ASSESSING NORTHERN ELEPHANT SEAL FEEDING HABITS BY STOMACH LAVAGE |
| |
| Authors: | George A Antonelis Jr Mark S Lowry Douglas P DeMaster Clifford H Fiscus |
| |
| Institution: | National Marine Mammal Laboratory, Northwest and Alaska Fisheries Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic &Atmospheric Administration, 7600 Sand Point Way N.E., Bldg. 4, Seattle, Washington 98115;Southwest Fisheries Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic &Atmospheric Administration, P.O. Box 271, La Jolla, California 92038;(Retired) National Marine Mammal Laboratory, Northwest and Alaska Fisheries Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic &Atmospheric Administration, 7600 Sand Point Way N.E., Bldg. 4, Seattle, Washington 98115 |
| |
| Abstract: | Stomach lavaging was used to study the feeding habits of northern elephant seals ( Mirounga angustirostris ) found on San Miguel Island, California, during the spring of 1984. Fifty-nine elephant seals were chemically immobilized with an intramuscular injection of ketamine hydrochloride. Once immobilized, an animal's stomach was intubated, filled with 3–4 liters of water to create a slurry of the undigested food items, and evacuated into a collection device. The stomachs of 57 (96.6%) of the animals lavaged contained identifiable parts of prey. Twenty-nine different food items were identified, 12 of which have not been previously reported as prey of the northern elephant seal: two teleost fish, Coryphaenoides acrolepis (Pacific rattail) and another unidentified macrourid; two crustaceans, Pasiphaea pacifica (glass shrimp) and Euphausia sp.; six squid, Abraliopsis felis, Gonatus berryi, Histioteuthis dofleini, Cranchia scabra, Taonius pavo, and Galiteuthis sp. and two octopi, Octopus dofleini and Octopus rubescens. |
| |
| Keywords: | Northern elephant seals feeding habits stomach lavage ketamine immobilization |
|
|
