Stable isotopes (δ15N, δ13C, δ34S) in skin reveal diverse food sources used by southern right whales Eubalaena australis

Southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) off Península Valdés, Argentina, utilize at least three distinct food sources, likely corresponding to previously documented whaling feeding grounds such as the Patagonian Shelf, South Georgia, and the Polar Front. This is revealed through stable isotope analysis of skin samples, which show diverse isotopic signatures (δ15N, δ13C, δ34S) that match those of euphausiids and copepods from different regions in the southwestern South Atlantic and Southern Ocean. The study suggests substantial variability in foraging strategies among individual whales, with differences in age and sex classes potentially linked to biomechanical or physiological traits rather than specialized feeding grounds.

Valenzuela, L., Rowntree, V., Sironi, M., & Seger, J. (2018). Stable isotopes (δ15N, δ13C, δ34S) in skin reveal diverse food sources used by southern right whales Eubalaena australis. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 603, 243–255. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12722