ArticleBiology letters2023
Extremely low seasonal prey capture efficiency in a deep-diving whale, the narwhal.
Article in Biology letters, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Impact of Tusk Anomalies on the Long-Term Foraging Ecology of Narwhals.Ecology and evolution · 2025Article
- δRoyal Society open science · 2025Article
- High-resolution biologging of an Atlantic bluefin tuna captured and eaten by a supposed orca.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- The nightscape of the Arctic winter shapes the diving behavior of a marine predator.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Extremely low seasonal prey capture efficiency in a deep-diving whale, the narwhal.Biology letters · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Successful foraging is essential for individuals to maintain the positive energy balance required for survival and reproduction. Yet, prey capture efficiency is poorly documented in marine apex predators, especially deep-diving mammals. We deployed acoustic tags and stomach temperature pills in summer to collect concurrent information on presumed foraging activity (through buzz detection) and successful prey captures (through drops in stomach temperature), providing estimates of feeding efficiency in narwhals. Compared to the daily number of buzzes (707 ± 368), the daily rate of feeding events was particularly low in summer (19.8 ± 8.9) and only 8-14% of the foraging dives were successful (i.e. with a detectable prey capture). This extremely low success rate resulted in a very low daily food consumption rate (less than 0.5% of body mass), suggesting that narwhals rely on body reserves accumulated in winter to sustain year-round activities. The expected changes or disappearance of their wintering habitats in response to climate change may therefore have severe fitness consequences for narwhal populations.
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