Abstract
The diet of ringed seals (Pusa hispida) from coastal and offshore areas of Northeast Greenland was determined by identifying, to the lowest taxonomic limit possible, all hard-part contents from the gastrointestinal tract of 51 seals sampled (2002–2004) in spring (April to June, N = 35) and autumn (September to October, N = 16). The autumn diet was characterized by high numbers of Parathemisto libellula, and the spring diet was comprised primarily of polar cod (Boreogadus saida), with few invertebrates consumed. The coastal seal diet samples had a diverse fish prey composition (during both the spring and autumn), whereas the open water seals had eaten mostly crustaceans with P. libellula being most abundant. The sample sizes from the various locations and seasons were not large enough to explore age-class effects on diet in addition. Similar to earlier studies, this study suggests that the ringed seal is a generalist that exploits prey based on availability, with a few key species dominating the diet in an area at least on a seasonal basis.
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Acknowledgments
We thank the hunters in Ittoqqortoormiit and Jonas Brønlund who collected samples for this study and the Norwegian Research Council for an Arctic Stipend that supported AL during the collection of the IT samples. We also thank Rasmus Gregersen who collected the YS samples, Pernille Bondo Harders who helped analyse the YS samples and Jørgen Tranum-Jensen and the crew on R/V Jan Mayen for field assistance. Dr. Jan Marcin Weslawski identified some of the crustacean material. Thanks are also extended to the three reviewers who helped improve this manuscript.
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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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Labansen, A.L., Lydersen, C., Levermann, N. et al. Diet of ringed seals (Pusa hispida) from Northeast Greenland. Polar Biol 34, 227–234 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-010-0874-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-010-0874-0