Diet of the Magellanic Penguin on the Coast of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Abstract

-During 13 visits to the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil outside of the breeding season, stomachs were collected from 144 dead and randomly selected first-year Magellanic Penguins Spheniscus magellanicus and their contents analyzed. Cephalopods were an important item in the diet and were found in 76% of the stomachs, averaging five cephalopod beaks per stomach. The following cephalopods were identified from the remains: Illex argentinus, Histioteuthis sp., Loligo sp., L. sanpaulensis, L. plei, Argonauta nodosa and one specimen of family Cranchiidae. Smaller numbers of fish and fish otoliths (less than one per stomach); a few Hydrozoa, Isopoda and Salpa sp. were also found. Parasitic Nematoda were recorded in 80% of the stomachs. Many of the cephalopods were small and were probably planktonic. Maximum size of prey were larger than those reported from the breeding season. Received 1 October 2000, accepted 16January 2001.