M. Ogawa, Teunis Jansen, Aqqalu Rosing‐Asvid, Sascha Schiøtt, Caroline Bouchard, Evgeny A. Podolskiy, Søren L. Post, Yuta Sakuragi, Mayuko Otsuki, Shin Sugiyama, Yoko Mitani
A view that tidewater glacier fronts are important feeding grounds for marine predators is becoming widespread, although there is little direct evidence of their foraging activities and diet in these areas. Here, we conducted a spatial analysis of the stomach contents of ringed seals to investigate their diet and its relationship with glacier fronts, making the most of the unique opportunity provided by Inuit hunting, which allows obtaining stomachs with hunted locations. Our results showed that seals captured near glacier fronts consumed more prey than those captured farther away, particularly feeding on polar cod. Furthermore, the prey composition varied among capture locations, suggesting varied foraging strategies reflecting prey availability. Our study indicates that seals feed intensively at glacier fronts, emphasizing the potential for recent climate-induced glacier retreat to deprive seals of key foraging grounds, leading to changes in their behavior, diet, and habitat use. Ringed seals captured near glacier fronts consume more prey than those captured farther away, according to spatial analysis of stomach contents in collaboration with Inuit hunters.