Southern Right Whale Poop Reveals Diverse Diet, Boosting Climate Resilience Hopes

Scientists have discovered that southern right whales eat a more diverse diet than previously assumed, including young crabs, shrimp, lobster, jellyfish, mantis shrimp, saltwater clams, and nudibranchs, not just krill and copepods. This flexibility may help them adapt to climate change pressures on their traditional food sources in the Southern Ocean. The study, published June 15 in Molecular Ecology, analyzed 52 fecal samples collected between 2003 and 2021 from South Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand's Auckland Islands. Researchers used DNA metabarcoding to identify prey species. Co-author Emma Carroll of the University of Auckland noted that not relying on one or two prey types is beneficial as ecosystems change. Some samples were provided by Rod Keogh, a South Australia-based whale tour operator who has been collecting whale poop for nearly a decade. Despite the encouraging findings, many questions remain: southern right whales now give birth every four years instead of three, and researchers are unsure if the diet provides enough nutrients for calves. The study also only covers a few locations, leaving gaps in understanding across their broad feeding range, with 90% of whales foraging in a virtually unstudied region south of Australia.