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Strandings of northern bottlenose whales, Hyperoodon ampullatus, in the north-east Atlantic: seasonality and diet

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 January 2014

Ruth Fernández ,
Graham J. Pierce ,
Colin D. MacLeod ,
Andrew Brownlow ,
Robert J. Reid ,
Emer Rogan ,
Marian Addink ,
Robert Deaville ,
Paul D. Jepson  and
M. Begoña Santos
Ruth Fernández*
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ, UK Centre for GeoGenetics, University of Copenhagen, Øster Volgade 5-7, 1350, Copenhagen, Denmark
Graham J. Pierce
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ, UK CESAM & Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Colin D. MacLeod
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen, AB24 2TZ, UK
Andrew Brownlow
Affiliation:
Wildlife Unit, SAC Veterinary Services, Drummondhill, Stratherrick Road, Inverness, IV2 4JZ, UK
Robert J. Reid
Affiliation:
Wildlife Unit, SAC Veterinary Services, Drummondhill, Stratherrick Road, Inverness, IV2 4JZ, UK
Emer Rogan
Affiliation:
School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, BEES, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork, Ireland
Marian Addink
Affiliation:
NCB Naturalis, Darwinweg 2, P.O. Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
Robert Deaville
Affiliation:
ZSL Institute of Zoology, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, UK
Paul D. Jepson
Affiliation:
ZSL Institute of Zoology, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, UK
M. Begoña Santos
Affiliation:
Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Vigo, P.O. Box 1552, Cabo Estay, Canido, 36200, Vigo, Spain
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: R. Fernández, Centre for GeoGenetics, University of Copenhagen, Øster Volgade 5-7, 1350, Copenhagen, Denmark email: ruth@mayaproject.org
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Abstract

Peaks in northern bottlenose whale, Hyperoodon ampullatus, strandings are found between August and September in the UK and August and November in The Netherlands, consistent with a hypothesized southward migration. However, results on diet suggest that several whales stranded during these months were not travelling from northern latitudes prior to stranding. We analysed the stomach contents of ten whales stranded in the north-east Atlantic (Scotland, N = 6, England, N = 1, Ireland, N = 2 and The Netherlands, N = 1). All but one of the analysed whales (live-stranded in the River Thames in January 2006) stranded between August and October. Food remains consisted almost entirely of cephalopod mandibles. Twenty-one cephalopod species (16 families) were recorded, the most abundant taxa being Gonatus spp., Teuthowenia spp. and Taonius pavo. No fish and few crustacean remains were found. Small amounts of cephalopod flesh were found in three of the stomachs and none in the others. Given that cephalopod beaks can remain within the stomach for several days, and that there was no evidence of inshore feeding (no coastal species were present among the prey), the whales may not have fed for several days prior to stranding. Three whales had remains of warm-temperate water cephalopods (e.g. Vampyroteuthis infernalis, Heteroteuthis sp.) in their stomachs, while three individuals showed a high diversity of prey in their stomachs, suggesting that several of the whales could have been either travelling north or consistently feeding in temperate latitudes prior to stranding. As previously recorded in other deep diving teuthophagous cetaceans, two animals had ingested small amounts of plastic debris.

Keywords

strandingsnorthern bottlenose whalesHyperoodon ampullatusnorth-east Atlanticseasonalitydiet
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 94 , Issue 6 , September 2014 , pp. 1109 - 1116
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2014 

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