Passive acoustics suggest two different feeding mechanisms in the Atlantic walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) - CNRS - Centre national de la recherche scientifique Accéder directement au contenu
Article Dans Une Revue Polar Biology Année : 2022

Passive acoustics suggest two different feeding mechanisms in the Atlantic walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus)

Résumé

The vocal repertoire of walruses has been widely described in the bioacoustic literature. These marine mammals produce several distinct types of vocalizations for intraspecific communication during the breeding season. In this study, we provide the first evidence of walrus-generated sounds during foraging dives when they feed on bivalves. We recorded two types of sounds that we associated to different feeding mechanisms. The first sound type was brief and low in frequency that we relate to the suction of soft parts from the bivalves’ shells through the use of walrus powerful tongues, which is the common feeding behavior reported in the walrus literature. We also recorded a second sound type composed of multiple broadband pulse trains. We hypothesize the latter were associated with bivalve shell cracking by walruses, which would represent a new feeding mechanism in the walrus literature. This new feeding mechanism is either related to bivalves’ ecology or to walruses removing the sediment when searching for food. During this study, we observed bivalves lying on the seafloor instead of being buried in the sediment in walrus feeding areas while scuba diving. As a result, walruses cannot use suction to feed on soft body part of bivalves and have to use another strategy, mastication. Our findings provide a first step towards using passive acoustics to quantify walrus behavior and feeding ecology.
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Dates et versions

hal-03840630 , version 1 (05-02-2024)

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Citer

Youenn Jézéquel, Delphine Mathias, Frédéric Olivier, Erwan Amice, Sylvain Chauvaud, et al.. Passive acoustics suggest two different feeding mechanisms in the Atlantic walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus). Polar Biology, 2022, 45 (6), pp.1157-1162. ⟨10.1007/s00300-022-03055-y⟩. ⟨hal-03840630⟩
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