Alien vs. Predator: interactions between the colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) and the Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni)
A.V. Remesloa, M.R. Yakusheva, V. Laptikhovskyb 2015 (subscription)
A.V. Remesloa, M.R. Yakusheva, V. Laptikhovskyb 2015 (subscription)
Abstract
Data collected onboard two South Korean longliners in 2011–2014 targeting Antarctic toothfish provided insights into trophic interactions between two Antarctic top predators: the colossal squid Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni and the Antarctic toothfish Dissostichus mawsoni. Adults of each species opportunistically prey upon weakened representatives of the other species: squid will feed on longline-caught toothfish, and toothfish on dying and dead squid. The highest occurrence of squid attacks was recorded in the Davis Sea and Commonwealth Sea, and the lowest in the Ross Sea. Squid depredation rates were around 1% on average, though regionally they might rise to 2–3%, which is of a similar magnitude to rates caused by sperm whales and killer whales in some areas.