Publications

low frequency baleen whale calls detected on ocean-bottom seismometers in the lau basin, southwest pacific ocean.	ten months of broadband seismic data, recorded on six ocean-bottom seismographs located in the lau basin, were examined to identify baleen whale species. as the first systematic survey of baleen whales in this part of the southwest pacific ocean, this study reveals the variety of species present and their temporal occurrence in and near the basin. baleen whales produce species-specific low frequency calls that can be identified by distinct patterns in data spectrograms. by matching spectrograms ...	2015	25618038
fin whale sound reception mechanisms: skull vibration enables low-frequency hearing.	hearing mechanisms in baleen whales (mysticeti) are essentially unknown but their vocalization frequencies overlap with anthropogenic sound sources. synthetic audiograms were generated for a fin whale by applying finite element modeling tools to x-ray computed tomography (ct) scans. we ct scanned the head of a small fin whale (balaenoptera physalus) in a scanner designed for solid-fuel rocket motors. our computer (finite element) modeling toolkit allowed us to visualize what occurs when sounds i ...	2015	25633412
precocious ossification of the tympanoperiotic bone in fetal and newborn dolphins: an evolutionary adaptation to the aquatic environment?	the present study, performed with a dual-energy x-ray (dxa) bone densitometer on a series of fetal and newborn striped and short-beaked common dolphins, shows that the bone density of the area of the tympanic bulla within the tympanoperiotic complex starts with 0.483 g cm(-2) in 5- to 6-month-old specimens of striped (or common) dolphin fetuses and reaches 1.841 g cm(-2) in newborn striped dolphins, with values consistently higher than in other parts of the skull or elsewhere in the skeleton. th ...	2015	25676796
the fin whale, a marine top consumer, exposes strengths and weaknesses of the use of fluoride as ecological tracer.	fluoride is retained in bone tissues of animals and its availability in the environment varies between regions according to natural and anthropogenic sources. these properties suggest this element as a suitable tracer of origin, distribution or movements of animals. in marine environments, krill builds-up fluoride concentrations that are transferred to its predators. in this study we examine the ability of bone fluoride concentrations to discriminate two separate populations of a krill consumer, ...	2015	25746921
adapting to a warmer ocean--seasonal shift of baleen whale movements over three decades.	global warming poses particular challenges to migratory species, which face changes to the multiple environments occupied during migration. for many species, the timing of migration between summer and winter grounds and also within-season movements are crucial to maximise exploitation of temporarily abundant prey resources in feeding areas, themselves adapting to the warming planet. we investigated the temporal variation in the occurrence of fin (balaenoptera physalus) and humpback whales (megap ...	2015	25785462
correction: fin whale sound reception mechanisms: skull vibration enables low-frequency hearing.		2015	25799274
chromium is elevated in fin whale (balaenoptera physalus) skin tissue and is genotoxic to fin whale skin cells.	hexavalent chromium (cr(vi)) is present in the marine environment and is a known carcinogen and reproductive toxicant. cr(vi) is the form of chromium that is well absorbed through the cell membrane. it is also the most prevalent form in seawater. we measured the total cr levels in skin biopsies obtained from healthy free-ranging fin whales from the gulf of maine and found elevated levels relative to marine mammals in other parts of the world. the levels in fin whale biopsies ranged from 1.71 to ...	2015	25805270
sources and levels of ambient ocean sound near the antarctic peninsula.	arrays of hydrophones were deployed within the bransfield strait and scotia sea (antarctic peninsula region) from 2005 to 2009 to record ambient ocean sound at frequencies of up to 125 and 500 hz. icequakes, which are broadband, short duration signals derived from fracturing of large free-floating icebergs, are a prominent feature of the ocean soundscape. icequake activity peaks during austral summer and is minimum during winter, likely following freeze-thaw cycles. iceberg grounding and rapid d ...	2015	25875205
demography and conservation of the mediterranean fin whale (balaenoptera physalus): what clues can be obtained from photo-identification data.	long-lived and slow reproducing species, such as cetaceans, are among the most critical conservation units: a demographic approach can be very useful for their management and conservation. in the present work, we examined, by demographic tools, the most exhaustive photo-identification database available for the mediterranean fin whale (balaenoptera physalus) population, recorded by tethys research institute between 1990 and 2007 in the western ligurian sea. a total of 31,782 km were covered and ...	2014	25936218
stretchy nerves are an essential component of the extreme feeding mechanism of rorqual whales.	rorqual whales (balaenopteridae) are among the largest vertebrates that have ever lived and include blue (balaenoptera musculus) and fin (balaenoptera physalus) whales. rorquals differ from other baleen whales (mysticeti) in possessing longitudinal furrows or grooves in the ventral skin that extend from the mouth to the umbilicus. this ventral grooved blubber directly relates to their intermittent lunge feeding strategy, which is unique among vertebrates and was potentially an evolutionary innov ...	2015	25942546
pops in free-ranging pilot whales, sperm whales and fin whales from the mediterranean sea: influence of biological and ecological factors.	the pilot whale globicephala melas, the sperm whale physeter macrocephalus, and the fin whale balaenoptera physalus are large cetaceans permanently inhabiting the mediterranean sea. these species are subjected to numerous anthropogenic threats such as exposure to high levels of contaminants. therefore, selected persistent organic pollutants pops (29 pcbs, 15 organochlorine compounds, 9 pbdes and 17 pcdd/fs) were analysed in blubber biopsies of 49 long-finned pilot whales, 61 sperm whales and 70 ...	2015	26162962
a single-station method for the detection, classification and location of fin whale calls using ocean-bottom seismic stations.	passive seismic monitoring in the oceans uses long-term deployments of ocean bottom seismometers (obss). an obs usually records the three components of ground motion and pressure, typically at 100 hz. this makes the obs an ideal tool to investigate fin and blue whales that vocalize at frequencies below 45 hz. previous applications of obs data to locate whale calls have relied on single channel analyses that disregard the information that is conveyed by the horizontal seismic channels. recently, ...	2015	26233048
retrospective seroepidemiological investigations against morbillivirus, toxoplasma gondii and brucella spp. in cetaceans stranded along the italian coastline (1998-2014).	this study reports the results of seroepidemiological investigations carried out against morbillivirus, toxoplasma gondii and brucella spp. on blood serum samples collected from 70 cetacean specimens found stranded along the italian coastline between 1998 and 2014. a total number of 23 serum samples (32.8%) obtained from stenella coeruleoalba, tursiops truncatus, balaenoptera physalus and globicephala melas harboured anti-morbillivirus neutralizing antibodies. ten sera (16%) collected from s. co ...	2015	26267096
extensively remodeled, fractured cetacean tympanic bullae show that whales can survive traumatic injury to the ears.	underwater human activities and anthropogenic noise in our oceans may be a major source of habitat degradation for marine life. this issue was highlighted by the opening of the united states eastern seaboard for seismic oil and gas exploration in 2014, which generated massive media coverage and widespread concern that seismic surveys could kill or deafen whales. we discovered 11 new specimens of fractured and healed cetacean ear bones, out of a survey of 2127 specimens housed in museum collectio ...	2016	26391309
description and seasonal detection of two potential whale calls recorded in the indian ocean.	unidentified acoustic signals are recorded by hydrophones placed in the world's oceans. some of these sounds are suspected to originate from marine mammals. in this study, two acoustic signals recorded by two arrays at diego garcia in the northern indian ocean are described. data were available between january 2002 and december 2003. signals were detected manually using long-term spectral average plots. time and frequency measurements were taken from a sample of both signals. the first unidentif ...	2015	26428776
co-occurrence and habitat use of fin whales, striped dolphins and atlantic bluefin tuna in the northwestern mediterranean sea.	different dolphin and tuna species have frequently been reported to aggregate in areas of high frontal activity, sometimes developing close multi-species associations to increase feeding success. aerial surveys are a common tool to monitor the density and abundance of marine mammals, and have recently become a focus in the search for methods to provide fisheries-independent abundance indicators for tuna stock assessment. in this study, we present first density estimates corrected for availabilit ...	2015	26458254
first molecular determination of herpesvirus from two mysticete species stranded in the mediterranean sea.	herpesvirus can infect a wide range of animal species: mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, amphibians and bivalves. in marine mammals, several alpha- and gammaherpesvirus have been identified in some cetaceans and pinnipeds species. to date, however, this virus has not been detected in any member of the balaenoptera genus.	2015	26573533
annual acoustic presence of fin whale (balaenoptera physalus) offshore eastern sicily, central mediterranean sea.	in recent years, an increasing number of surveys have definitively confirmed the seasonal presence of fin whales (balaenoptera physalus) in highly productive regions of the mediterranean sea. despite this, very little is yet known about the routes that the species seasonally follows within the mediterranean basin and, particularly, in the ionian area. the present study assesses for the first time fin whale acoustic presence offshore eastern sicily (ionian sea), throughout the processing of about ...	2015	26581104
endoparasite survey of free-swimming baleen whales (balaenoptera musculus, b. physalus, b. borealis) and sperm whales (physeter macrocephalus) using non/minimally invasive methods.	a number of parasitic diseases have gained importance as neozoan opportunistic infections in the marine environment. here, we report on the gastrointestinal endoparasite fauna of three baleen whale species and one toothed whale: blue (balaenoptera musculus), fin (balaenoptera physalus), and sei whales (balaenoptera borealis) and sperm whales (physeter macrocephalus) from the azores islands, portugal. in total, 17 individual whale fecal samples [n = 10 (b. physalus); n = 4 (p. macrocephalus); n = ...	2016	26593736
development of a model to assess masking potential for marine mammals by the use of air guns in antarctic waters.	we estimated the long-range effects of air gun array noise on marine mammal communication ranges in the southern ocean. air gun impulses are subject to significant distortion during propagation, potentially resulting in a quasi-continuous sound. propagation modeling to estimate the received waveform was conducted. a leaky integrator was used as a hearing model to assess communication masking in three species due to intermittent/continuous air gun sounds. air gun noise is most probably changing f ...	2016	26611093
fin whales and microplastics: the mediterranean sea and the sea of cortez scenarios.	the impact that microplastics have on baleen whales is a question that remains largely unexplored. this study examined the interaction between free-ranging fin whales (balaenoptera physalus) and microplastics by comparing populations living in two semi-enclosed basins, the mediterranean sea and the sea of cortez (gulf of california, mexico). the results indicate that a considerable abundance of microplastics and plastic additives exists in the neustonic samples from pelagos sanctuary of the medi ...	2016	26637933
low-frequency sound level in the southern indian ocean.	this study presents long-term statistics on the ambient sound in the southern indian ocean basin based on 2 years of data collected on six widely distributed autonomous hydrophones from 47°s to 4°s and 53°e to 83°e. daily mean power spectra (10-100 hz) were analyzed in order to identify the main sound sources and their space and time variability. periodic signals are principally associated with the seasonal presence of three types of blue whales and fin whales whose signatures are easily identif ...	2015	26723301
mediterranean fin whales (balaenoptera physalus) threatened by dolphin morbillivirus.	during 2011-2013, dolphin morbillivirus was molecularly identified in 4 stranded fin whales from the mediterranean sea. nucleoprotein, phosphoprotein, and hemagglutinin gene sequences of the identified strain were highly homologous with those of a morbillivirus that caused a 2006-2007 epidemic in the mediterranean. dolphin morbillivirus represents a serious threat for fin whales.	2016	26812485
identifying the "demon whale-biter": patterns of scarring on large whales attributed to a cookie-cutter shark isistius sp.	the presence of crater-like wounds on cetaceans and other large marine vertebrates and invertebrates has been attributed to various organisms. we review the evidence for the identity of the biting agent responsible for crater wounds on large whales, using data collected from sei (balaenoptera borealis), fin (b. physalus), inshore and offshore bryde's (b. brydeii sp) and sperm whales (physeter macrocephalus) examined at the donkergat whaling station, saldanha bay, south africa between march and o ...	2016	27055057
influence of reproduction on stable-isotope ratios: nitrogen and carbon isotope discrimination between mothers, fetuses, and milk in the fin whale, a capital breeder.	in mammals, the influence of gestation and lactation on the tissue stable-isotope ratios of females, fetuses, and milk remains poorly understood. here we investigate the incidence of these events on δ(13)c and δ(15)n values in fin whales sampled off northwestern spain between 1983 and 1985. the effect of gestation on tissue stable-isotope ratios was examined in the muscle of pregnant females (n = 13) and their fetuses (n = 10) and that of lactation in the muscle of nursing females (n = 21) and t ...	2016	27082523
hydrodynamic properties of fin whale flippers predict maximum rolling performance.	maneuverability is one of the most important and least understood aspects of animal locomotion. the hydrofoil-like flippers of cetaceans are thought to function as control surfaces that effect maneuvers, but quantitative tests of this hypothesis have been lacking. here, we constructed a simple hydrodynamic model to predict the longitudinal-axis roll performance of fin whales, and we tested its predictions against kinematic data recorded by on-board movement sensors from 27 free-swimming fin whal ...	2016	27591304
is it 'boom times' for baleen whales in the pacific arctic region?	the marine ecosystem in the pacific arctic region has experienced dramatic transformation, most obvious by the loss of sea ice volume (75%), late-summer areal extent (50%) and change in phenology (four to six weeks longer open-water period). this alteration has resulted in an opening of habitat for subarctic species of baleen whales, many of which are recovering in number from severe depletions from commercial whaling in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. specifically, humpback, fin and min ...	2016	27601724
marine mammals in the mediterranean sea: an overview.	despite being a small part of the world's oceans, the mediterranean sea hosts a diverse marine mammal fauna, with a total of 28 different species known to occur, or to have occurred, in the region. species currently recognised as regular in the mediterranean-the mediterranean monk seal (monachus monachus) and 11 cetaceans (fin whale, balaenoptera physalus; sperm whale, physeter macrocephalus; cuvier's beaked whale, ziphius cavirostris; short-beaked common dolphin, delphinus delphis; long-finned ...	2017	27770981
fin whales, balaenoptera physalus: at home in a changing mediterranean sea?		2017	27770993
low density of top predators (seabirds and marine mammals) in the high arctic pack ice.	the at-sea distribution of top predators, seabirds and marine mammals, was determined in the high arctic pack ice on board the icebreaker rv polarstern in july to september 2014. in total, 1,620 transect counts were realised, lasting 30 min each. the five most numerous seabird species represented 74% of the total of 15,150 individuals registered: kittiwake rissa tridactyla, fulmar fulmarus glacialis, puffin fratercula arctica, ross's gull rhodostethia rosea, and little auk alle alle. eight cetac ...	2016	27777810
integrating population dynamics models and distance sampling data: a spatial hierarchical state-space approach.	stochastic versions of gompertz, ricker, and various other dynamics models play a fundamental role in quantifying strength of density dependence and studying long-term dynamics of wildlife populations. these models are frequently estimated using time series of abundance estimates that are inevitably subject to observation error and missing data. this issue can be addressed with a state-space modeling framework that jointly estimates the observed data model and the underlying stochastic populatio ...	2016	27859153
melanin granules melanophages and a fully-melanized epidermis are common traits of odontocete and mysticete cetaceans.	the cellular mechanisms used to counteract or limit damage caused by exposure of marine vertebrates to solar ultraviolet (uv) radiation are poorly understood. cetaceans are vulnerable because they lack protective skin appendages and are obliged to surface continuously to breathe, thus being exposed repeatedly to uv light. although molecular mechanisms of photoprotection of cetaceans have been studied, there is limited knowledge about their epidermal structure and photoprotective effectors.	2017	27943433
bone as a surrogate tissue to monitor metals in baleen whales.	metals are massively deposited in the marine environment through direct emissions or atmospheric dry and wet depositions, a process since long enhanced by human activities. metal contamination in the marine organisms has been increasingly investigated, but most research focuses on few tissues, elements and species considered indicative. baleen whales have been scarcely studied in this respect. here we contribute to the fragmented knowledge on this field examining the concentrations of zinc, copp ...	2017	28011406
analysis of the fgf gene family provides insights into aquatic adaptation in cetaceans.	cetacean body structure and physiology exhibit dramatic adaptations to their aquatic environment. fibroblast growth factors (fgfs) are a family of essential factors that regulate animal development and physiology; however, their role in cetacean evolution is not clearly understood. here, we sequenced the fin whale genome and analysed fgfs from 8 cetaceans. fgf22, a hair follicle-enriched gene, exhibited pseudogenization, indicating that the function of this gene is no longer necessary in cetacea ...	2017	28074842
the development of an intermediate-duration tag to characterize the diving behavior of large whales.	the development of high-resolution archival tag technologies has revolutionized our understanding of diving behavior in marine taxa such as sharks, turtles, and seals during their wide-ranging movements. however, similar applications for large whales have lagged behind due to the difficulty of keeping tags on the animals for extended periods of time. here, we present a novel configuration of a transdermally attached biologging device called the advanced dive behavior (adb) tag. the adb tag conta ...	2017	28116055
genomic and structural investigation on dolphin morbillivirus (dmv) in mediterranean fin whales (balaenoptera physalus).	dolphin morbillivirus (dmv) has been deemed as one of the most relevant threats for fin whales (balaenoptera physalus) being responsible for a mortality outbreak in the mediterranean sea in the last years. knowledge of the complete viral genome is essential to understand any structural changes that could modify virus pathogenesis and viral tissue tropism. we report the complete dmv sequence of n, p/v/c, m, f and h genes identified from a fin whale and the comparison of primary to quaternary stru ...	2017	28134317
dolphin morbillivirus in a cuvier's beaked whale (ziphius cavirostris), italy.	dolphin morbillivirus (dmv) has caused several mortality events in mediterranean striped (stenella coeruleoalba) and bottlenose (tursiops truncatus) dolphins populations since 19; in the last 5 years, the virus was reported to infect new hosts in this basin, such as fin whales (balaenoptera physalus), sperm whales (physeter macrocephalus), and even a harbor seal (phoca vitulina). very recently, a calf cuvier's beaked whale (ziphius cavirostris) calf stranded on the southern italian coastline wit ...	2017	28197145
two levels of waviness are necessary to package the highly extensible nerves in rorqual whales.	peripheral nerves are susceptible to stretch injury [1-4] and incorporate structural waviness at the level of the axons, fascicles, and nerve trunk to accommodate physiological increases in length [5, 6]. it is unknown whether there are limits to the amount of deformation that waviness can accommodate. in rorqual whales, a sub-group of baleen whales, nerves running through the ventral groove blubber (vgb) associated with the floor of the mouth routinely experience dramatically large deformations ...	2017	28216319
the influence of sea ice, wind speed and marine mammals on southern ocean ambient sound.	this paper describes the natural variability of ambient sound in the southern ocean, an acoustically pristine marine mammal habitat. over a 3-year period, two autonomous recorders were moored along the greenwich meridian to collect underwater passive acoustic data. ambient sound levels were strongly affected by the annual variation of the sea-ice cover, which decouples local wind speed and sound levels during austral winter. with increasing sea-ice concentration, area and thickness, sound levels ...	2017	28280544
isotopic niches of fin whales from the mediterranean sea and the celtic sea (north atlantic).	the fin whale (balaenoptera physalus) is the most abundant and widespread mysticete species in the mediterranean sea, found mostly in deep, offshore waters of the western and central portion of the region. in the mediterranean, this species is known to feed mainly on krill, in contrast to its atlantic counterpart, which displays a more diversified diet. the international whaling commission recognizes several managements units in the atlantic and the mediterranean sea and the connectivity between ...	2017	28390660
dolphin morbillivirus in a fin whale (balaenoptera physalus) in denmark, 2016.	we studied the etiology of encephalitis in a fin whale (balaenoptera physalus) that stranded in 2016 on the coast of denmark. dolphin morbillivirus (dmv) was detected in the brain and other organs. phylogenetics showed close relation to dmv isolated from a striped dolphin (stenella coeruleoalba) from spain in 2012.	2017	28513327
polar oceans in a changing climate.	most of earth's surface is blue or white, but how much of each would depend on the time of observation. our planet has been through phases of snowball (all frozen), greenhouse (all liquid seas) and icehouse (frozen and liquid). even during current icehouse conditions, the extent of ice versus water has changed considerably between ice ages and interglacial periods. water has been vital for life on earth and has driven and been influenced by transitions between greenhouse and icehouse. however, n ...	2017	28586678
satellite tagging of mediterranean fin whales: working towards the identification of critical habitats and the focussing of mitigation measures.	mediterranean fin whales comprise a genetically distinct population, listed as vulnerable (vu) in the iucn red list. collisions with vessels are believed to represent the main cause of human-induced mortality. the identification of critical habitats (including migration routes) incorporating satellite telemetry data is therefore crucial to develop focussed conservation efforts. between 2012 and 2015 thirteen fin whales were equipped with satellite transmitters, 8 in the pelagos sanctuary (althou ...	2017	28611466
a spatially explicit risk assessment approach: cetaceans and marine traffic in the pelagos sanctuary (mediterranean sea).	spatially explicit risk assessment is an essential component of marine spatial planning (msp), which provides a comprehensive framework for managing multiple uses of the marine environment, minimizing environmental impacts and conflicts among users. in this study, we assessed the risk of the exposure to high intensity vessel traffic areas for the three most abundant cetacean species (stenella coeruleoalba, tursiops truncatus and balaenoptera physalus) in the southern area of the pelagos sanctuar ...	2017	28644882
development of an automated method of detecting stereotyped feeding events in multisensor data from tagged rorqual whales.	the introduction of animal-borne, multisensor tags has opened up many opportunities for ecological research, making previously inaccessible species and behaviors observable. the advancement of tag technology and the increasingly widespread use of bio-logging tags are leading to large volumes of sometimes extremely detailed data. with the increasing quantity and duration of tag deployments, a set of tools needs to be developed to aid in facilitating and standardizing the analysis of movement sens ...	2016	28725418
high mortality of blue, humpback and fin whales from modeling of vessel collisions on the u.s. west coast suggests population impacts and insufficient protection.	mortality from collisions with vessels is one of the main human causes of death for large whales. ship strikes are rarely witnessed and the distribution of strike risk and estimates of mortality remain uncertain at best. we estimated ship strike mortality for blue humpback and fin whales in u.s. west coast waters using a novel application of a naval encounter model. mortality estimates from the model were far higher than current minimum estimates derived from stranding records and are closer to ...	2017	28827838
fin whale song variability in southern california and the gulf of california.	songs are distinct, patterned sounds produced by a variety of animals including baleen whales. fin whale songs, which consist of short pulses repeated at regular interpulse intervals (ipis), have been suggested as a tool to distinguish populations. fin whale songs were analyzed from data collected from 2000-2012 in southern california and from 2004-2010 in the gulf of california using autonomous acoustic recorders. ipis were measured for each identifiable song sequence during two random days of ...	2017	28860617