Ecology Summary - Balaenoptera borealis
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Ecology of Balaenoptera borealis
 
Main Ref. Jefferson, T.A., S. Leatherwood and M.A. Webber, 1993
Remarks Generally found in coastal, shelf and oceanic waters (Ref. 122680). Feeds at the shelf break and seaward throughout the summer (Ref. 96832). Restricted to mid-latitude temperate zones (Ref. 1394). Uses both skimming and gulping as feeding strategies (Ref. 122680). Skims copepods and other small prey types (Ref. 1394); also feeds on squids (Ref. 122680), euphausiids and a variety of fish including saury and whiting. Also a "swallower." Zooplankton concentrations influence where the whales feed. Migratory (Ref. 96832). Commonly in groups of 2 to 5 individuals (Ref. 801).

Aquatic zones / Water bodies

Marine - Neritic Marine - Oceanic Brackishwater Freshwater
Marine zones / Brackish and freshwater bodies
  • supra-littoral zone
  • littoral zone
  • sublittoral zone
  • epipelagic
  • mesopelagic
  • epipelagic
  • abyssopelagic
  • hadopelagic
  • estuaries/lagoons/brackish seas
  • mangroves
  • marshes/swamps
  • rivers/streams
  • lakes/ponds
  • caves
  • exclusively in caves
Highighted items on the list are where Balaenoptera borealis may be found.

Habitat

Substrate Pelagic;
Substrate Ref. Nowak, R.M., 2003
Special habitats
Special habitats Ref.

Associations

Ref. Jefferson, T.A., S. Leatherwood and M.A. Webber, 1993
Associations
Associated with
Association remarks
Parasitism

feeding

Feeding type mainly animals (troph. 2.8 and up)
Feeding type Ref. Flinn, R.D., A.W. Trites, E.J. Gregr and R.I. Perry, 2002
Feeding habit filtering plankton
Feeding habit Ref. Jefferson, T.A., S. Leatherwood and M.A. Webber, 1993

Trophic Level(s)

Estimation method original sample unfished population Remark
Troph s.e. Troph s.e.
From diet composition 4.02 0.67 Troph of juv./adults.
From individual food items 3.86 0.53 Trophic level estimated from a number of food items using a randomized resampling routine.
Ref. Tamura, T., K. Konishi, T. Isoda, R. Okamoto and T. Bando, 2009
Ref. [ e.g. 3742]
Glossary [ e.g. cnidaria]
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