Stomach contents of sperm whales stranded in the North Sea

5 pages, 2 figures

On the moming of 28 January 1996, a group of 6 sperm whales stranded on Cruden Bay beach, twenty miles north of Aberdeen (Scotland). All were males, ranging from 12 to 13 m in length. Stomach samples were collected from 5 whales. Blubber and liver samples were collected for analysis of contaminant levels, skin samples collected for genetic studies and teeth removed for ageing. The whales were 20-25 years old. Food remains recovered consisted entirely of cephalopod beaks (apart from a skate egg capsule in the stomach of one whale). However, it was not possible to examined the whole gastric contents in any of the cases. One whale had a piece of net of around 1 m. length in the stomach. The oceanic squid Gonatlls sp. (probably Gonatlls fabricii) was the main prey species, but remains of other oceanic squids (Histioteuthis bonnellii, Teuthowenia megalops, Todarodes sagittatus) were also found together with the octopus Haliphron atlanticus. Results are compared with stomach contents of sperm whales stranded in 1994 in Scotland, and also whales stranded in Holland and Germany in that year

Funding for SAC (RJR) was received from the UK Departrnent of the Environment and the Scottish Office Agriculture and Fisheries Department. Work at the University of Aberdeen was supported by the Commission of the European Communities under Contract ERB 4001 GT93 3630 (MBS)

Peer reviewed