Journal
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY
Volume 217, Issue 16, Pages 2851-2854Publisher
COMPANY OF BIOLOGISTS LTD
DOI: 10.1242/jeb.106682
Keywords
Feeding; Minke whales; Performance
Categories
Funding
- National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs RAPID award [1250208]
- Directorate For Geosciences
- Office of Polar Programs (OPP) [1250208] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
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Body size and feeding mode are two fundamental characteristics that determine foraging performance and ecological niche. As the smallest obligate lunge filter feeders, minke whales represent an ideal system for studying the physical and energetic limits of filter feeding in endotherms. We used multi-sensor suction cup tags to quantify the feeding performance of Antarctic minke whales. Foraging dives around and beneath sea ice contained up to 24 lunges per dive, the highest feeding rates for any lunge-feeding whale. Their small size allows minke whales access to krill in sea-ice environments not easily accessible to larger baleen whales. Furthermore, their ability to filter feed provides an advantage over other smaller sympatric krill predators such as penguins and seals that feed on individual prey. The unique combination of body size, feeding mechanism and sea-ice habitat of Antarctic minke whales defines a previously undocumented energetic niche that is unique among aquatic vertebrates.
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