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Cephalopod remains from sperm whales caught off western Canada

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Abstract

Of 379 cephalopod beaks sampled from stomachs of 20 sperm whales caught to the west of Vancouver Island, Canada, 152 beaks were sorted and measured. Thirteen types of beak were identified as belonging to eleven families. The most numerous species represented are Berryteuthis magister and Moroteuthis robusta comprising 28.9 and 24.3% respectively. These species were estimated to comprise 17.6 and 61.9% respectively of the weight of flesh represented by beaks.

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Communicated by J. Mauchline, Oban

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Clarke, M.R., MacLeod, N. Cephalopod remains from sperm whales caught off western Canada. Mar. Biol. 59, 241–246 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00404747

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00404747

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