Endangered predators and endangered prey: Seasonal diet of Southern Resident killer whales.

ABSTRACT: Understanding diet is critical for conservation of endangered predators. Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW) (Orcinus orca) are an endangered population occurring primarily along the outer coast and inland waters of Washington and British Columbia. Insufficient prey has been identified as a factor limiting their recovery, so a clear understanding of their seasonal diet is a high conservation priority. Previous studies have shown that their summer diet in inland waters consists primarily of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), despite that species' rarity compared to some other salmonids. During other times of the year, when occurrence patterns include other portions of their range, their diet remains largely unknown. To address this data gap, we collected feces and prey remains fr

SUBMITTER: Hanson MB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7928517 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature