THE NARWHAL'S FOOD HABITS AND NUTRITION
FOODS CONSUMED IN THE WILD
The narwhal's main food sources are Boreoatlantic Armhook squid (Gonatus fabricii), Northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis), Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida), Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides), polar cod (Arctogadus glacialis) and capelin (Mallotus villosus). (Watt and Ferguson 2015)
Elisabeth Tonnesson, Arctic cod, www.phys.org
Melanie Fortin, Pandalus borealis, www.doris.ffessm.fr
Dante Fenolio, armhook squid, www.fineartamerica.com
Studies of winter feeding behavior is scarce because narwhals live underneath the dark ice. However, it is predicted that since they deep-dive to eat, they are able to eat the same food year round. (Laidre 2005) When they are situated in their breeding grounds near the shore during late summer, they feed very little. (Finley and Gibb 1982)
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NUTRITIVE VALUE
Metabolizable Energy
Shrimp provides 89kcal ME/100g. (Dayal et al. 2013) Squid provides 17.29MJ/kg DM. (Hulan et al., 1978)
Crude Protein
Both shrimp and squid are excellent sources of dietary protein. Shrimp contains 38.32% CP (Dayal et al. 2013) and squid contains 64.5% CP. (Hulan et al. 1978)
Fat
Shrimp is low in fat content, consisting of only 6.30% EE. (Dayal et al. 2013) Squid is slightly higher, containing 12.01% EE. (Hulan et al. 1978)
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Carbohydrates
NFE is the fraction of digestible carbohydrate content in feed. Shrimp contains 29.39% NFE (Dayal et al. 2013) and squid contains 10.3% NFE. (Hulan et al. 1978)
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Data on shrimp was obtained from Tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) and Indian white shrimp (Fenneropenaeus indicus). Data on squid was obtained from Northern shortfin squid (Illex illecebrosus).
NUTRITIVE VALUE
ANTINUTRITIVE FACTORS
There are no known anti-nutrients or toxins that may limit the survival, well-being or reproduction of the narwhal under natural conditions.
ANTINUTRITIVE FACTORS
NECESSARY FOOD CONSUMPTION
The average Northern shrimp is estimated to weigh 10g.
Shrimp provides 89kcal ME/100g. (Dayal et al. 2013) The narwhal's energy requirement for maintenance is 14.27Mcal/day. Thus, the narwhal requires 16kg of shrimp per day, or 1603 shrimp per day.
Average weight of squid found in the stomach is 130g
Squid provides 17.29MJ/kg DM of energy. (Hulan et al. 1979) The narwhal requires 14.27 Mcal/day for maintenance. Thus, the narwhal must eat 3480g of squid per day, or 27 squid per day.
(Finley and Gibb 1982)