Availability of preferred salmonid prey and a sufficiently quiet acoustic environment in which to forage are critical to the survival of resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) in the northeastern Pacific. Although piscivorous killer whales rely on echolocation to locate and track prey, the relationship between echolocation, movement, and prey capture during foraging by wild individuals is poorly understood. We used acoustic biologging tags to relate echolocation behavior to prey pursuit and capture during successful feeding dives by fish-eating killer whales in coastal British Columbia, Canada. The significantly higher incidence and rate of echolocation prior to fish captures compared to afterward confirms its importance in prey detection and tracking. Extremely rapid click sequences (buzzes) were produced before or concurrent with captures of salmon at depths typically exceeding 50 m, and were likely used by killer whales for close-range prey targeting, as in other odontocetes. Distinctive crunching and tearing sounds indicative of prey-handling behavior occurred at relatively shallow depths following fish captures, matching concurrent observations that whales surfaced with fish prior to consumption and often shared prey. Buzzes and prey-handling sounds are potentially useful acoustic signals for estimating foraging efficiency and determining if resident killer whales are meeting their energetic requirements.

中文翻译：

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虎鲸（Orcinus orca）在追捕和捕获太平洋鲑鱼（Oncorhynchus spp.）期间产生的回声定位和猎物处理声音的行为背景

可用性最佳鲑鱼捕食和足够安静的声学环境，在其中饲料是居民虎鲸的生存至关重要的（的Orcinus ORCA) 在太平洋东北部。尽管食鱼虎鲸依靠回声定位来定位和跟踪猎物，但对野生个体觅食过程中回声定位、运动和捕获猎物之间的关系知之甚少。我们使用声学生物记录标签将回声定位行为与加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省沿海食鱼虎鲸成功觅食潜水期间的猎物追捕​​和捕获相关联。与捕获鱼之后相比，捕获鱼之前显着更高的回声定位发生率和比率证实了其在猎物检测和跟踪中的重要性。在通常超过 50 m 的深度捕获鲑鱼之前或同时产生极快的点击序列（嗡嗡声），并且很可能被虎鲸用于近距离猎物瞄准，就像其他齿鲸一样。在捕获鱼类后，在相对较浅的深度发生了表明处理猎物行为的独特嘎吱声和撕裂声，与同时观察到的鲸鱼在食用前与鱼类一起浮出水面并经常共享猎物的观察结果相匹配。嗡嗡声和处理猎物的声音是估计觅食效率和确定常驻虎鲸是否满足其能量需求的潜在有用声学信号。