THE DIET OF GALÁPAGOS SPERM WHALES PHYSETER MACROCEPHALUS AS INDICATED BY FECAL SAMPLE ANALYSIS

• DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-7692.2000.tb00927.x
• Publication Date: 2006-08-26T20:10:23Z
• Authors: Sean C. Smith; Hal Whitehead
• Keywords: Sperm whale; Beak; Cetacea

A bstract Fecal samples were collected while following sperm whales ( Physeter macrocephalus ) off the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador. They contained 133 upper beaks and 164 lower of cephalopods. Analysis suggests that fed primarily on three genera cephalopods; Histioteutbis (62%), Ancistrocbeirus (16%), Octopoteutbis (7%). The beak dimensions indicate cephalopods ranged in mantle length from 5 to 54 cm mass 12 650 g. varied significantly between five study years over different parts area, but number per sample did not correlate with defecation rate (a measure feeding success). Using material fecal gives a biased estimate whale diet, reducing frequencies very small large However, all other available methods assessing diet also possess biases.