Dýralíf

Hreiðar Þór Valtýsson

Dýralíf-DÝR 101• 9. sept.

• Vilt spendýr• 16. sept.

• Húsdýr• 18. sept.

• Fuglar• 7. okt.

• Fiskar• 9. okt.

• Hryggleysingjar• 15. okt

• Próf

NámslýsingÍ áfanganum er fjallað um dýralíf á Íslandi og einkenni þess. Farið er í flokka dýraríkisins, ástæður tegundafæðar, uppruna og skyldleika dýra. Komið er inn á hryggleysingja og hryggdýr í sjó, vötnum og á landi með sérstakri áherslu á fugla, hvali og nytjafiska á Íslandi. Rakin er saga íslensku húsdýranna, uppruni þeirra, nytjar og áhrif þeirra á sögu og afkomu landsmanna. Lögð er áhersla á sérstöðu íslenska hundsins og hestsins. Nemendur eru þjálfaðir í notkun handbóka og efnisöflunar af veraldarvefnum. Fuglar eru skoðaðir á vettvangi og í vettvangsferðum er lögð áhersla á að nemendur kynnist íslensku dýralífi.

Markmið - Nemandi kunni skil á:•villtum landspendýrum hér á landi•sjávarspendýrum hér við land•uppruna íslensku húsdýranna, einkennum þeirra, þróun og notagildi•(fiskum hér við land)•skordýrum og skeldýrum hér á landi•einkennum fuglafánunnar og algengustu fuglategundum sem hér verpa•samhenginu í fæðuvali dýra, lifnaðarháttum þeirra og gerð vistkerfa á Íslandi•Nemendur fái þjálfun í notkun handbóka á þessu sviði

Wild mammals in Iceland

• Only one native land mammal that has been here since before settlement– Also one of the toughest animal on earth - The

arctic fox

• Other came here with human help – Rarely seen, except reindeer in the east

• However, many marine mammals– Whales and seals

1. The only real native land mammal in Iceland2. Distribution: Rare in the world, common all over

Iceland, most common along the seashore3. special subspecies here, increasing in numbers4. Circumpolar in a narrow band,

– further north => to little food– further south => competition with the red fox

5. Here for longer than humans, skeleton in a 3400 y cave. Over the ice

6. Shy and rarely seen, twilight zone animal, sleeps during day and night7. Hardy: One of the toughest animals on earth8. Brown or white (some change colour in winter)9. Kills lambs and sick sheep, also birds, including chicken. 10. Pest but attitude is changing, used to be bounties for killing foxes11. Mature 1 year old, pair for life12. Fur farming since 198013. Estimated numbers 10.000 in fall, 6.000 hunted annually

Arctic fox (Heimsskautarefur - Fjallarefur - tófa - Vulpes

lagopus)

American mink (minkur - Neovison vison)

• Distribution: North American musteline (marðardýr), related to ferrets and weasels

• Iceland: Introduced as fur animal around 1930, escaped and spread all over

• Two species, European and American. The Icelandic one is an American

• Needs to be close to water (less than 5 km) that does not freeze, not in the highlands

• Is a pest here, kills birds and fishes

• Attempts to eradicate him have mostly failed

Mice (Mýs)

House mouse (Húsamús, Mus musculus)• Iceland: Much rarer in Iceland

than wood mouse• Distribution: Widespread all over

the world• Mainly associated with humans

– Exception: Vestmannaeyjar islands only have house mouse

– But difficult to identify

Wood mouse (Hagamús, Apodemus sylvaticus)• The most common rodent • Iceland: Usually in forests, but not

here, Icelandic name = field mouse– Iceland is their northernmost place

in the world, marginal area– Larger here than usual, good to be

larger and round in a cold climate

• Accidentally introduced: Probably came here with the settlers, no rodents before

Rats (rottur)Brown rat (Brúna rottan, Rattus norvegicus)

• Always associated with humans, does not live in the wild– Very smart animals and the

most common rat in Iceland

• Latecomer, probably 18th century

Black rat (Svört rotta, Rattus rattus)• The brown and the black rat hate

each other, in Iceland the brown rat dominates

• Sometimes arrives with ships, exception: the only rat species in Vestmannaeyjar islands

• Brought the black death to Europe but was then not in Iceland

Reindeer, caribou (hreindýr, Rangifer tarandus)

• The only large wild animal in Iceland (polar bears excluded) • Distribution: Circumpolar, called Caribou in North America• Deer family: Both sexes have antlers unlike other deer• Iceland: introduced 1771-1787 during a

difficult time (fjárkláðinn)• Now only in eastern Iceland

– From northern Norway– Domestic reindeer fit well into Icelandic

agriculture – cold period– Released in several places, only successful

in eastern Iceland• Adapted superbly to cold climates, thick

fur, hooves good in snow. Well suited for the Icelandic climate

Polar bear (ísbjörn, Ursus maritimus)

• The largest carnivore on earth• Frequent guest in Iceland with the sea ice (last in

spring 2011) – usually shot• Ca. 1 every 2 years, perhaps more

– Considered dangerous if isolated here – but no human fatalities in 20th and 19th century

Other land mammals• Natusius´s pipistrelle (trítilblaka, Pipistrellus nathusii) – 3 animals, European• Little brown bat (ljósfæla, Myotis lucifugus) – 2 animals, American• Hoary bat (hrímblaka, Lasiurus cinerus) – 4 animals, American

• Rabbit (kanína, Oryctolagus cuniculus) - Introduced recently, now wild• Brown hare (gráhéri, Lepus europeanus) – introduced in 1784, disappeared soon• Mountain hare (snæhéri, Lepus timidus) – intr. in 1861 and later, disappeared

• Coypu (bjórrotta, Myocastor coypus) – fur farming in 1932, died

• Red fox (rauðrefur, Vulpes vulpes)- intr. fur animals in 1929, escaped, died, hybrids known• Ferret (fretta, Mustela furo) – introduced fur animals 1910, not continued• Raccoon (þvottabjörn, Procyon lotar) – Intr. Fur animals 1932, not continued

• Muskoxen (sauðnaut, Ovibos moschatus) – introduced 1929, released and died• Unknown deer species prehistoric, 3 million year old fossils

Tölfræði landspendýr

Breeding time

Litter size

Hunted Length cm

max Height cm

max Weight kg

max Numbers

Arctic fox March – April, 4 days

6,000 45 66 3.2 4.3 10.000 (fall)

Red fox 58 90 3.7 9.3 0 Mink March-

April 6 3,500 30 47 0.5 2

Ferret 205 460 0.2 1.7 0 Raccoon 42 60 0 Black rat 15 23 0.1 0.25 Brown rat 27 43 0.11 0.4 House mouse

16 19 0.02 0.03

Field mouse 18 21 0.02 0.04 Cattle 90 170 150 1250 70 Goat 24 235 655 Sheep 25 160 470 Musk ox 190 230 120 150 200 650 0 Reindeer Beg. Okt. 1,500 158 194 95 114 33 114 Pigs 38 92 35 450 4,000 Polar bear 1 140 300 130 140 200 800 0 Horse 51 298 14 1453 80 Cat 35 57 25 35 2 6.5 Dog 26 145 15 84 1.5 80

Seals (selir)• Seals fairly common in Icelandic waters.• Further north in the high Arctic they are even more abundant. • The only species that breed in Icelandic waters are the common

(15.000) and the grey seals (6.000)• The Greenland or harp seal and the bearded seal, ringed seal and

hooded seals are vagrants, but frequently seen • The walrus is rare• They are in fact a group within carnivores (meat eaters)• The feet have evolved into flippers• Good swimmers but have to come ashore to have pups• Are most common in the colder parts of the world• Have a thick layer of fat (blubber) to protect themselves from the

cold

Seals (selir)

Ringed seal - hringanóri

Bearded seal - kampselur

Norrænir

Suðrænir

Hooded seal - blöðruselur

Harp seal - vöðuselur

Grey seal - útselurHarbor seal - landselur

Walrus - rostungur

Teikningar: Jón Baldur Hlíðberg – www.fauna.is

Seals (selir)

Ringed seal - hringanóri

Bearded seal - kampselur

Hooded seal pup - blöðruselskópur

Harp seal - vöðuselur Harbor seal - landselur

Walrus - rostungur

Photos: Rúnar Þór, Skafti Hallgrímsson, Hlynur Ármansson, Hreiðar Þór Valtýsson, Esko Pettay

Harbour seal (landselur)• The most common seal her, about 15.000 animals• All around Iceland, rarest in NE part• Often close to land, among skerries and islands• Rather southern species, not associated with the Ice, both in the

N. Atlantic and N. Pacific.• Sexually mature 4 year old, pup (kæpir) in the fifth• Pups in spring• Takes care of the pup for one month, then it is goodbye• Adults molt (skipta um feld) and mate after that• Eats and rest for the rest of the year• The make larger as in al seals – polygamy

(fjölkvæni)• Can reach up to 100 kg

Grey seal (útselur)• Larger than harbor seal, longer face• Found along the S, V and NV coast, warm loving• More shy than the harbor seal, usually further

away from human settlements• Around 6000 animals, shrinking• Pups in September (haustselur), later than harbor seal• Polygamous, male much larger than female• Sexually mature at 5, can be 40 year old• Mortality (afföll) high for pups, few things can kill an adult• Food similar as land seals, mostly fishes such as cod, sculpin

(marhnútur), lumpsuckers (hrognkelsi), wolffishes (steinbítur)• Eats 4% its own weight per day• Sometimes blamed for eating fish stuck in nets

Whales (hvalir)• The largest group of marine mammals• Nearly perfectly adapted to marine life

– Never go on land– Body streamlined similar to fishes– Have a pair of flippers– No rear legs– Have flippers– Often with dorsal fin– Thick layer of fat, blubber, to insulate from the cold– Almost no hair left

• Need to come to the surface to breathe, noses usually on top of the head

• Most species in the sea, a few in large rivers

Baleen whales (skíðishvalir)

Baleen whales, 11 species– Have two blowing holes

– Great migrations from the tropics in winter to the colder waters in summer

– All large, the blue whale the largest animal on earth, probably ever

– Have baleen (called skis in Icelandic) instead of teeth. Made from the same material as hair

– Filter zooplankton from the ocean with the baleen

Toothed whales (tannhvalir)Toothed whales, about 80 species

– More diverse than the baleen whales in size and looks, most species much smaller

• Size from porpoises (the size of a large fish) to sperm whale (size of sei whale)

– Toothed whales the top of the food chain in the ocean, eat fish, squid and sometimes other marine mammals

• The killer whale is the most ferocious predator in the ocean– Some species can dive down to great depths to get food– Have one blowing hole– Have teeth to grab slippery food,

swallow the food whole– Find food by echolocation, emit

sound waves and hear the echo from other animals

– Large brain and smart, especially the bottlenose dolphin, a species common in aquariums

Whales (hvalir)

• Whales very common around Iceland – hot spot

• Important players in the ecosystem

• The species are (northern N. Atlantic)

– 5 species baleen whales that are regularly seen

– 2 species baleen whales that are rare guests now

– 1 species that is extinct– 7 species toothed whales that are

regularly seen– 8 species toothed whales that are rare

guests

Blue whale (Steipireyður eða bláhvalur) Balaenoptera musculus

• The largest animal now and probably ever, 30 m and 180 t

• In all oceans, but few animals left due to overexploitation in the past, recovering very slowly

• In cold waters in summer and warmer waters in winter

• Feeds mainly on planktonic crustaceans

• Hunted until 1959

• Numbers around Iceland estimated 1.000 , 6.000 to 14.000 in the whole world.

• Mostly oceanic

Blue whale (Steipireyður eða bláhvalur) Balaenoptera musculus

Fin whale (Langreyður) Balaenoptera physalus

• The second largest animal on earth, 27 m and 100 t

• In all oceans, overexploited in the past, recovered in the North Atlantic

• In cold waters in summer and warmer waters in winter

• Feeds mainly on planktonic crustaceans, pelagic fish in some areas

• Hunted in Iceland from 1952 to 1989 and from 2008 to 2011

• Numbers around Iceland estimated 24.000, 120.000 to 150.000 in the world.

• Common enough in the N. Atlantic to sustain annual catches of 200 animals (MRI)

• Only oceanic

Sei whale (Sandreyður) Balaenoptera borealis

• A big animal, 19 m and 30 t, Similar in many respects as the fin whale

• Global, primarily found in the warmer waters south and west of Iceland.

• Arrives later, leaves earlier

• Hunted in Iceland from 1952 to 1989

• Numbers around Iceland estimated 10.500 animals, 50.000 to 70.000 in the world.

• Common enough in the N. Atlantic to sustain annual catches of 100 animals (MRI)

• Only oceanic

Common minke whale (Hrefna) Balaenoptera acutorostrata

• A somewhat large animal, 10 m and 10 t

• Global distribution, quite common, often in more shallow waters than the larger baleen whales

• Hunted in Iceland from 1945 to 1989 and from 2008 to 2012. Hunted from small boats but not the large specialized boats used to hunt the larger whales. About 100 animals hunted this year

• Numbers around Iceland estimated 44.000 animals, 1.000.000 in the whole world. The stock could be larger now than ever (less competition from the larger cousins)

• Common enough in Icelandic waters to sustain annual catches of 400 animals (MRI)

• Coastal and oceanic

Common minke whale (Hrefna) Balaenoptera acutorostrata

• Much more opportunistic, feed on plankton as well as fish

Humpback whale (Hnúfubakur)Megaptera novaeangliae

• Big and heavy, 16 m and 50 t

• Chubbier than the other baleen whales, more playful, a good singer

• Global distribution, but rare in most parts of the world due to overexploitation inn the past

• Has not been hunted in Icelandic grounds since 1910

• Has been very slow to recover until lately that it has become quite common around Iceland, both inshore (to the pleasure of the whale watching companies) and offshore (to the horror of the pelagic fishermen)

• Opportunistic, feed on plankton as well as fish

• Numbers around Iceland estimated at around 14.000 animals, increasing rapidly

• Coastal and oceanic

Rare baleen whales• Bowhead whale (Grænlandssléttbakur) rare guest from the north,

last seen 1879

• Northern right whale (Íslandssléttbakur) rare guest from the south

• Both the primary prey for the first whalers

• Both species are still at risk of extinction and have not recovered after intensive hunting in the past

• Grey whale (gráhvalur eða sandlægja) used to be in the North Atlantic, including Iceland until it went extinct in the 17th or 18th century,

Sperm whale (Búrhvalur)Physeter macrocephalus

• Largest of the toothed whales, 18 m in length and 34 t • Global, all around Iceland, but most common above steep slopes, oceanic• Deep water species dive down to 2000 m depth, and possibly more. • The main food is squid but also eat fishes such as redfishes and

lumpsuckers• Catch 100 animals annually between 1948 and 1985.• Estimated numbers in Icelandic and Faroese waters are about 11,000

animals.• Males can be more than three times heavier than females. • All sperm whales in Icelandic waters are males; females rarely into colder

waters.

Northern bottlenose whale (Andanefja) Hyperoodon ampullatus

• Large for a toothed whale. males 9 m and 4.5 t, the females are smaller.• North Atlantic but a close relative in the southern hemisphere.• Deep water, rarely seen close to land• All around Iceland, most common over the shelf break east and west of

the country. When close to shore they can be in trouble since strandings are common.

• The primary food is squid but fishes have also been found in its stomach.• Not actively hunted by Icelanders, hunted by Norwegians• A rough estimate in the entire North Atlantic is 50,000 to 100,000

animals.

Long- finned pilot whale (Grindhvalur, marsvín) Globicephala melas

• Average size of males, which are larger, is 5.5 m and 1.7 t• are members of the dolphin family• Common in the N. Atlantic, population size ca 780,000 in the NE Atlantic. • Hunted in the Faroe Islands where pods are driven ashore and

slaughtered. • The annual catch has for centuries been from 800 to 2,000 animals• Mass stranding of pilot whales is not uncommon in Iceland, hunting rare

in Iceland.• Found offshore all around Iceland • Squid is the main food

Harbour or common porpoise (Hnýsa) Phocoena phocoena

• Smallest whale, not related to dolphins, • Maximum size 2 m long and 90 kg, males smaller• Common in Icelandic waters, coastal, migratory • Mainly feeds on small fishes such as capelin, sandeels or

redfishes• The number 27,000 individuals, • The porpoise grows quite fast and becomes mature 2 or 3

years old

Killer whales (háhyrningur)Orcinus orca

• The largest dolphin in the world (10 m and 6 t). • Found all around the world. The most widely distributed

animal in the world• Top predator of the ocean, very clever hunter. • Common all around Icelandic waters, feeds largely on

herring here. • Estimated numbers around Iceland about 5.000 animals.• Norwegian boats caught about 300 in Icelandic waters from

1955 to 1972. • Hunted alive for aquariums

(Free Willy). Most aquarium killer whales from Iceland

Dolphins (höfrungar)• White beaked dolphin (hnýðingur - Lagenorhynchus albirostris): • Most common dolphin around Iceland, all around, offshore and inshore, • Numbers in Icelandic waters a few tens of thousands• Feeding habits diverse; capelin, herring and codfishes• Dolphin hunting has never been conducted in Icelandic waters on an industrial scale. However, they

were hunted when the opportunity came.• White sided dolphin (leiftur - Lagenorhynchus acutus): • Similar to the white beaked dolphin but smaller and slimmer• Exclusively an open ocean animal and therefore almost never seen close to land. • Mostly found south of Iceland. • A few hundred thousand animals are thought to be in the North Atlantic. • Never been hunted in Icelandic waters, rarely drown in nets.

Other dolphins: rare guest from the south

• Striped dolphin (rákaskoppari)• Bootlenose dolphin (stökkull)• Common dolphin (léttir)

Other toothed whalesRare toothed whales: Belugas and narwhals are rare guests from the high Arctic. Three species of beaked whales are also known. They are however deep sea whales and very little is known about them

Blainvilles beaked whale (gáshnallur)

Sowebys beaked whale (króksnjáldri)

Cuviers beaked whale (norðsnjáldri)

Beluga (mjaldur)

Narwal (náhvalur)

Whale diet

Whales

Whaling• Whaling has been conducted in Icelandic waters throughout the centuries • Small scale whaling since settlement

– Spears did not have a line attached to them– But the whale would eventually die and be beached. – Strict rules applied to stranded whales

• Natural whale strandings also important. “whale stranding” = good luck.• Industrial whaling by Basques (later others) in the 16th century – Right whales• Norwegian = explosive harpoon used on motor boats, 1880, Other baleen whales

– Whaling stations in Iceland, whales overexploitation– 1883 – 1916: Norwegian hunting of baleen whales in Iceland– 1912: whaling banned– 1929 – 1934: Norwegian factory whalers did hunt in Icelandic grounds – 1935 – 1939 : Small scale hunting of fin and sei whales in Tálknafjörður– 1948 – 1985: Hvalfjörður, 200 fin, 70 sei, 80 sperm whales per year– 1986 – 1989 : Scientific whaling– 1990 – 2003: no whaling – 2003 Commercial whaling re-established

Whaling

• Extinct stocks

– Grey whales in the Atlantic – Right whale stocks ??

• Stocks that have not recovered

– Blue whale, Right whale

• Stock that have or are recovering, some slowly

– Fin, sei, humpback, grey (in the pacific), sperm whales

• Stocks that were never harvested to low numbers

– Minke, brydes whales

Whaling - current

• Whaling is now conducted by many nations, the largest are USA, Russia, Japan, Norway, Iceland and Greenland.

• No international laws on total moratorium on whaling – Common misunderstanding there is

• Nations that have signed the CITES act (Convention on International Trade in

Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) cannot trade in whale products as all large whales are listed there as endangered (which many of them are not). Iceland signed with reservations for whales

• Most scientists agree that many whale stocks are in good conditions or have recovered from previous whaling

Whaling in Iceland

Whale watching• Whale watching began in 1995, late but fast growing,

1998 the whale museum• Húsavík now the whale watching capital of Iceland• Often seen are Humpback, minkes, white sided

dolphin, porpoise• Research

– Sightings surveys – Population structure and behaviour with photo-

identification, satellite telemetry and skin biopsy sampling– Feeding ecology and multi-species modelling.– Monitoring and research of stranded and by-caught

cetaceans

Group English name Icelandic name Scientific nameMaximum number in summer (1000)

Weight, Max (kg)

Length (m)

Toothed common Sperm whale Búrhvalur Physater macrocephalus 2 50.000 18Northern bootlenose whale Andarnefja Hyperoodon ampulatus 42 8.500 9Long-fi ned pi lot whale Grindhvalur Globicephalus melas 200 2.000 6Ki l ler whale Háhyrningur Orcinus orca 7 10.000Harbour porpoise Hnýsa Phocoena phocoena 30 70 2White-beaked dolphin Hnýðingur Lagenorhynchus a lbi rostri s 20 370Atlantic white-s ided dolphin Leiftur Lagenorhynchus acutus 38 350 3

Toothed rare Cuvier´s beaked whale Norðsnjá ldri Ziphius cavi rostri s ? 1.500Soweby´s beaked whale Króksnjá ldri Mesoplodon bidens ? 3.500Bla invi l le´s beaked whale Gáshnal lur Mesoplodon dens i rostri s ? 5.000Bootlenose dolphin Stökkul l Turs iops truncatus ? 650Striped dolphin Rákaskoppari Stenel la coeruleoalba ? 156Common dolphin Létti r Delphinus delphis ? 135Beluga Mjaldur Delphinapterus leucas 0 1.600Narwal Náhvalur Monodon monoceros 0 1.600

Baleen common Fin whale Langreyður Balaenoptera physa lus 15,6 100.000 23Humpback whale Hnúfubakur Megaptera novaeangl iae 14 48.000 17Sei whale Sandreyður Balaenoptera boreal i s 8,8 30.000 14Blue whale Steipi reyður Balaenoptera musculus 1 190.000 34Minke whale Hrefna Balaenoptera acutorostrata 56 10.000 10

Baleen rare Bowhead whale Norðhvalur Balaena mysticetus 0 120.000 20Northern right whale Sléttbakur Eubalaena glacia l i s 0 80.000Grey whale Sandlægja Eschrichtius robustus 0 36.000

Seals Harbor sea l Landselur Pusa vi tul ina 15 56Gray sea l Útselur Hal ichoerus grypus 6 162Hooded seal Blöðruselur Cystophora cris tata 0 262Harp sea l Vöðuselur Pagophi lus groenlandicus 0 100Ringed seal Hringanóri Pusa hispida 0 125Bearded seal Kampselur Erignathus barbatus 0 360Walrus Rostungur Odobenus rosmarus 0 900

Marine mammal statistics

Reptiles (skriðdýr)

• There are no wild reptiles in Iceland• Isn´t this correct?

– No lizards (eðlur)– No snakes (snákar)– No crocodiles (krókódílar)– No turtles (skjaldbökur)

RANGT

Reptiles (skriðdýr)

• Worlds largest sea turtle has been seen here• Leatherback turtle (Leðurbaks-skjaldbakan - Dermochelys coriacea)

• Dead leatherback was found in Steingrímsfjörður 1963• Also seen from a whale watching boat in 2007 south of

Iceland.• Unlike other reptiles it is has „warm“ blood