New Zealand Journal of Zoology abstracts
Notes on New Zealand mammals 6. Second report on the stomach
contents of long-finned pilot whales, Globicephala melas
E. Beatson*
S. O’Shea
Earth and Oceanic Sciences Research Institute & School of
Applied Sciences
Auckland University of Technology
Private Bag 92006
Auckland 1142, New Zealand
C. Stone
T. Shortland
Ngatiwai Trust Board
Resource Management Unit
PO Box 1332
Whangarei 0140, New Zealand
*Author for correspondence: emma.beatson@aut.ac.nz
Abstract We report data on the stomach contents of the
long-finned pilot whale, Globicephala melas, recovered from a
group of whales stranded on Ruakaka Beach, northeastern New Zealand, in
November 2006. In nine whales for which identifiable stomach contents
were recovered (three that stranded on 10 November and six that
stranded on 11 November) prey remains comprised exclusively cephalopod
beaks attributed to five squid species. The stomachs of a further two
whales contained unidentifiable upper beaks only, while the stomachs of
five whales were completely empty. No whale appeared to have been
satiated immediately before stranding, given that the maximum biomass
of prey recently consumed by any one whale was calculated to be
<5 kg. All squids ingested represented oceanic species, found from
50 to 1000 m but more common towards the deeper end of this range.
These data both complement and contrast with the only other dietary
information available for this species in New Zealand waters, reported
from stomach contents of whales stranded on Farewell Spit, South Island
in December 2005.
Keywords Cephalopoda; diet; Globicephala melas;
long-finned pilot whale; New Zealand; stranding
Z07043; Online publication date 5 November 2007; Received 8 August
2007; accepted 7 September 2007
New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 2007, Vol. 34: 359–362
0301–4223/07/3404–0359 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2007
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