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Observations of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in the fjords of Chilean Patagonia

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Abstract

Killer whales occur in Chilean waters, but their seasonality, diets, and overall distribution are poorly known. Here, we present data on group composition, site fidelity, and prey species of individual killer whales recorded in 63 sightings between 2004 and 2012 in the Chilean Patagonian fjords. Group sizes were small (mean = 5, SD = 2.5 for calf groups; mean = 3, SD = 1.5 for non-calf groups), and occurrence was significantly lower in summer months. Photographs enabled identification of 55 individuals from natural markings, and all resembled Southern Ocean type A killer whales. The species was transient in the area; the average presence was 1.7 days with 60 % of individuals seen only once. Occupancy was 3–44 days, and low levels of site fidelity were recorded (64 % of individuals were seen in only 1 year). Group composition at short time scales (3 months) remained stable, but we detected changes at longer time scales. Prey included fish, otariids, and seabirds. Twelve individual killer whales showed a broad dietary spectrum: 3 ate otariids and fish, 2 ate birds and otariids, and 7 ate otariids, birds, and possibly fish. Further research is needed to increase basic biological knowledge of these killer whales and to determine the relationship with type A killer whales from the Southern Ocean.

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Acknowledgments

This study was partially supported by the Fundación Yubarta and Whalesound Ltda., grants D/010828/07 and D/010828/08 from the Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional y Desarrollo, INV-5-03-01 from the Universidad Santo Tomás, N° 021500 from Universidad de Magallanes, and Grant 029700 from Fondecyt-Chile. The authors wish to thank the Ministerio de Bienes Nacionales, the IFOP, the DIRECTEMAR, and the Ministerio del Medio Ambiente for providing facilities to conduct the study. We wish to thank Patricio T. Huerta and Natalie Goodall for their comments and review of the manuscript. We also wish to thank Robert L. Pitman, two anonymous reviewers, and the editor for their insightful suggestions and useful comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Whale Sound Ltda., Lautaro Navarro 1163, Punta Arenas, Chile

    Juan J. Capella

  2. Fundación Yubarta, Cali, Colombia

    Juan J. Capella

  3. Departamento de Psicobiología, Universidad Complutense, Madrid, Spain

    José Z. Abramson

  4. Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Universidad Santo Tomás, Av. Ejército 146, Santiago, Chile

    Yerko A. Vilina

  5. Proyecto Gaia, Instituto de la Patagonia, Universidad de Magallanes, Av. Bulnes 01855, Punta Arenas, Chile

    Jorge Gibbons

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  1. Juan J. Capella
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  2. José Z. Abramson
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  3. Yerko A. Vilina
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  4. Jorge Gibbons
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yerko A. Vilina.

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Capella, J.J., Abramson, J.Z., Vilina, Y.A. et al. Observations of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in the fjords of Chilean Patagonia. Polar Biol 37, 1533–1539 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-014-1535-5

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