First longitudinal study of seal-feeding killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Norwegian coastal waters

PLoS One. 2017 Jun 30;12(6):e0180099. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0180099. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Killer whales (Orcinus orca) have been documented preying on either fish or marine mammals in several regions, suggesting that this odontocete species has the ability to specialize on different types of prey. Off Norway, killer whales have been shown to rely on the Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus) as a main prey resource. Infrequent observations have revealed seals as an additional component of their diet, yet the extent of predation on marine mammals has remained largely unknown. Here, we present the findings of 29 years of photographic and observational data on seal-feeding killer whale groups identified in Norwegian coastal waters. Four groups have been observed preying and feeding on seals over several years, taking both harbor (Phoca vitulina) and grey (Halichoerus grypus) seals. These stable groups are shown to adopt small group sizes, were typically observed in near-shore areas and were not encountered on herring wintering grounds. Behavioral and social traits adopted by these groups are similar to those of pinniped-feeding killer whales from other regions. The potential ecological reasons and the extent of such prey specializations are discussed.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Norway
  • Phoca*
  • Predatory Behavior*
  • Seals, Earless*
  • Whale, Killer / physiology*

Grants and funding

Fieldwork conducted from 1988 through 1993 was partly funded by the Marine Mammal Program of the National Research Council (http://www.forskningsradet.no/en/Home_page/1177315753906) to DV and AB. From 2014 through 2016, fieldwork was financed by grants from Spare-Bank 1 Nord-Norge (https://www.sparebank1.no/bank/privat.html) to RK and EJ, Sea World and Busch Gardens Conservation fund (https://swbg-conservationfund.org) to RK and EJ, and Sea Word and Parks Entertainment (https://seaworldparks.com) to EJ and RK. One of the authors is also employed, at the time of writing, by a commercial company being Reportagebörsen. The two commercial funding organizations only provided financial support to the study, and Reportagebörsen only provides AB with support in the form of salary. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.