Marine animals ’shop’ for food: British researchers

British researchers believe they have shed new light on how marine animals such as fish, penguins, seals and turtles hunt for food, likening their methods to how humans search for a new restaurant.

The team of marine biologists based their conclusions on a study of Antarctic krill, a form of plankton eaten by penguins and seals after finding marked differences in the distribution of the vital food source.

Andrew Brierley, from the University of St Andrews’ School of Biology Gatty Marine Lab, said hunting strategies closely match the natural distributions of plankton and follow a set pattern of movement.

“Predators often hunt by making long initial journeys into a new feeding area — think of catching a bus in to a new town to look for a restaurant,” he said in a statement released by the university Wednesday.

“This is followed by a series of smaller jumps to harvest the prey in that region, like walking from the chip shop to the burger van in the same town.

“Once all the prey is consumed in the first location, predators then move on in a long jump in search of a new feeding location — a bit like getting a taxi home to raid the fridge after closing time (at the pub).”

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Tagged as: Krill, Seals, University of St Andrews, University of St Andrews\' School of Biology Gatty Mari

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