 51% and 73% of stomachs collected, respectively. Greenland halibut taken by narwhals were on average 39 cm (SD 8) and 556 g (306) and G. fabricii were on average 23 g (15) with mean mantle lengths of 85 mm (24). The low diversity of prey species indicates narwhals have a restricted diet across all seasons. This study presents the first information on the winter diet of the narwhal and suggests Baffin Bay and Davis Strait are heavily utilized for feeding, in contrast to limited food intake during the summer period.
Descriptors: Monodon monoceros, prey, diet composition and feeding behavior, Arctic Ocean and north Atlantic, feeding behavior, Arctic Ocean, north Atlantic, Canadian high arctic and west Greenland, diet and feeding behavior, seasonal changes.
Lambertsen, R.H. (1983). Internal mechanism of rorqual feeding Baleen whales. Journal of Mammalogy 64(1): 76-88. ISSN: 0022-2372.
NAL Call Number: 410 J823
Descriptors: baleen whales, rorqual feeding, internal mechanism.
Langer, P. (2004). The post-oral digestive tract of cetaceans and other ungulates an phylogenetic implications. Anatomical Science International 79: 403. ISSN: 1447-6959.
Descriptors: digestive system, ingestion, feeding, cetaceans, digestive tract, post oral, phylogenic implications.
Notes: Meeting Information: 16th International Congress of the IFAA (International Federation of Associations of Anatomists) and the 109th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Association of Anatomists, Kyoto, Japan, August 22-27, 2004.
Langer, P. (2004). Post-oral digestive tract of cetaceans and phylogenetic implications. Anatomical Science International 79: 178. ISSN: 1447-6959.
Descriptors: computer applications, computational biology, digestive system, ingestion and assimilation, population genetics, population studies, phylip, computer software, parsimony analysis, mathematical and computer techniques, retention index, laboratory techniques, autapomorphy, phylogenetic tree, synapomorphy.
Notes: Meeting Information: 16th International Congress of the IFAA (International Federation of Associations of Anatomists) and the 109th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Association of Anatomists, Kyoto, Japan, August 22-27, 2004.
Lee, S.H., D.M. Schell, T.L. McDonald, and W.J. Richardson (2005). Regional and seasonal feeding by bowhead whales Balaena mysticetus as indicated by stable isotope ratios. Marine Ecology Progress Series 285: 271-287. ISSN: 0171-8630.
NAL Call Number: QH541.5.S3M32
Abstract: The feeding habitats of the Bering - Chukchi- Beaufort stock of bowhead whales Balaena mysticetus during summer and fall migration are generally known, but the relative amounts of food they consume in various parts of the seasonal range are poorly understood. We used natural geographic gradients in stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen within zooplankton (bowhead prey) to measure the relative importance of the eastern Beaufort Sea versus Bering and Chukchi Seas (combined) as feeding habitat for bowheads. The VC content of their prey differs by 3.9%, on a weighted average basis, between the 2 regions. [delta]13C in bowhead muscle changed by only 0.5 %, while bowheads were in the Beaufort Sea, indicating that only ca. 10% of the muscle carbon in the average whale turns over during summer feeding, with 95 % confidence intervals (Cl) of 0 to 23 %. Considering subadult whales only, estimated turnover averaged 14 % with 95 % Cl of 4 to 23 %. For adults, the estimated turnover was 5 % (95% Cl = 0 to 30 %). Overall [delta]13C values in muscle are not significantly different in adult and subadult bowheads, suggesting no major age-related shift in the relative importance of different feeding habitats, and very closely matching Bering- Chukchi-derived food. [delta]15N values for muscles were near 1% higher in whales taken in the 1980s, consistent with the observed long-term declining trends in environmental [delta]15N values as indicated by chronological sampling of baleen plates. In contrast to muscle data, [delta]13C values in baleen, each representing feeding during a shorter time increment, do show seasonal and age-related differences. Subadult whales apparently feed more in the eastern Beaufort Sea than do adults, but nonetheless acquire insufficient food there to significantly alter their bulk carbon isotope ratios.
Descriptors: Balaena mysticetus, age, biochemistry, stable carbon and nitrogen isotope contents, skeletal musculature, diet, muscle stable carbon and nitrogen isotope content implications, Arctic Ocean and Bering Sea, development, Arctic Ocean, Beaufort Sea and Chukchi Sea, Bering Sea, muscle stable isotope contents, long term and ontogenetic changes, dietary implications.
Leedle, J.A.Z., J. Lotrario, J. Hovermale, and A.M. Craig (1995). Forestomach anaerobic microflora of the bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus). Abstracts of the General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology 95: 334. ISSN: 1060-2011.
NAL Call Number: QR1.A5
Descriptors: digestive system, ingestion and assimilation, infection, bacterial cell count, meeting abstract.
Notes: Meeting Information: 95th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, Washington, DC, USA, May 21-25, 1995.
Lindstrom, U. and T. Haug (2001). Feeding strategy and prey selectivity in common minke whales (balaenoptera acutorostrata) foraging in the southern Barents Sea during early summer. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 3(3): 239-249. ISSN: 1561-0713.
Descriptors: behavior, commercial whaling, diet composition, feeding strategy, food availability, foraging ecology, monophagy, predation, prey abundance, prey biomass, prey preference, prey selectivity, small scale resource surveys, spatial variation, stomach contents, temporal variation.
Lowry, L.F., G. Sheffield, and J.C. George (2004). Bowhead whale feeding in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea, based on stomach contents analyses. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 6(3): 215-223. ISSN: 1561-0713.
Abstract: This study examined feeding of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) taken by Alaska Natives at Barrow (western Beaufort Sea), Nuiqsut (central Alaskan Beaufort Sea) and Kaktovik (eastern Alaskan Beaufort Sea) during 1969-2000. The objectives were to: (1) identify the proportion of harvested whales that had been feeding; and (2) describe the diet based on stomach contents. Data used were field records for 242 whales whose stomachs were examined and laboratory analysis of samples from 123 animals. There were no significant differences in the proportions of animals that had been feeding during the autumn at Kaktovik (83%) and Barrow (75%), or in sub-adults (78%) versus adults (73%). Copepods occurred significantly more frequently in animals from Kaktovik, while euphausiids and hyperiid amphipods occurred more frequently at Barrow. During the autumn, the percent copepods by volume was greater in animals taken at Kaktovik than at Barrow, while the percent euphausiids by volume was greater in whales taken at Barrow. At Barrow, a larger proportion of animals was feeding in the autumn (76%) than the spring (34%), and copepods occurred more often in the spring. Examination of five whales taken at Nuiqsut in the autumn suggests a feeding pattern similar to that seen at Kaktovik. There were no significant differences in diets of males versus females or of sub-adults versus adults. It is concluded that in the autumn, bowheads feed regularly in the eastern, central and western Alaskan Beaufort Sea, and that feeding during the spring migration is more common than previously thought.
Descriptors: marine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, seasonal feeding pattern.
Ma, L. and D. Dolphin (1999). The metabolites of dietary chlorophylls. Phytochemistry 50(2): 195-202.
NAL Call Number: 450 P5622
Descriptors: mankind, chlorophylls, metabolites, diet, heterocyclic compounds, pigments, porphyrins.
MacLeod, C.D., M.B. Santos, and G.J. Pierce (2003). Review of data on diets of beaked whales: evidence of niche separation and geographic segregation. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 83(3): 651-665. ISSN: 0025-3154.
NAL Call Number: 442.9 M331
Descriptors: marine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, biomass, diet, dietary niche, dietary preferences, geographic segregation, niche segregation, niche separation, prey numbers.
Manire, C.A., H.L. Rhinehart, N.B. Barros, L. Byrd, and P. Cunningham Smith (2004). An approach to the rehabilitation of Kogia spp. Aquatic Mammals 30(2): 257-270. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Descriptors: Kogia breviceps, Kogia sima, care in captivity, survival, Gulf of Mexico, USA, Florida, Sarasota, rehabilitation after live stranding.
Manooch, C.S. and D.L. Mason (1984). Food and gastrointestinal parasites of dolphin Coryphaena hippurus collected along the southeastern and gulf coasts of the United States [Hysterothylacium pelagicum]. Bulletin of the Japanese Society of Scientific Fisheries 50(9): 1551-1525. ISSN: 0021-5392.
NAL Call Number: 414.9 J274
Descriptors: dolphins, nematode infections, animal nutrition, USA.
Martensson, P.E., E.S. Nordoy, and A.S. Blix (1994). Digestibility of krill (Euphausia superba and Thysanoessa sp.) in minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophagus). British Journal of Nutrition 72(5): 713-716. ISSN: 0007-1145.
NAL Call Number: 389.8 B773
Abstract: Apparent digestible efficiency (% DE) was studied by use of dietary Mn as an inert marker, in minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophagus) which had been eating krill. Median % DE in minke whales (n 5) eating krill of the genus Thysanoessa sp. (energy density (ED) 23.8 kJ/g) was 93 (range 87-93). Median % DE in crabeater seals (n 6) eating krill of the species Euphausia superba (ED 20.8 kJ/g) was 84 (range 79-85), which is significantly lower than the % DE of krill in minke whales (P = 0.008). Since the chemical composition in E. superba and in Thysanoessa sp. is similar, it is suggested that the complex multi-stomached system of minke whales, which contains both chitinase (EC 3.2.1.14)-producing as well as several other types of bacteria, is superior to the single-stomached system of crabeater seals with regard to krill digestion. It is worth nothing, however, that the % DE of krill in the crabeater seal is still very high.
Descriptors: whales, seals, krill, digestibility, species differences, energy content, manganese, feces, composition, euphausia, energy density.
Mayo, C.a., B.H. Letcher, and S. Scott (2001). Zooplankton filtering efficiency of the baleen of a north Atlantic right whale, Eubalaena glacialis. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 2(Special Issue): 225-229. ISSN: 1561-073X.
Descriptors: dental and oral system, ingestion and assimilation, nutrition, wildlife management, conservation, energy rich mid water food resource, food filtering efficiency, prey size, trophic requirements.
Miokovic, D., D. Kovacic, and S. Pribanic (1999). Stomach content analysis of one bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus, Montague 1821) from the Adriatic Sea. Natura Croatica 8(1): 61-65.
Descriptors: feeding habits, stomach, wild animals, dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, mammals.
Language of Text: Croatian.
Morii, H. (1979). The viable counts of microorganisms, pH values, amino acid contents, ammonia contents and volatile fatty acid contents in the stomach fluid of marine little toothed whales. Bulletin of the Faculty of Fisheries Nagasaki University (47): 55-60. ISSN: 0547-1427.
Descriptors: pH values, microorganisms, amino acid, ammonia, volitile fatty acid, stomach fluid, toothed whales.
Language of Text: English summary.
Nordoy, E.S. (1995). Do minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) digest wax esters. British Journal of Nutrition 74(5): 717-722. ISSN: 0007-1145.
NAL Call Number: 389.8 B773
Abstract: Mammals are known to utilize wax esters with an efficiency of less than 50%. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether or not minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), which at times may eat considerable amounts of wax-ester-rich krill, represent an exception to this general pattern. Samples of fresh undigested forestomach, as well as colon, contents were obtained from minke whales (n 5) that had been feeding on krill (Thysanoessa inermis) for some time. The samples were analysed for dry mass, energy density, lipid content and the major lipid classes, including wax esters. The concentrations of wax esters were compared with previous estimates of dry-matter disappearance of the same type of prey using an in vitro technique, to calculate the dry-matter digestibility of wax esters (DMDwax) Wax esters contributed 21% of the energy and 47% of total lipids in the krill diet. The energy density of gut contents decreased by 50% after their passage from forestomach to the end of the colon. The DMDwax was 94.1 (SD 2.8)% (n 5). This high DMDwax and the occurrence of fatty alcohols, one of the products of wax-ester hydrolysis, in faeces show that minke whales are very efficient digesters of wax esters and absorb most of the energy-rich products of this process.
Descriptors: whales, Balaenopteridae, wax esters, forestomach, samples, digesta, colon, krill, diet, dry matter, mass, energy content, lipids, fatty alcohols, feces, digestibility, nutrition physiology, chemical composition, nutrient content, fatty acids, triacylglycerols, acylglycerols, sterols, digestion, energy density.
Nordoy, E.S., W. Sormo, and A. Schytte Blix (1993). In vitro digestibility of different prey species of minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata). British Journal of Nutrition 70(2): 485-489. ISSN: 0007-1145.
NAL Call Number: 389.8 B773
Abstract: Information on diet composition daily energy expenditure, energy storage and the utilization of energy in the prey are important factors when evaluating the food consumption of minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) during their summer stay in northern waters. The purpose of the present study was in this context to obtain information on the digestible energy (DE) of different prey selected by minke whales. An in vitro three-stage digestion technique, simulating the different compartments of the digestive system, has been developed. The initial step simulated the anaerobic microbial fermentation of substrate in the forestomach. The next stage included the addition of pepsin (EC 3.4.23.1)-HCl, simulating ventricle enzymic decomposition, and finally, in the third step, fresh extract from duodenal contents was used to simulate enzymic intestinal degradation of the remaining components of the food. The inoculum was normally obtained from animals which had recently eaten the prey to be tested. In such tests we obtained a dry matter disappearance (DMD) and a DE for herring (Clupea harengus) of 80.4 (SD 5.0)% (n 18) and 92.1 (SD 3.7)% (n 16) respectively, and a DMD of krill (Thysanoessa sp.) of 83.4 (SD 4.9)% (n 6). The DMD of krill was reduced to 73.8 (SD 7.3)% (n 8) while the DE was 70.6 (SD 10.4)% (n 7) when inoculum from whales which had recently eaten cod (Gadus morhua) and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) was used. These results indicate a high digestibility of the most common species of prey in these animals, and also that the whales have little difficulty in changing from one prey species to another.
Descriptors: whales, digestible energy, digestion, diet, dry matter, in vitro, dry matter, prey.
Ohizumi, H., T. Isoda, T. Kishiro, and H. Kato (2003). Feeding habits of Baird's beaked whale Berardius bairdii, in the western North Pacific and Sea of Okhotsk off Japan. Fisheries Science (Tokyo) 69(1): 11-20. ISSN: 0919-9268.
NAL Call Number: SH1.F8195
Descriptors: Berardius bairdii, prey, food preferences, foraging, west Pacific, Japan, north Pacific, Sea of Okhotsk, feeding habits.
Ohizumi, H. and T. Kishiro (2003). Stomach contents of a Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris) stranded on the central Pacific Coast of Japan. Aquatic Mammals 29(1): 99-103. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Descriptors: Cephalopoda, mammalian predators, Ziphius cavirostris, prey composition, stranded specimen, west Pacific, Japan, Honshu, Shizuoka, Yaizu, stranded mammalian predator prey composition.
Ohizumi, H., T. Kuramochi, T. Kubodera, M. Yoshioka, and N. Miyazaki (2003). Feeding habits of Dall's porpoises (Phocoenoides dalli) in the subarctic North Pacific and the Bering Sea basin and the impact of predation on mesopelagic micronekton. Deep Sea Research. Part A. Oceanographic Research Papers 50(5): 593-610. ISSN: 0967-0637.
Descriptors: teuthida, food webs, trophic pathways, mammalian predators, Phocoenoides dalli, predator feeding biology analysis and impact on trophic pathways, Bering Sea, north Pacific, mammalian predator feeding biology analysis and impact on trophic pathways.
Ohozumi, H. (2002). Process and techniques of stomach content analysis for fine scale dietary study of toothed whales. Aquabiology (Tokyo) 24(2): 161-165; 139. ISSN: 0285-4376.
NAL Call Number: QH90.A1K35
Descriptors: odontoceti, feeding analysis techniques, stomach content analysis.
Okutani, T. and Y. Satake (1978). Squids in the diet of 38 sperm whales caught in the Pacific waters off northeastern Honshu, Japan, February 1977. Bulletin of Tokai Regional Fisheries Research Laboratory (93): 13-27.
NAL Call Number: 414.9 J272
Descriptors: squid, diet, sperm whales, Pacific, Japan.
Language of Text: English and Japanese summaries.
Olsen, M.A. (2000). Microbial digestion in reindeer and minke whales. Dissertation, University of Tromsoe: Tromsoe (Norway).
Descriptors: reindeer, Balaenoptera, rumen digestion, fermentation, rumen microorganisms, cellulolytic microorganisms, diet, browse plants, lichenes, silage, crustacea, cod, herrings, digesta, cellulase, volatile fatty acids, chitinase, biodegradability, feeding habits, stomach, digestive juices, norway, cold zones, Northeast Atlantic, acids, Atlantic Ocean, behavior, body fluids, body parts, cervidae, Cetacea, chemicophysical properties, climatic zones, crops, digestion, digestive system, Eastern Atlantic, enzymes, Europe, fatty acids, feed crops, feeds, fermented products, fishes, glycosidases, hydrolases, mammals, marine areas, microbial flora, North Atlantic, organic acids, physiological functions, processed products, ruminants, saltwater fishes, Scandinavia, volatile compounds, Western Europe, whales.
Notes: Thesis (Dr. Philos.).
Olsen, M.A. and S.D. Mathiesen (1996). Production rates of volatile fatty acids in the minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) forestomach. British Journal of Nutrition 75(1): 21-31. ISSN: 0007-1145.
NAL Call Number: 389.8 B773
Abstract: Minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) have developed a compartmentalized stomach system, which includes a non-glandular forestomach containing high concentrations of indigenous bacteria. The forestomach contents serve as microbial substrate, and samples were collected from five adult minke whales eating capelin (Mallotus villosus) and crustaceans (Thysanoessa sp.). Chemical analysis of the forestomach contents revealed that they consisted of crude protein (650 (SD 58) g/kg DM), lipid (330 (SD 77) g/kg DM) and water-soluble carbohydrates (53.3 (SD 7.3) g/kg DM). The contribution of energy from volatile fatty acids (VFA), produced by forestomach bacterial fermentation, to the total energy budget was estimated. The forestomach concentration of VFA ranged from 13.2 to 68.5 mmol/l, and the pH was 5.83 (SD 0.41). VFA pool size ranged from 72.8 to 638.1 mmol and represented from 0.169 to 2.107 kJ/kg live weight (W)0.75. Maximal recorded forestomach VFA production rate was 1694 mmol/h in one capelin-eating minke whale with 42.6 litres of forestomach fluid. Energy from VFA produced by forestomach fermentation represented 6-107 kJ/kg W0.75 per d, which accounts for only 0.9-16.9% of the average daily energy expenditure of minke whales. This study suggests that the bacterial fermentation in the minke whale forestomach varies, depending on the volume and the quality of substrate available, influencing fermentation rates and concentration of VFA. Due to the small relative size of the forestomach, the contribution of VFA to the daily energy requirement in minke whales would be of less importance than in ruminants even when assuming the same production rate of VFA as in a ruminant.
Descriptors: whales, forestomach, volatile fatty acids, fermentation, digesta, chemical composition, crude protein, energy content, carbohydrates, in vitro, Mallotus villosus, crustacea, diet, nutrient content, liveweight, ph, time.
Olsen, M.A., E.S. Nordoy, A.S. Blix, and S.D. Mathiesen (1994). Functional anatomy of the gastrointestinal system of Northeastern Atlantic minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata). Journal of Zoology (London) 234(1): 55-74. ISSN: 0952-8369.
Descriptors: aquatic mammals, digestive system, wild animals, whales, animal morphology, animals, aquatic animals, aquatic organisms, Cetacea, mammals, wildlife, marine mammals, Balaenoptera acutorostrata, digestive tract.
Orams, M.B. (1995). Development and management of a feeding program for wild bottlenose dolphins at Tangalooma, Australia. Aquatic Mammals 21(2): 137-147. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Descriptors: behavior, conservation, marine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, nutrition, systematics and taxonomy, wildlife management, conservation, behavior, wildlife management.
Patashnik, M. and P. Kangas (1971). "Tek-Food," a pasteurized whole fish ration for captive marine mammals. Laboratory Animal Science 21(3): 406-9. ISSN: 0023-6764.
Descriptors: animal feed analysis, dolphins, animal nutrition, carbohydrates analysis, evaluation studies, fats analysis, fishes, food habits, food microbiology, nutritional requirements, proteins analysis, seaweed, water analysis.
Pfeiffer, C.J. (1993). Fonctions de controle nerveux et musculaire du tube digestif chez les odontocetes: mise en evidence morphologiquement chez les baleines a bec [Ziphius cavirostris] et des baleines belugas [Delphinapterus leucas; plexus myenterique]. [Neural and muscular control functions of the gut in odontocetes: morphologic evidence in beaked whales [Ziphius cavirostris] and beluga whales [Delphinapterus leucas; myenteric plexus]. Journal of Physiology (Paris) 87(6): 349-354. ISSN: 0928-4257.
Descriptors: whales, stomach, intestines, plexus, physiological regulation, digestion, animal morphology, Cetacea, digestive system, mammals, nervous system, physiological functions.
Language of Text: English summary.
Notes: Meeting Information: Brain Gut Society Congress, Florence, Italy, 1992.
Pfeiffer, C.J. (1993). Neural and muscular control functions of the gut in odontocetes: morphologic evidence in beaked whales and beluga whales. Journal of Physiology (Paris) 87(6): 349-354.
Abstract: The present data provide some new and unique, gastrointestinal morphologic findings in two species of toothed whales, the Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris) and the beluga or white whale (Delphinapterus leucas), which are discussed relative to their atypical feeding behavior and alimentary tract functions. Specifically, the findings show myenteric neural modifications and muscularis externa structural specializations which may support voluntary and involuntary fore and hindgut behavior. Histologic evidence of intercalation-like striations in the gastric and colonic musculature was discovered. as well as an unusual massive size of the colonic myenteric plexuses. These observations, which are not evident in terrestrial mammalian gastrointestinal tracts, may help explain the unusual upper gastrointestinal tract motility such as ingestion-by-sucking in the absence of prehensile teeth and processing of ingesta in a multi-compartmentalized pyloric stomach. Further, the hindgut modifications may help explain the animal's acute. rectal discharge escape mechanism. likened to squid inking, which seems to be an evolved function of some cetaceans.
Descriptors: digestive system, ingestion and assimilation, muscular system, movement and support, nervous system, neural coordination, alimentary tract, colon, foregut, hindgut, motility, muscularis externa, myenteric plexus, stomach.
Pierce, G.J., M.B. Santos, R.J. Reid, I.A.P. Patterson, and H.M. Ross (2004). Diet of minke whales Balaenoptera acutorostrata in Scottish (UK) waters with notes on strandings of this species in Scotland 1992-2002. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 84(6): 1241-1244. ISSN: 0025-3154.
NAL Call Number: 442.9 M331
Abstract: During 1992-2002 approximately 110 strandings of minke whales Balaenoptera acutorostrata were recorded in Scotland (UK). Most strandings were recorded between April and November, with a peak of strandings of males in July and August. There were two length modes at 4-6 m and 7-10 m. Stomach contents samples were obtained from ten animals. The diet comprised mainly sandeels (Ammodytidae, around two-thirds of the diet by number or weight) and clupeids (herring Clupea harengus and sprat Sprattus sprattus). Results on diet are consistent with results front whaling catches in the North Sea. The possibility that minke whales compete with fisheries is discussed.
Descriptors: Pisces, mammalian predators, Balaenoptera acutorostrata, predator diet composition, north Atlantic, United Kingdom, Scotland, mammalian predator diet composition.
Read, A.J. (2001). Trends in the maternal investment of harbour porpoises are uncoupled from the dynamics of their primary prey. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B. Biological Sciences 268(1467): 573-7. ISSN: 0962-8452.
Abstract: Harbour porpoises in the Bay of Fundy and Gulf of Maine feed primarily on Atlantic herring. Herring stocks have undergone dramatic fluctuations in abundance over the past three decades due to changes in fishing intensity. In order to understand the effects of these changes in prey abundance on the patterns of maternal investment, I examined interdecadal variation in the size of porpoise calves measured in August prior to weaning. Female harbour porpoises exhibited significant variation in maternal investment between 1970 and 1999. During the 1980s, females consumed more herring and produced larger calves. Surprisingly, however, this increased maternal investment occurred during the period of lowest prey abundance, perhaps because the herring stock assessment does not reflect the availability or quality of prey to female porpoises.
Descriptors: maternal behavior, porpoises physiology, porpoises psychology, predatory behavior, adipose tissue anatomy and histology, Atlantic Ocean, biomass, fishes, lactation, New Brunswick, ovulation, seasons.
Reidarson, T.H., J.F. Mcbain, and P.K. Yochem (2001). Medical and nutritional aspects of a rehabilitating california gray whale calf. Aquatic Mammals 27(3): 215-221. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Descriptors: animal care, veterinary medicine, medical sciences, hypoglycemia, metabolic disease, stomach tube, surgical instrument, caloric intake, diet composition, emergency therapy, milk formula, nutrition, parasitism, weight gain, wildlife medicine, wildlife rehabilitation, Seaworld.
Richard, K.R. and M.A. Barbeau (1994). Observations of spotted dolphins feeding nocturnally on flying fish. Marine Mammal Science 10(4): 473-477. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Descriptors: behavior, ecology, environmental sciences, marine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, nutrition, behavior, Gulf of Mexico, north Atlantic Ocean.
Roberts, S.M. (2003). Examination of the stomach contents from a Mediterranean sperm whale found south of Crete, Greece. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 83(3): 667-670. ISSN: 0025-3154.
NAL Call Number: 442.9 M331
Descriptors: digestive system, ingestion and assimilation, diet, sperm whale, stomach contents, cephalopods.
Robison, B.H. and J.E. Craddock (1983). Mesopelagic fishes eaten by Fraser's dolphin, Lagenodelphis hosei. U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service Marine Fishery Bulletin 81(2): 283-289.
NAL Call Number: 157.5 B87
Descriptors: fishes, diet, eaten, Fraser's dolphin.
Rodriguez, D., L. Rivero, and R. Bastida (2002). Feeding ecology of the franciscana (Pontoporia blainvillei) in marine and estuarine waters of Argentina. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals 1(1): 77-94.
Descriptors: Pontoporia blainvillei, diet, composition of young, juveniles and adults, feeding behavior, lactation chronology and transition to solid feeding, south west Atlantic, Argentina, feeding ecology.
Rosas, F.C.W. and K.K. Lehti (1996). Nutritional and mercury content of milk of the Amazon River dolphin, Inia geoffrensis. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. A, Comparative Physiology 115(2): 117-119.
NAL Call Number: QP1.C6
Descriptors: dolphins, milk, pollution, retinol, mercury, milk fat, milk protein, copper, iron, zinc, aluminium, magnesium, manganese, calcium, sodium, potassium, contamination, chemical composition, Brazil, Amazonas Brazil, Venezuela, alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, America, Andean region, animal protein, Brazil, carotenoids, Cetacea, elements, heavy metals, Latin America, mammals, metallic elements, milk, milk products, pigments, processed animal products, processed products, protein products, South America, terpenoids, transition elements, vitamins, Inia geoffrensis.
Ruiz, C.R.I., D. Gendron, S. Aguiniga, S. Mesnick, and J.D. Carriquiry (2004). Trophic relationships between sperm whales and jumbo squid using stable isotopes of c and n. Marine Ecology Progress Series 277: 275-283. ISSN: 0171-8630.
NAL Call Number: QH541.5.S3M32
Descriptors: ecology, fecal analysis, laboratory techniques, isotope analysis, molecular analysis, stomach content, trophic relationship, sperm whale, jumbo squid, sloughed skin samples, alternative method.
Santos, M.B. and G.J. Pierce (2003). The diet of harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) in the northeast Atlantic. Oceanography and Marine Biology an Annual Review 41: 355-390. ISSN: 0078-3218.
Descriptors: Pisces, mammalian predators, Phocoena phocoena, diet composition, north east Atlantic, mammalian predator diet composition, literature review.
Santos, M.B., G.J. Pierce, M.G. Hartmann, C. Smeenk, M.J. Addink, T. Kuiken, R.J. Reid, I.A.P. Patterson, C. Lordan, E. Rogan, and E. Mente (2002). Additional notes on stomach contents of sperm whales Physeter macrocephalus stranded in the north-east Atlantic. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 82(3): 501-507. ISSN: 0025-3154.
NAL Call Number: 442.9 M331
Descriptors: ingestion and assimilation, marine ecology, environmental sciences, strandings, sperm whales, stomach contents, diet.
Santos, M.B., G.J. Pierce, J. Herman, A. Lopez, A. Guerra, E. Mente, and M.R. Clarke (2001). Feeding ecology of Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris): A review with new information on the diet of this species. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 81(4): 687-694. ISSN: 0025-3154.
NAL Call Number: 442.9 M331
Descriptors: Cephalopoda, mammalian predators, Ziphius cavirostris, prey composition.
Santos, M.B., G.J. Pierce, J.A. Learmonth, R.J. Reid, H.M. Ross, I.A.P. Patterson, D.G. Reid, and D. Beare (2004). Variability in the diet of harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in Scottish waters 1992-2003. Marine Mammal Science 20(1): 1-27. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Descriptors: Pisces, mammalian predators, Phocoena phocoena, diet composition variability.
Sekiguchi, K. (1995). Occurrence, behavior and feeding habits of harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) at Pajaro Dunes, Monterey Bay, California. Aquatic Mammals 21(2): 91-103. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Abstract: From September 1984 to November 1985, sightings of 1594 groups of harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) were made from a high vantage point at Pajaro Dunes, Monterey Bay, California, in a total of 761 hours of observations. Porpoises were seen within 300 m of the shore, mostly between 0700 and 1000 hr., apparently feeding nearshore. The number and size of porpoise groups sighted were greater in July, August and September than in other months of the year. Significantly more porpoise groups were present nearshore during flood tide than ebb tide. Variations in both the number and size of groups seen may have been related to food availability. Nine stomachs of harbor porpoises collected in the Monterey Bay area from 1985 to 1986 were used for feeding habit analysis. Two families of cephalopods and twelve families of fishes were found. Northern anchovy (Engraulis mordax) had the highest index of relative importance, spotted cusk eel (Chilara taylori) was second, and rockfish (Sebastes spp.) was third, but market squid (Loligo opalescens) had the highest percentage of frequency of occurrence. Harbor porpoises in Monterey Bay appear to change their diet seasonally.
Descriptors: behavior, climatology, environmental sciences, digestive system, ingestion and assimilation, ecology, environmental sciences, marine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, nutrition, seasonality, stomach content, tidal variation.
Silva Jr., J.M., L.J. Pandolfo, and I. Sazima (2004). Vomiting behavior of the spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris) and squid meals. Aquatic Mammals 30(2): 271-274. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Abstract: We describe and illustrate the vomiting behavior of the spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris), an eliminative behavior poorly known for cetaceans in the wild. The vomiting may be conveniently described in six behavioral phases: opening beak, closing beak (water intake), swallowing water, pausing, opening beak about to void, and voiding offal and water. Spinners vomit after a meal rich in squids, and, therefore, we relate this eliminative behavior to the presumably irritating remains of this meal type (squid beaks). The vomits are a rich and predictable food source for plankton-eating reef fishes.
Descriptors: Teuthida, mammalian predators, Stenella longirostris, predator vomiting behavior, beak elimination, south Atlantic, Brazil, Fernando de Noronha National Marine Park, mammalian predator vomiting behavior.
Silva, M.A. (1999). Diet of common dolphins, Delphinus delphis, off the Portuguese continental coast. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 79(3): 531-540. ISSN: 0025-3154.
NAL Call Number: 442.9 M331
Descriptors: feeding behavior, stomach, dolphins, Sardina pilchardus, sardines, Delphinus, diet.
Simon, M.J., T.K. Kristensen, O.S. Tendal, C.C. Kinze, and S. Tougaard (2003). Gonatus fabricii (Mollusca, Theuthida) as an important food source for sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) in the northeast Atlantic. Sarsia 88(3): 244-246. ISSN: 0036-4827.
Descriptors: marine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences.
Simon, M.J., T.K. Kristensen, O.S. Tendal, C.C. Kinze, and S. Tougaard (2003). Gonatus fabricii (Mollusca, Theuthida [Teuthida]) as an important food source for sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) in the Northeast Atlantic. Sarsia 88(3): 244-246. ISSN: 0036-4827.
Descriptors: Gonatus fabricii, mammalian predators, Physeter macrocephalus, dietary importance, North Sea, Denmark, importance in mammalian predator diet.
Slip, D.J., G.J. Moore, and K. Green (1995). Stomach contents of a southern bottlenose whale, Hyperoodon planifrons, stranded at Heard Island. Marine Mammal Science 11(4): 575-584. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Descriptors: biogeography, population studies, digestive system, ingestion and assimilation, nutrition, systematics and taxonomy, geographic distribution, Heard Island.
Smith, G.J. and D.E. Gaskin (1974). The diet of harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena (L.)) in coastal waters of eastern Canada, with special reference to the Bay of Fundy. Canadian Journal of Zoology 52(6): 777-82. ISSN: 0008-4301.
NAL Call Number: 470 C16D
Descriptors: dolphins, physiology, Canada, diet, fishes, food preferences, harbour porpoises, coastal waters.
Tamura, T. (2002). Regional assessments of prey consumption and competition by marine cetaceans in the world. In: M. Sinclair and G. Valdimarsson (Editors), Responsible Fisheries in the Marine Ecosystem, Fishery Industries Division, CAB International: FAO, Rome (Italy) and Wallingford (United Kingdom), p. 143-170. ISBN: 92-5-104767-70-85199-633-7.
Descriptors: Cetacea, whales, marine resources, ecosystems, species, predator prey relations, mammals, natural resources, predation, taxa.
Tamura, T., Y. Fujise, and K. Shimazaki (1998). Diet of minke whales Balaenoptera acutorostrata in the northwestern part of the North Pacific in summer, 1994 and 1995. Fisheries Science (Tokyo) 64(1): 71-76. ISSN: 0919-9268.
Descriptors: Balaenoptera, Northwest Pacific, feeding habits, cololabis, engraulis, biological rhythms, behavior, beloniformes, bony fishes, Cetacea, clupeoidei, fishes, mammals, marine areas, North Pacific, Pacific Ocean, Western Pacific, whales.
Language of Text: English summary.
Tamura, T. (2001). Food habits analysis of baleen whales - technology as the means of ecosystem clarification. Aquabiology (Tokyo) 23(6): 613-616; 137. ISSN: 0285-4376.
NAL Call Number: QH90.A1K35
Descriptors: mysticeti, feeding analysis techniques.
Tornero, V., A. Borrell, J. Forcada, E. Pubill, and A. Aguilar (2004). Retionoid and lipid patterns in the blubber of common dolphins (Delphinus delphis): implications for monitoring vitamin A status. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. B, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology 137B(3): 391-400. ISSN: 1096-4959.
NAL Call Number: QP501.C6
Descriptors: dolphins, Delphinus, body fat, retinoids, lipid composition, lipid content, biomarkers.
Van Opzeeland, I.C., P.J. Corkeron, T. Leyssen, T. Simila, and S.M. Van Parijs (2005). Acoustic behaviour of Norwegian killer whales, Orcinus orca, during carousel and seiner foraging on spring-spawning herring. Aquatic Mammals 31(1): 110-119. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Abstract: Norwegian killer whales (Orcinus orca) use different techniques to forage on spring-spawning herring. Two of the commonly observed techniques are carousel feeding, a cooperative feeding method, and seiner feeding, a noncooperative method. During seiner foraging, large groups of whales forage on herring discards around the nets or on discarded by-catch of fishing boats. This study was to examine possible differences in killer whale acoustic behaviour during both foraging contexts using simple sound analysis techniques. Calling, echolocation, and tail-slap activities were measured and compared between foraging contexts. The study suggest that the sequence of call types, rather than the use of isolated call types, is of greater importance in the coordination of group movements during carousel foraging.
Descriptors: behavior, marine ecology, ecology, simple sound analysis, applied and field techniques, fishing boat, field equipment, echolocation, foraging, group movement, seiner foraging, carousel foraging.
Vikingsson, G.A., D. Oalfsdottir, and J. Sigurjonsson (2003). Diet of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in Icelandic coastal waters. North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (NAMMCO) Scientific Publications 5: 243-270. ISSN: 1560-2206.
Abstract: The stomach contents of 1,047 harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) bycaught in gillnets off Iceland were analysed. Most of the samples were obtained southwest (SW) and southeast (SE) of Iceland and the majority were taken in March and April. The sex ratio was biased towards males (63% males), particularly in the SE area (76%). The proportion of sexually mature porpoises was 35% and was higher in the northern part of the study area. Most examined stomachs contained identifiable food remains (97%). More than 40 fish and invertebrate prey taxa were identified. Overall capelin (Mallotus villosus) comprised the predominant prey, followed by sandeel (Ammodytidae sp.) and then gadids and cephalopods, while other taxa were of less importance. Differences were detected in diet composition among 5 areas around Iceland with redfish (Sebastes marinus) and gadids more prominent in the northern areas. Off SW Iceland there was considerable seasonal variation in the porpoise diet, where capelin appeared to be dominant in late winter and spring and sandeel in the summer through early winter. Predominance of capelin in the diet coincided with the spawning migration of capelin from northern waters along the east, south and west coasts of Iceland. Mature females appeared to have a more diverse diet than other reproductive classes. The length distributions of fish consumed by the porpoises ranged from 1 to 51 cm although most fish prey were less than 30 cm.
Descriptors: Phocoena phocoena, age, prey, sex differences, north atlantic, iceland, diet composition, sex, age and seasonal differences.
Visser, I.N. (2005). First observations of feeding on thresher (Alopias vulpinus) and hammerhead (Sphyrna zygaena) sharks by killer whales (Orcinus orca) specialising on elasmobranch prey. Aquatic Mammals 31(1): 83-88. ISSN: 0167-5427.
Descriptors: predation, diet, nutrition, prey, killer whale, sharks, rays, food, feeding, elasmobranch.
Walker, J.L., C.W. Potter, and S.A. Macko (1999). The diets of modern and historic bottlenose dolphin populations reflected through stable isotopes. Marine Mammal Science 15(2): 335-350.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Descriptors: analytical methods, feeding behavior, teeth, wild animals, radionuclides, diets, stomach, mammals, dolphins, Tursiops truncatus.
Walker, J.L. and S.A. Macko (1999). Dietary studies of marine mammals using stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic ratios of teeth. Marine Mammal Science 15(2): 314-334. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Descriptors: Mammalia, feeding analysis techniques, dental isotopic ratios use for dietary studies, biochemistry, isotopic content of teeth, teeth, isotopic content, use for dietary studies, diet, analysis, use of dental isotopic ratios, evaluation, marine taxa.
Walker, W.A., J.G. Mead, and R.L. Brownell Jr. (2002). Diets of baird's beaked whales, Berardius bairdii, in the southern Sea of Okhotsk and off the Pacific coast of Honshu, Japan. Marine Mammal Science 18(4): 902-919. ISSN: 0824-0469.
NAL Call Number: QL713.2.M372
Descriptors: marine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, diet, baird's beaked whales, Honshu, Japan, Sea of Okhotsk.
Wallach, J.D. (1970). Nutritional diseases of exotic animals. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 157(5): 583-99. ISSN: 0003-1488.
NAL Call Number: 41.8 Am3
Descriptors: animals, zoo, deficiency diseases, animal feed, ascorbic acid deficiency, avitaminosis, bird diseases pathology, calcium, Carnivora, cats, deficiency diseases pathology, dietary fats, dietary proteins, dolphins, elephants, infertility, iodine, lipids, manganese, protein deficiency, snakes, thiamine deficiency pathology, thiamine deficiency, vitamin A deficiency pathology, vitamin A deficiency, vitamin B deficiency pathology, vitamin B deficiency, vitamin D deficiency, vitamin E deficiency pathology, vitamin E deficiency, zinc.
Wang, M.C., W.A. Walker, K.T. Shao, and L.S. Chou (2002). Comparative analysis of the diets of pygmy sperm whales and dwarf sperm whales in Taiwanese waters. Acta Zoologica Taiwanica 13(2): 53-62. ISSN: 1019-5858.
Descriptors: Cephalopoda, mammalian predators, Kogia breviceps, Kogia sima, diet, west Pacific, Taiwan, diet of mammalian predators, comparative analysis.
White, J.R. (1970). Thiamine deficiency in an Atlantic bottle-nosed dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) on a diet of raw fish. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 157(5): 559-562.
NAL Call Number: 41.8 Am3
Descriptors: bottlenose dolphin, diet, raw fish, thiamine deficiency.
Wijnsma, G., G.J. Pierce, and M.B. Santos (1999). Assessment of errors in cetacean diet analysis: in vitro digestion of otoliths. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 79(3): 573-575. ISSN: 0025-3154.
NAL Call Number: 442.9 M331
Descriptors: analytical methods, feeding behavior, digestion, in vitro, composition, diets, feeding, feeding habits, stomach, Cetacea, cod.
Williams, G. (1981). Dietary deficiencies of captive dolphins. Progress in Lipid Research 20: 259-60. ISSN: 0163-7827.
NAL Call Number: 307.8 P942
Descriptors: dolphins physiology, nutrition disorders physiopathology, phospholipids analysis, animals, zoo, diet, fishes, liver analysis, muscles analysis.
Williams, G., B.C. Davidson, P. Stevens, and M.A. Crawford (1977). Comparative fatty acids of the dolphin and the herring. Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society 54(8): 328-330. ISSN: 0003-021X.
NAL Call Number: 307.8 J82
Descriptors: fatty acids, dolphin, herring, comparative.
Language of Text: English summary.
Williams, T.M., J. Haun, R.W. Davis, L.A. Fuiman, and S. Kohin (2001). A killer appetite: metabolic consequences of carnivory in marine mammals. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. A, Molecular and Integrative Physiology 129(4): 785-96. ISSN: 1095-6433.
NAL Call Number: QP1.C6
Abstract: Among terrestrial mammals, the morphology of the gastrointestinal tract reflects the metabolic demands of the animal and individual requirements for processing, distributing, and absorbing nutrients. To determine if gastrointestinal tract morphology is similarly correlated with metabolic requirements in marine mammals, we examined the relationship between basal metabolic rate (BMR) and small intestinal length in pinnipeds and cetaceans. Oxygen consumption was measured for resting bottlenose dolphins and Weddell seals, and the results combined with data for four additional species of carnivorous marine mammal. Data for small intestinal length were obtained from previously published reports. Similar analyses were conducted for five species of carnivorous terrestrial mammal, for which BMR and intestinal length were known. The results indicate that the BMRs of Weddell seals and dolphins resting on the water surface are 1.6 and 2.3 times the predicted levels for similarly sized domestic terrestrial mammals, respectively. Small intestinal lengths for carnivorous marine mammals depend on body size and are comparatively longer than those of terrestrial carnivores. The relationship between basal metabolic rate (kcal day(-1)) and small intestinal length (m) for both marine and terrestrial carnivores was, BMR=142.5 intestinal length(1.20) (r(2)=0.83). We suggest that elevated metabolic rates among marine mammal carnivores are associated with comparatively large alimentary tracts that are presumably required for supporting the energetic demands of an aquatic lifestyle and for feeding on vertebrate and invertebrate prey.
Descriptors: basal metabolism physiology, dolphins physiology, intestine, small anatomy and histology, seals, earless physiology, body weight, diet, dolphins anatomy and histology, oxygen consumption, seals, earless anatomy and histology, statistics, temperature.
Yamasaki, F. and T. Kamiya (1981). The stomach of the Boutu, Inia geoffrensis: Comparison with those of other Platanistids. Scientific Reports of the Whales Research Institute (33): 69-81. ISSN: 0083-9086.
Descriptors: dolphins, inland water environment, stomach, oesophagus, anatomy, animal anatomy, animals, aquatic animals, aquatic environment, aquatic mammals, aquatic organisms, body parts, Cetacea, digestive system, environment, ISSCAAP group b 63, ISSCAAP groups of species, mammals, vertebrates.
Language of Text: English summary.
Young, D.D. and V.G. Cockcroft (1995). Stomach contents of stranded common dolphins Delphinus delphis from the south-east of southern Africa. Zeitschrift Fuer Saeugetierkunde 60(6): 343-351. ISSN: 0044-3468.
NAL Call Number: QL700.Z4
Abstract: Examined were the stomach contents of common dolphins stranded, both singly and mass, along the south-east coast of southern Africa between 1975 and 1991. Prey are an indication of the prey resources available to predators, during the summer months. Overall, the diet was dominated by cephalopods, particularly the locally abundant squid species Loligo vulgaris reynaudi, occurring in 92.9% of the total number of stomachs and constituting 18.6% and 40.3% of the total Percentage number and percentage reconstituted mass, respectively. Other important cephalopods were Sepia officinalis and Lycoteuthis diadema. The fish content of the diet was made up predominantly of three species of clupeoid fish - Sardinops sagax, Etrumeus whiteheadi and Engraulis japonicus. Fish species dominate the diet between 1975 and 1979 but between 1980 and 1989 cephalopod species constitute 89.9% of the total reconstituted mass of prey. Reproductive activities and nutritional demands result in a form of resource partitioning, whereby lactating dolphins and calves have the same dietary preference. The results of the study reflect the summer diet of common dolphins in the region and are compared to the winter diet, as found in the stomach contents of incidentally-caught common dolphins, further north. The diet of the mass-stranded common dolphins stress the important influence that nutritional demands and regionally distinct prey abundance have on the distribution and movements of common dolphins along the southeast coast of southern Africa.
Descriptors: digestive system, ingestion and assimilation, ecology, environmental sciences, marine ecology, ecology, environmental sciences, nutrition, diet, distribution, movement, stomach content analysis.
Yukhov, V.L., E.K. Vinogradova, and L.P. Medvedev. (1975). [Diet of Orcinus orca L. in the Antarctic and nearby waters.]. In: [Marine mammals. Proceedings of the 6th All Union Conference (Kiev, October 1975) Part 2.], Naukova Dumka: Kiev, p. 183-185. 202 p.
Descriptors: Orcinus orca, Antarctic Ocean, mammalian prey.