Niche division between two sympatric deep diving odontocete species

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24370012
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Ecology/Environment
• Research Institution: Nagasaki University
• Principal Investigator: AMANO Masao 長崎大学, 水産・環境科学総合研究科(水産), 教授 (50270905)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): SATO Katsufumi 東京大学, 大気海洋研究所, 教授 (50300695) ; MINAMIKAWA Shingo 独立行政法人水産総合研究センター, 国際水産資源研究所, 研究員 (90392919)
• Research Collaborator: AOKI Kagari 日本学術振興会, 海外特別研究員
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 種間関係 / ハクジラ類 / 生息地利用 / 採餌戦略

Outline of Final Research Achievements

It is hypothesized that deep diving sperm whales and ziphiid whales can coexist by utilizing mesopelagic environment differently. We test this hypothesis by examining habitat use of sperm and Baird’s beaked whales in the Nemuro Strait, Hokkaido, where the two species are distributed sympatrically. The both species occurred in the middle part of the strait, but distribution and its diel movement pattern was different. Data loggers attached to sperm whales revealed that sperm whales followed simple routine to search prey in the Strait. These results indicate that habitat use pattern is different between these two species.

Free Research Field

行動生態学