Kaikoura Canyon is a gigantic deep-sea world with large populations of “megafauna”— these pilot whales and 14 other cetacean species, along with huge sharks and mysterious giant squids. These big creatures are the ultimate consumers in a food web whose primary producers are plankton and other tiny bits of nutrients. Cold and warm currents meet off the Kaikoura Peninsula, creating an upwelling that carries these nutrients to the surface. In the middle and upper waters are other consumers, such as food fishes, seals, dolphin, and seabirds.
Two creatures especially interest the Kaikoura expedition: the sperm whale and the giant squid. Among the few facts known about the giant squid: the sperm whale eats it. So, by seeking out sperm whales in their Kaikoura Canyon feeding grounds, the expedition hopes to find the giant squid. |
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