Feeding success of sperm whales and sea-surface temperature off the Galapagos Islands
- 1 January 1989
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Inter-Research Science Center in Marine Ecology Progress Series
- Vol. 53 (2) , 201-203
- https://doi.org/10.3354/meps053201
Abstract
Sperm whales Physeter macrocephalus were observed off the Galapagos Islands between late February and April 1985, a year of cool sea-surface temperatures (SST), and January to June 1987, an ''El Nino'' year of warm SST. Distribution, abundance and diet of sperm whales were similar in both years. However, in 1967 they appeared to have a lower feeding success, as indicated by a reduced rate of observing feaces, and dived to shallower depths. Excretion rates were negatively correlated with sea-surface temperatures.This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit:
- Upwelling EcosystemsPublished by Springer Nature ,1978