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Prey and seasonal abundance of killer whales at sub-Antarctic Marion Island

Prey and seasonal abundance of killer whales at sub-Antarctic Marion Island
Prey and seasonal abundance of killer whales at sub-Antarctic Marion Island

The diet of killer whales Orcinus orca was investigated from 48 predation events observed during 823 sightings at sub-Antarctic Marion Island between 2006 and 2009. From these events, there were 10 cases where prey could be identified. Killer whales fed on fur seals Arctocephalus tropicalis, elephant seals Mirounga leonina and penguins. Constant effort (dedicated) observations (259 hours, 2008-2009) showed that the peak in killer whale abundance was between September and December with a secondary peak between April and May, which coincided with peaks in the abundance of seals and penguins.

Diet, Foraging, Orcinus orca, Seals, Seasonal occurrence, Southern ocean
1814-232X
99-105
Reisinger, R. R.
4eaf9440-48e5-41fa-853f-d46457e5444e
de Bruyn, P. J.N.
4239fc92-c272-4bad-a8ca-c5edf24fa933
Tosh, C. A.
f90378e0-5386-4395-9576-f9f0d460ad23
Oosthuizen, W. C.
c47dad12-f162-48e4-991e-9629439fba1c
Mufanadzo, N. T.
b13801ee-bc87-412a-8425-ac7856de1059
Bester, M. N.
cde32f42-fedb-42c6-9a0e-b797259c1cac
Reisinger, R. R.
4eaf9440-48e5-41fa-853f-d46457e5444e
de Bruyn, P. J.N.
4239fc92-c272-4bad-a8ca-c5edf24fa933
Tosh, C. A.
f90378e0-5386-4395-9576-f9f0d460ad23
Oosthuizen, W. C.
c47dad12-f162-48e4-991e-9629439fba1c
Mufanadzo, N. T.
b13801ee-bc87-412a-8425-ac7856de1059
Bester, M. N.
cde32f42-fedb-42c6-9a0e-b797259c1cac

Reisinger, R. R., de Bruyn, P. J.N., Tosh, C. A., Oosthuizen, W. C., Mufanadzo, N. T. and Bester, M. N. (2011) Prey and seasonal abundance of killer whales at sub-Antarctic Marion Island. African Journal of Marine Science, 33 (1), 99-105. (doi:10.2989/1814232X.2011.572356).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The diet of killer whales Orcinus orca was investigated from 48 predation events observed during 823 sightings at sub-Antarctic Marion Island between 2006 and 2009. From these events, there were 10 cases where prey could be identified. Killer whales fed on fur seals Arctocephalus tropicalis, elephant seals Mirounga leonina and penguins. Constant effort (dedicated) observations (259 hours, 2008-2009) showed that the peak in killer whale abundance was between September and December with a secondary peak between April and May, which coincided with peaks in the abundance of seals and penguins.

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More information

Published date: April 2011
Keywords: Diet, Foraging, Orcinus orca, Seals, Seasonal occurrence, Southern ocean

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 469008
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/469008
ISSN: 1814-232X
PURE UUID: 6c07a5dc-7aa7-463a-8a80-eeea7385d7d0
ORCID for R. R. Reisinger: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-8933-6875

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 05 Sep 2022 16:38
Last modified: 18 Mar 2024 04:03

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Contributors

Author: R. R. Reisinger ORCID iD
Author: P. J.N. de Bruyn
Author: C. A. Tosh
Author: W. C. Oosthuizen
Author: N. T. Mufanadzo
Author: M. N. Bester

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