Leclerc, Lisa-Marie E; Lydersen, Christian; Haug, Tore; Bachmann, Lutz; Fisk, Aaron T; Kovacs, Kit Maureen (2012): Characteristics and stomach contents of Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) caught in Svalbard during June 2008-2009 [dataset publication series]. PANGAEA, https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.815268, Supplement to: Leclerc, L-ME et al. (2012): A missing piece in the Arctic food web puzzle? Stomach contents of Greenland sharks sampled in Svalbard, Norway. Polar Biology, 35(8), 1197-1208, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-012-1166-7
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Abstract:
Harbour seals in Svalbard have short longevity, despite being protected from human hunting and having limited terrestrial predation at their haulout sites, low contaminant burdens and no fishery by-catch issues. This led us to explore the diet of Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) in this region as a potential seal predator. We examined gastrointestinal tracts (GITs) from 45 Greenland sharks in this study. These sharks ranged from 229 to 381 cm in fork length and 136-700 kg in body mass; all were sexually immature. Seal and whale tissues were found in 36.4 and 18.2%, respectively, of the GITs that had contents (n = 33). Based on genetic analyses, the dominant seal prey species was the ringed seal (Pusa hispida); bearded seal (Erignathus barbatus) and hooded seal (Cystophora cristata) tissues were each found in a single shark. The sharks had eaten ringed seal pups and adults based on the presence of lanugo-covered prey (pups) and age determinations based on growth rings on claws (<1 year and adults). All of the whale tissue was from minke whale (Balenoptera acutorostrata) offal, from animals that had been harvested in the whale fishery near Svalbard. Fish dominated the sharks' diet, with Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), Atlantic wolffish (Anarhichas lupus) and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) being the most important fish species. Circumstantial evidence suggests that these sharks actively prey on seals and fishes, in addition to eating carrion such as the whale tissue. Our study suggests that Greenland sharks may play a significant predatory role in Arctic food webs.
Project(s):
Coverage:
Latitude: 79.005000 * Longitude: 11.669000
Date/Time Start: 2008-06-07T00:00:00 * Date/Time End: 2009-06-25T00:00:00
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Comment:
Data extracted in the frame of a joint ICSTI/PANGAEA IPY effort, see http://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.150150
License:
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC-BY-3.0)
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4 datasets
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Datasets listed in this publication series
- Leclerc, L-ME; Lydersen, C; Haug, T et al. (2012): (Table 1) Characteristics of Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) caught during June 2008-2009 in Svalbard. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.815264
- Leclerc, L-ME; Lydersen, C; Haug, T et al. (2012): (Table 2) Stomach contents of Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) caught during June 2008-2009 in Svalbard. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.815265
- Leclerc, L-ME; Lydersen, C; Haug, T et al. (2012): (Table 3) Tissue type, mass, number and age estimate of the seals found in Greenland shark stomachs during June 2008-2009. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.815266
- Leclerc, L-ME; Lydersen, C; Haug, T et al. (2012): (Table 4) Composition of the main prey items (as reconstructed biomass) of Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) during June 2008-2009. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.815267