A new study led by Griffith University predicts future climate change impacts could disrupt the krill-heavy diet that humpback whales in the southern hemisphere consume.
A new study led by Griffith University predicts future climate change impacts could disrupt the krill-heavy diet that humpback whales in the southern hemisphere consume.
Dr Jasmin Groß, who conducted the study as a PhD candidate at Griffith’s Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security analysed fatty acids and stable isotopes from blubber and skin samples of five different humpback whale populations around the southern hemisphere.
These levels were then compared with those of their primary prey item, Antarctic krill.
The team found that although there were distinct differences in the biochemical profiles, the diet of all tested humpback whale populations was Antarctic krill, which provides a high fat content diet ideal for the migratory lifestyle of these populations, Dr Groß said.
Read more at Griffith University
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