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dc.contributor.authorVogel, Emma Frances
dc.contributor.authorRikardsen, Audun H.
dc.contributor.authorBlanchet, Marie-Anne
dc.contributor.authorBlévin, Pierre
dc.contributor.authorBiuw, Martin
dc.date.accessioned2024-09-10T09:04:25Z
dc.date.available2024-09-10T09:04:25Z
dc.date.issued2024-03-21
dc.description.abstractNorwegian killer whales (Orcinus orca) are thought to be generalists that feed primarily on fish, but some individuals have been observed targeting pinnipeds. In the study reported here, field observations of foraging behaviours formed the basis of a priori classification as either seal-eaters or fish-eaters. Concurrent collection of photographic identification and biopsies for stable isotope analysis were used to validate prey choice classification. We found through satellite tracking that whales classified as seal-eaters took different paths south after leaving the northern fjords seemingly optimized for pinniped predation. Specifically, we found that seal-eaters took paths that tightly followed the coastline, remaining on average 6.9 ± 10.7 km (mean ± SD, n = 315) from the coast, whereas fish-eaters moved offshore along the continental shelf, travelling on average 45.1 ± 30.2 km (n = 1534) from the coast. We also found that, compared to fish-eaters, seal-eaters displayed more movements directed towards harbour seal haul-outs (p = 0.001). As expected, our data suggest that the fish-eaters feed primarily on fish, whilst seal-eaters appear to opportunistically use diverse foraging strategies optimized for either fish or seals based on availability and preference. Our findings demonstrate that tracking data can elucidate Norwegian killer whale movements associated with different prey types and selection.en_US
dc.identifier.citationVogel, Rikardsen, Blanchet, Blévin, Biuw. Norwegian killer whale movements reflect their different prey types. Polar Research. 2024;43en_US
dc.identifier.cristinIDFRIDAID 2263948
dc.identifier.doi10.33265/polar.v43.9840
dc.identifier.issn0800-0395
dc.identifier.issn1751-8369
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10037/34645
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherNorwegian Polar Instituteen_US
dc.relation.journalPolar Research
dc.rights.accessRightsopenAccessen_US
dc.rights.holderCopyright 2024 The Author(s)en_US
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0en_US
dc.rightsAttribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)en_US
dc.titleNorwegian killer whale movements reflect their different prey typesen_US
dc.type.versionpublishedVersionen_US
dc.typeJournal articleen_US
dc.typeTidsskriftartikkelen_US
dc.typePeer revieweden_US


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Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)