OBSERVATION OF FIN WHALE (BALAENOPTERA PHYSALUS) FEEDING BEHAVIOR IN THE AUSTRAL SUMMER SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE MID-LATITUDES

Abstract

In the Southern Hemisphere, fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) feed mainly in the latitudinal range between 50°S and 60°S during the austral summer. In February 2021, five fin whales were sighted about 1,000 km south of the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa at position 43°49′S, 19°12′E. Feeding behavior was evident as the whales were lunging laterally into surrounding red patches with their mouth open. Examination of sampled red patches revealed that the fin whales were feeding on either Calanus australis or C. agulhensis. This is the first report of fin whales preying on Calanus spp. in this sea area and time of the year.