Dear MARMAM Community, My co-authors and I are excited to share our new publication in Scientific Reports titled "Foraging dives of southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) in relation to larger zooplankton size prey availability in Golfo Nuevo, Península Valdés, Argentina."
D’Agostino, V.C., Nocera, A.C., Abernathy, K., Muñoz Wilson, A., Coscarella, M.A., Degrati, M. Foraging dives of southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) in relation to larger zooplankton size prey availability in Golfo Nuevo, Península Valdés, Argentina. Sci Rep 14, 14211 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-63879-y Abstract: Southern right whales (SRWs, Eubalaena australis) have been observed feeding both at and below the surface (< 10 m) in Golfo Nuevo (42°42′ S, 64°30′ W), Península Valdés, Argentina, an area traditionally recognized as calving ground. In addition, we documented diving feeding behavior in SRWs during their stay in this gulf, which has not been previously described. We assessed this behavior using suction-cup-attached video-imaging tags (CRITTERCAMs) on individual whales. A total of eight CRITTERCAM deployments were successful, and feeding events were documented in all SRWs successfully equipped with CRITTERCAMs. The highest speeds occurred during the ascent phase, and the average diving time was 6 min 45 s ± 3 min 41 s for SRWs. Concurrently, zooplankton samples were collected from the subsurface and bottom of the water in areas where tagged whales dived to assess differences in composition, abundance, and biomass. Copepods dominated the upper layer, while euphausiids were more abundant in the deeper sample. Furthermore, zooplankton total biomass was five times higher at depth (2515.93 mg/m³) compared to the subsurface (500.35 mg/m³). Differences in zooplankton characteristics between depths, combined with CRITTERCAM videos, indicated that SRWs exploit high concentrations of organisms near the seafloor during daytime feeding dives. This study provides baseline insights into how SRWs utilize Península Valdés during their stay in the area. The article is open access and available here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-63879-y#citeas Please reach out with any questions. Cheers, Valeria (dagost...@cenpat-conicet.gob.ar) -- Dra. Valeria C. D'Agostino Investigadora - Laboratorio de Mamíferos Marinos Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos (CESIMAR-CONICET) Blvd. Brown 2915, U9120ACD Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina. Tel: (54-280) 4883184 - int. 1247 www.lamama.com.ar *CONICET* <https://www.conicet.gov.ar/new_scp/detalle.php?id=46111&keywords=Valeria%2BD%26%2339%3B%2BAgostino&datos_academicos=yes> // *Google* <https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=7l-3q_8AAAAJ&hl=es> *Scholar* <https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=7l-3q_8AAAAJ&hl=es> "Lo que sabemos es una gota de agua; lo que ignoramos es el océano" - *Isaac Newton*
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