Feeding habits of harp (Phoca groenlandica) and hooded seals (Cystophora cristata) during late winter, spring and early summer in the Greenland Sea

Authors

  • Vladimir Potelov Polar Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceonography (PINRO),6 Knipovich Street, 183763, Murmansk, Russia
  • Kjell Tormod Nilssen Norwegian Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture, N-9291 Tromsø
  • Vladislav Svetochev Polar Research Institute of Marine Fisheries and Oceonography (PINRO), 6 Knipovich Street, 183763, Murmansk, Russia
  • Tore Haug Norwegian Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture, N-9291 Tromsø

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7557/3.2970

Keywords:

harp seals, Phoca groenlandica, hooded seals, Cystophora cristata, feeding, diet, prey, Greenland Sea

Abstract

Diet data were collected in the Greenland Sea pack ice (the West Ice) from March to June from harp seals (Phoca groenlandica) in 1987, 1990-1992 and 1997, and from hooded seals (Cystophora cristata) in 1992 and 1994, during Soviet Russian commercial sealing and on Norwegian scientific expeditions. The majority of both harp and hooded seal stomachs were empty but intestinal contents were found in most of the seals. The harp seal diet was totally dominated by the amphipods Parathemisto sp. and Gammarus sp., but krlll (Thysanoessa sp.) and polar cod (Boreogadus saida) were also eaten quite frequently. Hooded seals had been feeding mainly on the squid Gonatus fabricii, which was found most frequently in the intestines, but which also dominated in the few stomachs with contents. Polar cod also occurred quite frequently in the hooded seal diet, while crustaceans, such as amphipods and krill, occurred only sporadically.

Downloads

Published

2000-05-25

How to Cite

Potelov, V., Nilssen, K. T., Svetochev, V., & Haug, T. (2000). Feeding habits of harp (<i>Phoca groenlandica</i>) and hooded seals (<i>Cystophora cristata</i>) during late winter, spring and early summer in the Greenland Sea. NAMMCO Scientific Publications, 2, 40–49. https://doi.org/10.7557/3.2970

Issue

Vol. 2: Minke whales, harp and hooded seals: Major predators in the North Atlantic Ecosystem

Section

Articles

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  • Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  • Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  • Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).

Most read articles by the same author(s)

1 2 > >>