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<p>Southern long-finned pilot whale is one of the most abundant cetaceans in Falkland Islands waters but no information is available on its food and feeding ecology. Here, stomach contents were collected from 86 whales mass-stranded in East Falkland to detail their diet and trophic relationships. A total of 6032 cephalopod beaks were collected from 56 whale stomachs. Twenty-six taxa were identified, including 23 oegopsids, one myopsid, one sepiolid and one octopod. The cephalopod diet was dominated by the onychoteuthid <i>Moroteuthopsis ingens</i>, which accounted for 81% of the total number of beaks, with the gonatid <i>Gonatus antarcticus</i> ranking second (10%), and the loliginid <i>Doryteuthis gahi</i> third (3%). Fish remains were found in 16 (29%) stomachs, with <i>M. magellanicus</i> being the only species that was identified (132 individuals). An effect of size and/or sex on prey items was found, with larger individuals (mainly males) feeding on larger prey than smaller individuals (mostly females) and calves. Prey biogeography indicates that southern long-finned pilot whales foraged in subantarctic waters before stranding, and prey biology highlights the nutritional importance of trophic connectivity between marine ecosystems for the whales on both a horizontal (from oceanic to neritic waters) and a vertical (pelagic-benthic gradient) scale.</p>

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Cephalopod and fish prey of southern long-finned pilot whales Globicephala melas edwardii mass-stranded in the Falkland Islands

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年6月22日

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  • Yves Cherel,
  • Alexander I. Arkhipkin,
  • Zhanna N. Shcherbich

摘要

Southern long-finned pilot whale is one of the most abundant cetaceans in Falkland Islands waters but no information is available on its food and feeding ecology. Here, stomach contents were collected from 86 whales mass-stranded in East Falkland to detail their diet and trophic relationships. A total of 6032 cephalopod beaks were collected from 56 whale stomachs. Twenty-six taxa were identified, including 23 oegopsids, one myopsid, one sepiolid and one octopod. The cephalopod diet was dominated by the onychoteuthid Moroteuthopsis ingens, which accounted for 81% of the total number of beaks, with the gonatid Gonatus antarcticus ranking second (10%), and the loliginid Doryteuthis gahi third (3%). Fish remains were found in 16 (29%) stomachs, with M. magellanicus being the only species that was identified (132 individuals). An effect of size and/or sex on prey items was found, with larger individuals (mainly males) feeding on larger prey than smaller individuals (mostly females) and calves. Prey biogeography indicates that southern long-finned pilot whales foraged in subantarctic waters before stranding, and prey biology highlights the nutritional importance of trophic connectivity between marine ecosystems for the whales on both a horizontal (from oceanic to neritic waters) and a vertical (pelagic-benthic gradient) scale.