Stomach contents of English Channel cetaceans stranded on the coast of Normandy

• Published in: Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2005-12, Vol.85 (6), p.1539-1546
• Main Authors: De Pierrepont, J.F., Dubois, B., Desormonts, S., Santos, M.B., Robin, J.P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Aquatic mammals; Autoecology; Balaenoptera; Biological and medical sciences; Cetacea; Delphinus delphis; Diet; Dolphins & porpoises; Food; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Globicephala; Halichoerus grypus; Harbors; Lagenorhynchus albirostris; Mammalia; Marine; Marine mammals; Otoliths; Phocoena; Predation; Research Article; Scomber scombrus; Seals; Stomach; Trisopterus; Tursiops truncatus; Vertebrata; Vertebrates: general zoology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, cytogenetics, geographical distribution
• ISSN: 0025-3154; 1469-7769
• DOI: 10.1017/S0025315405012762

During 1998–2003 stomach contents of 47 marine mammals stranded on the coast of Normandy were analysed. The animals were first examined by a veterinary network and stomach contents were analysed at the University of Caen. The sample comprised: 26 common dolphins (Delphinus delphis), four bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), seven harbour porpoises (Phocoena phoecoena), five grey seals (Halichoerus grypus), two long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas), one white beaked dolphin (Lagenorhynchus albirostris), one minke whale (Balaenoptera acurostrata) and one striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba). The identification of food items was done using hard parts (i.e. fish otoliths and cephalopod beaks). Diet indices were computed including prey frequency and percentage by number. Common dolphins ate mainly gadoid fish (Trisopterus sp.), gobies and mackerel (Scomber scombrus). Cephalopods occurred in small numbers in the diet and commercially important species (cuttlefish and common squid) were scarce.