Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning
EU Network of Excellence

 
Main Menu

· Home
· Contacts
· Data Systems
· Documents
· FAQ
· Links
· MarBEF Open Archive
· Network Description
· Outreach
· Photo Gallery
· Quality Assurance
· Register of Resources
· Research Projects
· Rules and Guidelines
· Training
· Wiki
· Worldconference

 

Register of Resources (RoR)

 People  |  Datasets  |  Literature  |  Institutes  |  Projects 

[ report an error in this record ]basket (1): add | show Print this page

one publication added to basket [220427]
The Grey Seal (Halichoerus grypus) as a predator of Harbour Porpoises (Phocoena phocoena)?
Haelters, J.; Kerckhof, F.; Jauniaux, T.; Degraer, S. (2012). The Grey Seal (Halichoerus grypus) as a predator of Harbour Porpoises (Phocoena phocoena)? Aquat. Mamm. 38(4): 343-353. http://dx.doi.org/10.1578/AM.38.4.2012.343
In: Aquatic Mammals. European Association for Aquatic Mammals: Harderwijk. ISSN 0167-5427; e-ISSN 1996-7292
Peer reviewed article  

Available in  Authors 

Keywords
    Aquatic organisms > Heterotrophic organisms > Predators
    Halichoerus grypus (Fabricius, 1791) [WoRMS]; Phocoena phocoena (Linnaeus, 1758) [WoRMS]; Phocoena phocoena (Linnaeus, 1758) [WoRMS]
    ANE, Belgium [Marine Regions]
    Marine/Coastal
Author keywords
    harbour porpoise, Phocoena phocoena, grey seal, Halichoerus grypus, predation, Belgium

Authors  Top 
  • Haelters, J., more
  • Kerckhof, F., more
  • Jauniaux, T.
  • Degraer, S., more

Abstract
    In September 2011, two harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) presenting extensive traumatic lesions washed ashore in Belgium. Similar lesions, with large parts of skin and blubber missing, had not been recorded before on harbour porpoises in Belgium but were recently observed in a number of cases in neighbouring countries. We compared the lesions with the mouth and teeth structure of possible predators. The circumstances of the strandings, the observations during the necropsies, and the results of seal skull investigations pointed towards seals, presumably grey seals (Halichoerus grypus), as the prime suspects for having caused the death of both harbour porpoises. Although purely aggressive behaviour cannot be completely excluded, predation is considered most likely as part of the skin and blubber tissue of the harbour porpoises was missing. The grey seal is an opportunistic predator, feeding on a variety of fish and cephalopods, and occasionally even on crustaceans and seabirds, but predation on harbour porpoises, or any other marine mammal, had to our knowledge never been described. This finding might shed a new light on the cause of death of some of the other mutilated harbour porpoises recently stranded on southern North Sea beaches, and it presents a case of a change in the feeding strategy of a top predator.

All data in the Integrated Marine Information System (IMIS) is subject to the VLIZ privacy policy Top | Authors 


If any information here appears to be incorrect, please contact us
Back to Register of Resources
 
Quick links

MarBEF WIKI

Erasmus Mundus Master of Science in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation (EMBC)
Outreach

Science
Responsive Mode Programme (RMP) - Marie Nordstrom, copyright Aspden Rebecca

WoRMS
part of WoRMS logo

ERMS 2.0
Epinephelus marginatus Picture: JG Harmelin

EurOBIS

Geographic System

Datasets

 


Web site hosted and maintained by Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) - Contact data-at-marbef.org