Differential rates of killer whale attacks on humpback whales in the North Atlantic as determined by scarification

As in other populations of killer whales, Orcinus orca, prey selectivity in the North Atlantic population may indicate behaviourally or ecologically distinct types of killer whales. Some killer whale ecotypes are known to prey on large whales, but the ecological impact of such predation events is un...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2014-09, Vol.94 (6), p.1311-1315
Main Authors: McCordic, Jessica A., Todd, Sean K., Stevick, Peter T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquatic mammals
Ecotypes
Marine
Megaptera novaeangliae
Orcinus orca
Predation
Prey
Scars
Trematoda
Whales & whaling
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Summary:As in other populations of killer whales, Orcinus orca, prey selectivity in the North Atlantic population may indicate behaviourally or ecologically distinct types of killer whales. Some killer whale ecotypes are known to prey on large whales, but the ecological impact of such predation events is unknown. Since killer whale attacks on humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, are rarely witnessed, resultant scars may be used to determine the frequency of non-fatal predatory interactions. Using images from the North Atlantic Humpback Whale Catalogue (NAHWC), we examined humpback whale flukes for the presence of rake marks from killer whales (N = 5040). Scarring frequencies range from 2.7 to 17.4% and differ significantly among five regions of the North Atlantic (Gulf of Maine, Canada, West Greenland, Iceland and Norway). The scarring rate in the Canada region is significantly higher than all other regions, and Norway has a significantly lower scarring rate than all other regions, despite more frequently reported killer whale sightings in that region. Within the western North Atlantic, Canada has a scarring rate nearly twice that of either the Gulf of Maine or West Greenland. These data may reflect differential prey choice among killer whale ecotypes and/or the distribution of specific ecotypes across the North Atlantic basin.
ISSN:0025-3154
1469-7769
DOI:10.1017/S0025315413001008