Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year Filter | PMID(sorted ascending) Filter |
|---|
| nuclear reprocessing-related radiocarbon ((14)c) uptake into uk marine mammals. | to evaluate the transfer of sellafield-derived radiocarbon ((14)c) to top predators in the uk marine environment, (14)c activities were examined in stranded marine mammals. all samples of harbour porpoise (phocoena phocoena) obtained from the irish sea showed (14)c enrichment above background. mammal samples obtained from the west of scotland, including harbour porpoise, grey seals (halichoerus grypus) and harbour seals (phoca vitulina) showed (14)c enrichment but to a lesser extent. this study ... | 2017 | 28693808 |
| marine debris in harbour porpoises and seals from german waters. | records of marine debris in and attached to stranded harbour porpoises (phocoena phocoena), harbour seals (phoca vitulina) and grey seals (halichoerus grypus) were studied comprising information on 6587 carcasses collected along the german coast between 1990 and 2014, the decomposition state allowed for necropsy in 1622 cases. marine debris items were recorded in 31 carcasses including 14 entanglements (5 harbour porpoises, 6 harbour seals, 3 grey seals) and 17 cases of ingestion (4 harbour porp ... | 2017 | 28735731 |
| epitheliotropic intestinal t-cell lymphoma in a harbor seal (phoca vitulina). | a 14-yr- old, male harbor seal ( phoca vitulina ) presented with depression, anorexia, and weight loss. clinical examination revealed no specific abnormalities. diagnostic imaging displayed an enlarged mass in the dorso-cranial abdomen. the animal was euthanized due to progressive worsening of symptoms. grossly, severe emaciation and a massive enlargement of one mesenteric lymph node were found. microscopically, a neoplastic round cell population with morphologic characteristics of mature lympho ... | 2017 | 28749269 |
| characterization of seal whisker morphology: implications for whisker-inspired flow control applications. | seals with beaded whiskers, that is the majority of true seals (phocids), are able to trace even minute disturbance caused by prey fish in the ambient flow using only sensory input from their whiskers. the unique three-dimensional undulating morphology of seal whiskers has been associated with their capability of suppressing vortex-induced vibration and reducing drag. the exceptional hydrodynamic traits of seal whiskers are of great interest in renovating the design of aero-propulsion flow ... | 2017 | 28840853 |
| fine-scale harbour seal usage for informed marine spatial planning. | high-resolution distribution maps can help inform conservation measures for protected species; including where any impacts of proposed commercial developments overlap the range of focal species. around orkney, northern scotland, uk, the harbour seal (phoca vitulina) population has decreased by 78% over 20 years. concern for the declining harbour seal population has led to constraints being placed on tidal energy generation developments. for this study area, telemetry data from 54 animals tagged ... | 2017 | 28912473 |
| seroprevalence of brucella antibodies in harbor seals in alaska, usa, with age, regional, and reproductive comparisons. | populations of harbor seal phoca vitulina in the gulf of alaska have dramatically declined during the past 4 decades. numbers of seals in glacier bay, in southeast alaska, usa, have also declined despite extensive protection. causes of the declines and slow recovery are poorly understood. brucellosis is a zoonotic disease that adversely affects reproduction in many domestic species. we measured the seroprevalence of brucella antibodies in 554 harbor seals in 3 alaska locations: prince william so ... | 2017 | 28930080 |
| exposure of harbour seals phoca vitulina to brucella in declining populations across scotland. | since 2000 there has been a major decline in the abundance of scottish harbour seals phoca vitulina. the causes of the decline remain uncertain. the aim of this study was to establish the extent to which the seals in the regions of greatest decline have been exposed to brucella, a bacterial pathogen that causes reproductive failure in terrestrial mammalian hosts. tissues from dead seals collected between 1992 and 2013 were cultured for brucella (n = 150). serum samples collected from live captur ... | 2017 | 28930081 |
| streptococcus phocae in marine mammals of northeastern pacific and arctic canada: a retrospective analysis of 85 postmortem investigations. | : streptococcus phocae is a pathogen of marine mammals, although its pathogenicity remains poorly understood. recovery of this bacterium from asymptomatic carriers suggests that it is an opportunistic pathogen. we investigated the role of s. phocae in naturally occurring disease and its significance as a pathogen based on postmortem investigations. between 2007 and 2012, 1,696 whole carcasses, tissue samples, or both were submitted from the northeastern pacific and arctic canada for diagnostic ... | 2018 | 28982020 |
| application of real-time quantitative pcr assays for detecting marine brucella spp. in fish. | brucella ceti and brucella pinnipedialis have been documented as occurring in marine mammals, and b. ceti has been identified in 3 naturally acquired human cases. seroconversion and infection patterns in pacific northwest harbor seals ( phoca vitulina richardii) and north atlantic hooded seals ( cystophora cristata) indicate post-weaning exposure through prey consumption or lungworm infection, suggesting fish and possibly invertebrates play an epizootiologic role in marine brucella transmission ... | 2018 | 28985698 |
| arcanobacterium phocae infection in mink (neovison vison), seals (phoca vitulina, halichoerus grypus) and otters (lutra lutra). | infectious skin disorders are not uncommon in mink. such disorders are important as they have a negative impact on animal health and welfare as well as on the quality and value of the fur. this study presents the isolation of arcanobacterium phocae from mink with severe skin lesions and other pathological conditions, and from wild seals and otters. | 2017 | 29073927 |
| mechanical properties of harbor seal skin and blubber - a test of anisotropy. | the skin and blubber of marine mammals provides protection from the surrounding environment, whether that be temperature, microbes, or direct mechanical impacts. to understand the ability of harbor seals' (phoca vitulina) skin and blubber to resist blunt force trauma, we tested the material properties of these tissues. we quantified two mechanical properties of the tissue: tensile strength and tensile stiffness, at two test speeds, three sample orientations, and two age groups. we found signific ... | 2018 | 29157880 |
| competing tradeoffs between increasing marine mammal predation and fisheries harvest of chinook salmon. | many marine mammal predators, particularly pinnipeds, have increased in abundance in recent decades, generating new challenges for balancing human uses with recovery goals via ecosystem-based management. we used a spatio-temporal bioenergetics model of the northeast pacific ocean to quantify how predation by three species of pinnipeds and killer whales (orcinus orca) on chinook salmon (oncorhynchus tshawytscha) has changed since the 1970s along the west coast of north america, and compare these ... | 2017 | 29158502 |
| arteries of the foreflipper of the harbor seal (phoca vitulina) as represented by contrast arteriography. | 1996 | 29220232 | |
| bayesian joint models with inla exploring marine mobile predator-prey and competitor species habitat overlap. | understanding spatial physical habitat selection driven by competition and/or predator-prey interactions of mobile marine species is a fundamental goal of spatial ecology. however, spatial counts or density data for highly mobile animals often (1) include excess zeros, (2) have spatial correlation, and (3) have highly nonlinear relationships with physical habitat variables, which results in the need for complex joint spatial models. in this paper, we test the use of bayesian hierarchical hurdle ... | 2017 | 29242741 |
| host characteristics and infection level of an intestinal parasite corynosoma strumosum (acanthocephala) in the kuril harbor seal of erimo cape, hokkaido, japan. | the kuril harbor seal around hokkaido is presently recovering from a resource crisis while conflicts with local fisheries have become a concern. however, its feeding habits, which are fundamental information for taking proper preventive measures, are still poorly understood. we thus examined the infection status of a trophically-transmitted parasite, corynosoma strumosum in the seals of erimo cape, to assess the host's feeding habits with a practical view of the parasite as a biological indicato ... | 2018 | 29294365 |
| echoes from the past: regional variations in recovery within a harbour seal population. | terrestrial and marine wildlife populations have been severely reduced by hunting, fishing and habitat destruction, especially in the last centuries. although management regulations have led to the recovery of some populations, the underlying processes are not always well understood. this study uses a 40-year time series of counts of harbour seals (phoca vitulina) in the wadden sea to study these processes, and demonstrates the influence of historical regional differences in management regimes o ... | 2018 | 29298310 |
| spontaneous rhythms in a harbor seal pup calls. | timing and rhythm (i.e. temporal structure) are crucial, though historically neglected, dimensions of animal communication. when investigating these in non-human animals, it is often difficult to balance experimental control and ecological validity. here i present the first step of an attempt to balance the two, focusing on the timing of vocal rhythms in a harbor seal pup (phoca vitulina). collection of this data had a clear aim: to find spontaneous vocal rhythms in this individual in order to d ... | 2018 | 29298731 |
| the diving reflex and asphyxia: working across species in physiological ecology. | beginning in the mid-1930s the comparative physiologists laurence irving and per fredrik (pete) scholander pioneered the study of diving mammals, particularly harbor seals. although resting on earlier work dating back to the late nineteenth century, their research was distinctive in several ways. in contrast to medically oriented physiology, the approaches of irving and scholander were strongly influenced by natural history, zoology, ecology, and evolutionary biology. diving mammals, they argued ... | 2018 | 29349635 |
| mitochondrial dna reveals secondary contact in japanese harbour seals, the southernmost population in the western pacific. | in this study, we used relatively large number of samples (n = 178) and control region of mtdna (454bp) to clearify the divergence history of japanese harbour seals (phoca vitulina stejnegeri) and phylogenetic relationship between the seals in japan and other countries. our results suggested that japanese harbour seals possibly consisted of more than two lineages and secondary contact of populations after a long isolation. furthermore, one of the lineage was made only by japanese harbour seals ( ... | 2018 | 29385193 |
| prevalence and molecular characterisation of acanthocephala in pinnipedia of the north and baltic seas. | harbour seals (phoca vitulina) and grey seals (halichoerus grypus) are final hosts of acanthocephalans in the german north and baltic seas. parasitic infections in seals can cause pathological changes, which may result in deteriorated health of the host. common gastrointestinal parasites of harbour and grey seals are acanthocephalans and a number of 275 of 2460 (11.2%) investigated seals from 1996 to 2013 were infected with corynosoma spp. (acanthocephala, polymorphidae). the prevalence showed a ... | 2018 | 29387535 |
| comment on "temporal and spatial variation in harbor seal (phoca vitulina l.) roar calls from southern scandinavia" [j. acoust. soc. am. 141, 1824-1834 (2017)]. | in their recent article, sabinsky and colleagues investigated heterogeneity in harbor seals' vocalizations. the authors found seasonal and geographical variation in acoustic parameters, warning readers that recording conditions might account for some of their results. this paper expands on the temporal aspect of the encountered heterogeneity in harbor seals' vocalizations. temporal information is the least susceptible to variable recording conditions. hence geographical and seasonal variability ... | 2018 | 29390742 |
| impact of mutations in the hemagglutinin of h10n7 viruses isolated from seals on virus replication in avian and human cells. | wild birds are the reservoir for low-pathogenic avian influenza viruses, which are frequently transmitted to domestic birds and occasionally to mammals. in 2014, an h10n7 virus caused severe mortality in harbor seals in northeastern europe. although the hemagglutinin (ha) of this virus was closely related to h10 of avian h10n4 virus, it possessed unique nonsynonymous mutations, particularly in the ha1 subunit in or adjacent to the receptor binding domain and proteolytic cleavage site. here, the ... | 2018 | 29443887 |
| brucella antibodies in alaskan true seals and eared seals-two different stories. | brucella pinnipedialis was first isolated from true seals in 1994 and from eared seals in 2008. although few pathological findings have been associated with infection in true seals, reproductive pathology including abortions, and the isolation of the zoonotic strain type 27 have been documented in eared seals. in this study, a brucella enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) and the rose bengal test (rbt) were initially compared for 206 serum samples and a discrepancy between the tests was fou ... | 2018 | 29445729 |
| t lymphocyte-proliferative responses of harbor seal (phoca vitulina) peripheral blood mononuclear cells (pbmcs) exposed to pharmaceuticals in vitro. | the ubiquity of pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment and the accumulation in organisms of lower trophic levels have been documented. the immunotoxicity of these xenobiotics has however been little investigated. this study assessed the effects of pharmaceuticals on the immune responses of harbor seal lymphocytes. peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from harbor seal pups were exposed to varying concentrations of 17α-ethinyl estradiol (250-50,000μg/l), naproxen (500-100,000μg/l), carb ... | 2018 | 29475659 |
| detection and direction discrimination of single vortex rings by harbour seals (phoca vitulina). | harbour seals possess highly sensitive vibrissae that enable them to track hydrodynamic trails left behind by a swimming fish. most of these trails contain vortex rings as a main hydrodynamic component. they may reveal information about their generator as the trails differ depending on the fish species, the fish's body shape, size and swimming style. in addition, fish generate single vortex rings in diverse natural situations. in this study, the ability of blindfolded stationary harbour seals to ... | 2018 | 29487151 |
| how small could a pup sound? the physical bases of signaling body size in harbor seals. | vocal communication is a crucial aspect of animal behavior. the mechanism which most mammals use to vocalize relies on three anatomical components. first, air overpressure is generated inside the lower vocal tract. second, as the airstream goes through the glottis, sound is produced via vocal fold vibration. third, this sound is further filtered by the geometry and length of the upper vocal tract. evidence from mammalian anatomy and bioacoustics suggests that some of these three components may c ... | 2017 | 29492005 |
| a bayesian analysis of abundance, trend, and population viability for harbor seals in iliamna lake, alaska. | harbor seals in iliamna lake, alaska, are a small, isolated population, and one of only two freshwater populations of harbor seals in the world, yet little is known about their abundance or risk for extinction. bayesian hierarchical models were used to estimate abundance and trend of this population. observational models were developed from aerial survey and harvest data, and they included effects for time of year and time of day on survey counts. underlying models of abundance and trend were ba ... | 2018 | 29570825 |
| female harbor seal (phoca vitulina) behavioral response to playbacks of underwater male acoustic advertisement displays. | during the breeding season, male harbor seals (phoca vitulina) make underwater acoustic displays using vocalizations known as roars. these roars have been shown to function in territory establishment in some breeding areas and have been hypothesized to be important for female choice, but the function of these sounds remains unresolved. this study consisted of a series of playback experiments in which captive female harbor seals were exposed to recordings of male roars to determine if females res ... | 2018 | 29607261 |
| campylobacter blaseri sp. nov., isolated from common seals (phoca vitulina). | during a study to assess the faecal microbiome of common seals (phoca vitulina) in a dutch seal rehabilitation centre, 16s rrna gene sequences of an unknown campylobacter taxon were identified. campylobacter isolates, which differed from the established campylobacter taxa, were cultured and their taxonomic position was determined by a polyphasic study based on ten isolates. the isolates were characterized by 16s rrna and atpa gene sequence analyses and by conventional phenotypic testing. based o ... | 2018 | 29624164 |
| visitor effects on a zoo population of california sea lions (zalophus californianus) and harbor seals (phoca vitulina). | the effects of visitor presence on zoo and aquarium animals have become increasingly well studied, using measures such as behavioral responses and exhibit usage. many taxa remain underrepresented in this literature; this is the case for marine mammals, despite widespread public concern for their welfare in managed care settings. the current study therefore used behavioral activity budgets and exhibit usage to assess the responses of california sea lions (zalophus californianus) and harbor seals ... | 2018 | 29671895 |
| brucella pinnipedialis in grey seals ( halichoerus grypus) and harbor seals ( phoca vitulina) in the netherlands. | brucellosis is a zoonotic disease with terrestrial or marine wildlife animals as potential reservoirs for the disease in livestock and human populations. the primary aim of this study was to assess the presence of brucella pinnipedialis in marine mammals living along the dutch coast and to observe a possible correlation between the presence of b. pinnipedialis and accompanying pathology found in infected animals. the overall prevalence of brucella spp. antibodies in sera from healthy wild grey s ... | 2018 | 29697310 |
| hearing thresholds, for underwater sounds, of harbor seals (phoca vitulina) at the water surface. | high-amplitude impulsive sounds produced by pile driving and airguns may result in hearing damage in nearby seals. by swimming at the water surface, seals may reduce their exposure to underwater sound, as sound pressure levels (spls) are often lower just below the surface than deeper in the water column. seals can make physiological adjustments such that they can switch between having maximum sensitivity for either aerial or underwater sounds. this could mean that hearing sensitivity for underwa ... | 2018 | 29716298 |
| osteoarthritis of the temporomandibular joint in the eastern atlantic harbour seal (phoca vitulina vitulina) from the german north sea: a study of the lesions seen in dry bone. | pathological changes and resulting functional impairment of the temporomandibular joint (tmj) can substantially affect physical condition, morbidity, and mortality of wildlife species. analysis of tmj disorders is therefore of interest for the characterization of the health status of populations of wild mammals. this paper, for the first time, analyses the prevalence of tmj osteoarthritis (tmj-oa) and the spectrum of osteoarthritic bone lesions of the tmj in the eastern atlantic harbour seal (ph ... | 2018 | 29716601 |
| further characteristics of arcanobacterium pinnipediorum dsm 28752t and arcanobacterium wilhelmae dsm 102162t, two novel species of genus arcanobacterium. | the newly described type strains arcanobacterium pinnipediorum dsm 28752t and arcanobacterium wilhelmae dsm 102162t, initially isolated from an anal swab of a harbor seal (sammra et al. int j syst evol microbiol 65:4539-4543, 2015) and the genital tract of a rhinoceros (sammra et al. int j syst evol microbiol 67:2093-2097, 2017), could be further characterized by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (maldi-tof ms) and fourier transform infrared (ft-ir) spe ... | 2018 | 29756170 |
| drivers of the dive response in pinnipeds; apnea, submergence or temperature? | long and deep dives in marine mammals are enabled by high mass-specific oxygen stores and the dive response, which reduces oxygen consumption in concert with increased peripheral vasoconstriction and a lowered heart rate during dives. diving heart rates of pinnipeds are highly variable and modulated by many factors, such as breath holding (apnea), pressure, swimming activity, temperature and even cognitive control. however, the individual effects of these factors on diving heart rate are poorly ... | 2018 | 29773686 |
| correction to: spontaneous rhythms in a harbor seal pup calls. | following publication of the original article [1], the author reported an error in the first sentence of the 'sound recordings' section. the recordings mentioned in this sentence were performed 6 days later than written. in this correction article the original and corrected version of the sentence are presented. | 2018 | 29890996 |
| comparative feeding strategies and kinematics in phocid seals: suction without specialized skull morphology. | feeding kinematic studies inform our understanding of behavioral diversity and provide a framework for studying the flexibility and constraints of different prey acquisition strategies. however, little is known about the feeding behaviors used by many marine mammals. we characterized the feeding behaviors and associated kinematics of captive bearded (erignathus barbatus), harbor (phoca vitulina), ringed (pusa hispida) and spotted (phoca largha) seals through controlled feeding trials. all specie ... | 2018 | 29895682 |
| does enrichment improve well being in animals under human care? a case study of two harbor seals (phoca vitulina). | harbor seals in the wild live in a stimulating environment; therefore, nonhuman-animal caretakers have increasingly been using environmental enrichment to improve the well being of seals under human care. the purpose of this study was to evaluate an object-based environmental enrichment program during a four-month period on stimulating exploration and play and improving conspecific social interactions and human-animal relationships (har). zoo staff conducted the environmental enrichment program ... | 2019 | 29898607 |
| effect of pile-driving sounds on harbor seal (phoca vitulina) hearing. | seals exposed to intense sounds may suffer hearing loss. after exposure to playbacks of broadband pile-driving sounds, the temporary hearing threshold shift (tts) of two harbor seals was quantified at 4 and 8 khz (frequencies of the highest tts) with a psychoacoustic technique. the pile-driving sounds had: a 127 ms pulse duration, 2760 strikes per h, a 1.3 s inter-pulse interval, a ∼9.5% duty cycle, and an average received single-strike unweighted sound exposure level (selss) of 151 db re 1 μpa2 ... | 2018 | 29960448 |
| a novel quantitative real-time pcr diagnostic assay for seal heartworm (acanthocheilonema spirocauda) provides evidence for possible infection in the grey seal (halichoerus grypus). | the distinct evolutionary pressures faced by pinnipeds have likely resulted in strong coevolutionary ties to their parasites (leidenberger et al., 2007). this study focuses on the phocid seal filarial heartworm species acanthocheilonema spirocauda. a. spirocauda is known to infect a variety of phocid seals, but does not appear to be restricted to a single host species (measures et al., 1997; leidenberger et al., 2007; lehnert et al., 2015). however, to date, seal heartworm has never been reporte ... | 2018 | 29988808 |
| pinnipeds and ptsd: an analysis of a human-animal interaction case study program for a veteran. | the objective of this study was to examine the impact of a pinniped (grey and harbor seals) facilitated human-animal interaction pilot program on the self-reported ptsd-like symptoms of a veteran. this study analyzed preexisting, deidentified data that represented the participant's scores on the post-traumatic stress disorder checklist (pcl-5). the pcl-5 was completed as part of a pilot program operated in partnership between the veteran and military affiliated research center (vmarc) and a loca ... | 2018 | 30008625 |
| hair mercury concentrations in the spotted seal (phoca largha) pups from the sea of japan. | this publication presents the results of a study of the total mercury (thg) concentration in the fetal hair (lanugo) of the young spotted seals inhabiting the peter the great bay, sea of japan. we analyzed samples from pups that were collected in 2014-2017 at the seal breeding grounds. the concentration of total mercury was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. the concentration of thg ranged from 1.52 to 6.68 μg/g dry weight. mercury concentration in the lanugo exceeds that found in the ... | 2018 | 30022391 |
| genomic signatures of population bottleneck and recovery in northwest atlantic pinnipeds. | population increases over the past several decades provide natural settings in which to study the evolutionary processes that occur during bottleneck, growth, and spatial expansion. we used parallel natural experiments of historical decline and subsequent recovery in two sympatric pinniped species in the northwest atlantic, the gray seal (halichoerus grypus atlantica) and harbor seal (phoca vitulina vitulina), to study the impact of recent demographic change in genomic diversity. using restricti ... | 2018 | 30038760 |
| association of batai virus infection and encephalitis in harbor seals, germany, 2016. | we isolated batai virus from the brain of a euthanized, 26-year-old, captive harbor seal with meningoencephalomyelitis in germany. we provide evidence that this orthobunyavirus can naturally infect the central nervous system of a mammal. the full-genome sequence showed differences from a previously reported virus isolate from a mosquito in germany. | 2018 | 30124416 |
| idiopathic iron overload in a harbor seal ( phoca vitulina). | iron overload has been described in various wild species. the majority of cases involve captive animals, often associated with increased dietary iron uptake. here a case of idiopathic iron overload in a female adult harbor seal under human care is presented. the animal displayed a progressive anorexia, apathy, and increased serum iron levels. radiographs showed radiopaque foreign bodies in the stomach. the seal died during an elective laparotomy. twenty-five coins and two metal rings were remove ... | 2018 | 30212326 |
| new approach to stress research in phocids-potential of dehydroepiandrosterone and cortisol/dehydroepiandrosterone ratio as markers for stress in harbor seals ( phoca vitulina) and gray seals ( halichoerus grypus). | cortisol is known to reflect the level of the stress response. however, measuring the cortisol concentration only once fails to provide sufficient information about the duration of the stress exposure. moreover, handling is an acute stressor and increases cortisol secretion especially in wildlife species. yet, in phocids reliable indicators are missing that reflect potential chronic effects of stress. the adrenal-derived steroid hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (dhea) has been described as biomark ... | 2018 | 30212331 |
| dental anomalies and lesions in eastern atlantic harbor seals, phoca vitulina vitulina (carnivora, phocidae), from the german north sea. | skulls of 1,901 eastern atlantic harbor seals (phoca vitulina vitulina) were systematically studied for externally visible dental anomalies and lesions. the sample comprised 927 males and 974 female individuals, with age at death ranging between 1 week and 25 years. most of the skulls originated from animals collected in 1988, when the population suffered from a mass mortality event caused by the phocine distemper virus (pdv). mean age (± sd) of females (6.7 ± 6.4 years) was higher (p = 0.002) t ... | 2018 | 30281623 |
| characterization of brominated, chlorinated, and phosphate flame retardants in san francisco bay, an urban estuary. | flame retardant chemical additives are incorporated into consumer goods to meet flammability standards, and many have been detected in environmental matrices. a uniquely wide-ranging characterization of flame retardants was conducted, including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (pbdes) and 52 additional brominated, chlorinated, or phosphate analytes, in water, sediment, bivalves, and harbor seal blubber of san francisco bay, a highly urbanized estuary once considered a hot spot for pbde contaminati ... | 2019 | 30366322 |
| molecular characterization and prevalence of halarachne halichoeri in threatened southern sea otters (enhydra lutris nereis). | parasitism, particularly in concert with other sublethal stressors, may play an important, yet underappreciated role in morbidity and mortality of threatened species. during necropsy of southern sea otters (enhydra lutra nereis) from california submitted to the marine wildlife veterinary care and research center's sea otter necropsy program between 1999 and 2017, pathologists occasionally observed nasopulmonary mites infesting the respiratory tracts. infestation was sometimes accompanied by lesi ... | 2018 | 30370218 |
| large-scale molecular diet analysis in a generalist marine mammal reveals male preference for prey of conservation concern. | sex-specific diet information is important in the determination of predator impacts on prey populations. unfortunately, the diet of males and females can be difficult to describe, particularly when they are marine predators. we combined two molecular techniques to describe haul-out use and prey preferences of male and female harbor seals (phoca vitulina) from comox and cowichan bay (canada) during 2012-2013. dna metabarcoding quantified the diet proportions comprised of prey species in harbor se ... | 2018 | 30386584 |
| brucella pinnipedialis in lungworms parafilaroides sp. and pacific harbor seals phoca vitulina richardsi: proposed pathogenesis. | brucella spp. were first isolated from marine mammals in 1994 and since have been described in numerous pinniped and cetacean species with nearly global distribution. microscopic, electron microscopic, or culture results have shown lungworms in harbor seals to be infected with brucellae, suggesting that the lungworms may serve a role in this infection. in this study, we reviewed archived and more recent case material from 5 pacific harbor seals from washington state (usa) with evidence of b. pin ... | 2018 | 30460915 |
| coxiella burnetii in wild mammals: a systematic review. | coxiella burnetii is a multi-host bacterium that causes q fever in humans, a zoonosis that is emerging worldwide. the ecology of c. burnetii in wildlife is still poorly understood and the influence of host, environmental and pathogen factors is almost unknown. this study gathers current published information on different aspects of c. burnetii infection in wildlife, even in species with high reservoir potential and a high rate of interaction with livestock and humans, in order to partially fill ... | 2019 | 30506629 |
| empirical measures of harbor seal behavior and avoidance of an operational tidal turbine. | there is global interest in marine renewable energy from underwater tidal turbines. due to overlap in animal habitat with locations for tidal turbines, the potential for collisions has led to concern around strike risk. using data from tagged harbor seals collected before construction and after operation of the seagen tidal turbine in northern ireland, this study quantifies risks of an operational turbine to harbor seals by taking into account turbine characteristics, tidal state, and seal behav ... | 2018 | 30509846 |
| timing of antisynchronous calling: a case study in a harbor seal pup (phoca vitulina). | alternative mathematical models predict differences in how animals adjust the timing of their calls. differences can be measured as the effect of the timing of a conspecific call on the rate and period of calling of a focal animal, and the lag between the two. here, i test these alternative hypotheses by tapping into harbor seals' (phoca vitulina) mechanisms for spontaneous timing. both socioecology and vocal behavior of harbor seals make them an interesting model species to study call rhythm an ... | 2019 | 30550302 |
| increased presence of mammal-eating killer whales in the salish sea with implications for predator-prey dynamics. | the inland waters of washington state and southern british columbia, collectively known as the salish sea, comprise key habitat for two regional populations of killer whales (orcinus orca): the mammal-eating west coast transients and the endangered fish-eating southern residents. these two populations are genetically distinct and may avoid each other. transient killer whale usage of the salish sea has been previously assessed over two seven-year time periods, showing an increase from 1987 to 201 ... | 2018 | 30564522 |
| cryptosporidium species and giardia species prevalence in marine mammal species present in the german north and baltic seas. | marine mammals are known to harbor cryptosporidium spp. and giardia spp., especially species or genotypes commonly associated with humans. in animals of the north and baltic seas, this information is missing. in this study, fecal samples ( n = 97) from harbor porpoises ( phocoena phocoena), harbor seals ( phoca vitulina), and grey seals ( phocoena phocoena) present in german waters were examined via microscopic examination (by using a modified ziehl-neelsen technique [mzn]) to estimate the preva ... | 2018 | 30592910 |
| comparative ecology of bartonella and brucella infections in wild carnivores. | phylogenetic sister clades bartonella and brucella within the order rhizobiales present some common biological characteristics as well as evident differences in adaptations to their mammalian reservoirs. we reviewed published data on bartonella and brucella infections in wild carnivores to compare the ecology of these bacteria in relatively similar host environments. arthropod vectors are the main mechanism for bartonella species transmission between mammalian hosts. the role of arthropods in tr ... | 2018 | 30662899 |
| apex marine predators and ocean health: proactive screening of halogenated organic contaminants reveals ecosystem indicator species. | despite decades-long bans on the production and use of certain chemicals, many halogenated organic compounds (hocs) are persistent and can bioaccumulate in the marine environment with the potential to cause physiological harm to marine fauna. highly lipid-rich tissue (e.g., marine mammal blubber) functions as a reservoir for hocs, and selecting ideal indicator species is a priority for retrospective and proactive screening efforts. we selected five marine mammal species as possible indicators fo ... | 2019 | 30665094 |
| ontogeny of vocal rhythms in harbor seal pups: an exploratory study. | puppyhood is a very active social and vocal period in a harbor seal's life phoca vitulina. an important feature of vocalizations is their temporal and rhythmic structure, and understanding vocal timing and rhythms in harbor seals is critical to a cross-species hypothesis in evolutionary neuroscience that links vocal learning, rhythm perception, and synchronization. this study utilized analytical techniques that may best capture rhythmic structure in pup vocalizations with the goal of examining w ... | 2019 | 30697246 |
| dose-response relationships in gene expression profiles in a harbor seal b lymphoma cell line exposed to 17 -ethinyl estradiol. | 2017 | 30701058 | |
| isotopes in teeth and a cryptic population of coastal freshwater seals. | human activities threaten the biodiversity of aquatic mammals across the globe. conservation of these species hinges on the ability to delineate movements and foraging behaviors of animals, but gaining such insights is hampered by difficulties in tracing individuals over their lives. we determined isotope ratios in teeth (87 sr/86 sr, 13 c/12 c, and 18 o/16 o) to examine lifelong movement and resource-use patterns of a unique freshwater population of a wide-ranging pinniped species (harbor seal ... | 2019 | 30820978 |
| long-term sound and movement recording tags to study natural behavior and reaction to ship noise of seals. | the impact of anthropogenic noise on marine fauna is of increasing conservation concern with vessel noise being one of the major contributors. animals that rely on shallow coastal habitats may be especially vulnerable to this form of pollution.very limited information is available on how much noise from ship traffic individual animals experience, and how they may react to it due to a lack of suitable methods. to address this, we developed long-duration audio and 3d-movement tags (dtags) and depl ... | 2019 | 30891202 |
| draft genome sequence of phocine herpesvirus 1 isolated from the brain of a harbor seal. | phocine herpesvirus 1 (phhv-1) is a viral pathogen with high prevalence, morbidity, and mortality in harbor seals. in this study, we used a metagenomic approach to assemble the phhv-1 genome from the brain tissue of a harbor seal. here, we present a 119-kb draft genome of phhv-1 comprising 76 open reading frames. | 2019 | 30948468 |
| does vibrissal innervation patterns and investment predict hydrodynamic trail following behavior of harbor seals (phoca vitulina)? | our understanding of vibrissal function in pinnipeds is poor due to the lack of comparative morphological, neurobiological, and psychophysical performance data. in contrast, the function of terrestrial mammalian vibrissae is better studied. pinnipeds have the largest vibrissae of all mammals, and phocids may have the most modified vibrissae. the tactile performance for pinniped vibrissae is well known for harbor seals (phoca vitulina). harbor seals display at least two types of tactile behavior ... | 2019 | 30980470 |
| pathology and epidemiology of nasopulmonary acariasis (halarachne sp.) in southern sea otters (enhydra lutris nereis). | halarachne sp. nasal mites infest harbor seals (phoca vitulina) and southern sea otters (enhydra lutris nereis) in california, but little is known about the pathophysiology of these infestations, or risk factors for exposure. to investigate these questions, a retrospective case-control study was performed using necropsy data from 70 mite-infested sea otters, and 144 non-infested controls. case records for sea otters examined by pathologists from february 1999 through may 2015 were examined to as ... | 2019 | 31011527 |
| there and back again - the return of the nasal mite halarachne halichoeri to seals in german waters. | the nasal mite halarachne halichoeri (acari; halarachnidae) is adapted to live in the marine environment with pinnipeds as its primary host and can cause different levels of upper respiratory disease in both harbour seals (phoca vitulina) and grey seals (halichoerus grypus). historical reports of h. halichoeri occurring in seals from german waters date back to the end of the 19th century. however, with the disappearance of the grey seal from german waters as a consequence of human over-exploitat ... | 2019 | 31061792 |
| frequency of greatest temporary hearing threshold shift in harbor seals (phoca vitulina) depends on fatiguing sound level. | harbor seals may suffer hearing loss due to intense sounds. after exposure for 60 min to a continuous 6.5 khz tone at sound pressure levels of 123-159 db re 1 µpa, resulting in sound exposure levels (sels) of 159-195 db re 1 μpa2s, temporary threshold shifts (ttss) in two harbor seals were quantified at the center frequency of the fatiguing sound (6.5 khz) and at 0.5 and 1.0 octaves above that frequency (9.2 and 13.0 khz) by means of a psychoacoustic technique. taking into account the different ... | 2019 | 31067933 |
| hair, whole blood, and blood-soaked cellulose paper-based risk assessment of mercury concentrations in stranded california pinnipeds. | mercury (hg) poses a health risk to wildlife populations and has been documented at relatively high concentrations in many marine mammals, including wild-caught pinnipeds along the central california, us coast. we measured total hg concentrations ([thg]) in hair and blood of live-stranded harbor seals (hs; phoca vitulina), california sea lions (csl; zalophus californianus), and northern elephant seals (nes; mirounga angustirostris) in california to quantify species, temporal, and spatial variabi ... | 2019 | 31081740 |
| phylogenomic insights to the origin and spread of phocine distemper virus in european harbour seals in 1988 and 2002. | the 1988 and 2002 phocine distemper virus (pdv) outbreaks in european harbour seals phoca vitulina are among the largest mass mortality events recorded in marine mammals. despite its large impact on harbour seal population numbers, and 3 decades of studies, many questions regarding the spread and temporal origin of pdv remain unanswered. here, we sequenced and analysed 7123 bp of the pdv genome, including the coding and non-coding regions of the entire p, m, f and h genes in tissues from 44 harb ... | 2019 | 31089002 |
| evaluation of serial blood lactate and the use of a point-of-care lactate meter in live-stranded pinnipeds. | live-stranded pinnipeds often present to rehabilitation centers systemically debilitated with dehydration and poor perfusion. in many terrestrial mammals, blood lactate elevation has been correlated with global tissue hypoxia and decreased circulating blood volume. serial blood lactate measurements in companion animals and humans have been used to guide fluid resuscitation therapy and evaluate prognosis. the primary objective of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of serial blood lac ... | 2019 | 31120672 |
| human exposure to pfos and mercury through meat from baltic harbour seals (phoca vitulina). | the overall aim of the present study was to assess human exposure to environmental contaminants from consumption of harbour seal (phoca vitulina) meat in the southwestern baltic sea. for this purpose, muscle tissue from harbour seals (n = 27) was sampled from danish locations in the period 2005-2015 and analysed for concentrations of total mercury (hg), organochlorine contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs) and organochlorine pesticides as well as perfluoroalkyl substances (pfas) w ... | 2019 | 31153106 |
| effect of impact pile driving noise on marine mammals: a comparison of different noise exposure criteria. | regulators in europe and in the united states have developed sound exposure criteria. criteria range from broadband levels to frequency weighted received sound levels. the associated differences in impact assessment results are, however, not yet understood. this uncertainty makes environmental management of transboundary anthropogenic noise challenging and causes confusion for regulators who need to choose appropriate exposure criteria. in the present study, three established exposure criteria f ... | 2019 | 31153340 |
| do marine reserves increase prey for california sea lions and pacific harbor seals? | community marine reserves are geographical areas closed to fishing activities, implemented and enforced by the same fishermen that fish around them. their main objective is to recover commercial stocks of fish and invertebrates. while marine reserves have proven successful in many parts of the world, their success near important marine predator colonies, such as the california sea lion (zalophus californianus) and the pacific harbor seal (phoca vitulina richardii), is yet to be analyzed. in resp ... | 2019 | 31220168 |
| memory for own behaviour in pinnipeds. | pinnipeds are aquatic predators feeding on a vast range of prey, and their social behaviour differs greatly between species (from extreme polygyny in some sea lions to monogamy in some true seals). it has been hypothesised that the foraging and social complexity of their lifestyle should drive the evolution of their cognitive abilities. to investigate how aware pinnipeds are of their own behaviour, a grey seal (halichoerus grypus), two harbour seals (phoca vitulina) and four south american sea l ... | 2019 | 31240504 |
| effects of health status on pressure-induced changes in phocid immune function and implications for dive ability. | the ability of marine mammals to cope with environmental challenges is a key determining factor in strandings and successful release of rehabilitated animals. dive behavior is related to foraging and thus survival. while dive adaptations have been well studied, it is unknown how the immune system responds to diving and whether health status impacts immune function during diving. this study investigated the functional response of ex situ immune cells from stranded phocids to in vitro increased pr ... | 2019 | 31346696 |
| space use of pacific harbor seals (phoca vitulina richardii) from two haulout locations along the oregon coast. | there are approximately 10,000-12,000 pacific harbor seals (phoca vitulina richardii) inhabiting the oregon coast, and unlike other species of pinnipeds in this region, are reliably present year-round. despite this, and drastic rebounds in population since the enactment of the marine mammal protection act, limited data is available for the present period regarding their space use at sea, and within estuarine, riverine, or bay areas within the state. | 2019 | 31365532 |
| underwater sound localization abilities of harbor seals (phoca vitulina) for high-frequency noise band stimuli in the median plane. | pinnipeds use a variety of acoustic information underwater for social interactions, hunting, and predator avoidance. thus, the ability to accurately localize a sound source in the environment can have a clear survival value. nonetheless, the sound localization mechanisms for seals underwater still have to be clarified, especially for sounds received in the median plane. in this study, the sound localization abilities of five harbor seals for high-frequency noise band stimuli were measured underw ... | 2019 | 31370577 |
| the pacific harbor seal gut microbiota in mexico: its relationship with diet and functional inferences. | diet is a primary driver of the composition of gut microbiota and is considered one of the main routes of microbial colonization. prey identification is fundamental for correlating the diet with the presence of particular microbial groups. the present study examined how diet influenced the composition and function of the gut microbiota of the pacific harbor seal (phoca vitulina richardii) in order to better understand the role of prey consumption in shaping its microbiota. this species is a good ... | 2019 | 31465508 |
| opportunistic detection of anthropogenic micro debris in harbor seal (phoca vitulina vitulina) and gray seal (halichoerus grypus atlantica) fecal samples from haul-outs in southeastern massachusetts, usa. | anthropogenic micro debris in the marine environment is a growing concern worldwide, affecting multiple trophic levels, from primary consumers such as zooplankton, to meso- and apex predators like marine mammals and marine birds. in 2016-2017, during the processing of harbor seal (phoca vitulina vitulina) and gray seal (halichoerus grypus atlantica) fecal samples for fish otoliths and organic hard parts as part of a prey study, anthropogenic micro debris (>500 μm) was detected in 6% (n = 2/32) o ... | 2019 | 31590801 |
| trace element concentrations in livers of pacific harbor seals (phoca vitulina richardii) from san juan county, washington, usa. | approximately 5,000 pacific harbor seals (phoca vitulina richardii) reside year-round in san juan county (sjc), washington (us) in the center of the binational salish sea. we retrospectively analyzed total cadmium (cd), copper (cu), iron (fe), mercury (hg), magnesium (mg), manganese (mn), lead (pb), selenium (se), and zinc (zn) in livers of dead stranded harbor seals (n=57) collected in sjc between 2009 and 2012 to identify age-related and regional patterns of trace element exposure. consistent ... | 2020 | 31622186 |
| age-related changes in size, bone microarchitecture and volumetric bone mineral density of the mandible in the harbor seal (phoca vitulina). | detailed knowledge of age-related changes in the structure and mineralization of bones is important for interpreting osseous changes in wild mammals caused by exposure to environmental contaminants. this study analyzed mandibular size, microarchitecture and volumetric bone mineral density (vbmd) in harbor seals (n = 93, age range 0.5 months to 25 years) from the german north sea. bone microarchitecture and vbmd were assessed using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (hr-p ... | 2019 | 31648278 |
| long-term evidence of noise-induced permanent threshold shift in a harbor seal (phoca vitulina). | in psychophysical studies of noise-induced hearing loss with marine mammals, exposure conditions are often titrated from levels of no effect to those that induce significant but recoverable loss of auditory sensitivity [temporary threshold shift (tts)]. to examine tts from mid-frequency noise, a harbor seal was exposed to a 4.1-khz underwater tone that was incrementally increased in sound pressure level (spl) and duration. the seal's hearing was evaluated at the exposure frequency and one-half o ... | 2019 | 31671984 |
| temporary hearing threshold shift in harbor seals (phoca vitulina) due to a one-sixth-octave noise band centered at 16 khz. | temporary hearing threshold shifts (ttss) were investigated in two adult female harbor seals after exposure for 60 min to a continuous one-sixth-octave noise band centered at 16 khz (the fatiguing sound) at sound pressure levels of 128-149 db re 1 μpa, resulting in sound exposure levels (sels) of 164-185 db re 1 μpa2s. ttss were quantified at the center frequency of the fatiguing sound (16 khz) and at half an octave above that frequency (22.4 khz) by means of a psychoacoustic hearing test method ... | 2019 | 31795703 |
| detection and preliminary characterization of phocine distemper virus in a stranded harp seal (pagophilus groenlandicus) from the gulf of st. lawrence, canada. | a lethargic juvenile male harp seal (pagophilus groenlandicus) in poor nutritional condition was found on the beach on the north shore of prince edward island, canada, in june 2017. microscopic examination revealed a severe nonsuppurative encephalitis positive for morbillivirus antigen on immunohistochemistry. virus isolation attempts were negative. however, phocine distemper virus (pdv) was detected in brain tissue rna extracts by a seminested reverse transcription pcr that targeted the paramyx ... | 2020 | 31917631 |
| hematology and serum biochemistry of harbor seal (phoca vitulina) pups after rehabilitation in the netherlands. | hematology and serum biochemistry profiles are used to evaluate the health status of animals ongoing rehabilitation. the aim of this project was to develop blood and biochemistry ranges for harbor seal pups (phoca vitulina) after rehabilitation; thus, 22 different blood parameters in 60 animals were tested before release. the second goal was to test for differences due to sex, stranding location, body condition at admission, and presence or absence of umbilical cord. the alanine aminotransferase ... | 2020 | 31926541 |
| trophic ecology of mexican pacific harbor seal colonies using carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes. | there is limited information that provides a comprehensive understanding of the trophic ecology of mexican pacific harbor seal (phoca vitulina richardii) colonies. while scat analysis has been used to determine the diet of some colonies, the integrative characterization of its feeding habits on broader temporal and spatial scales remains limited. we examined potential feeding grounds, trophic niche width, and overlap, and inferred the degree of dietary specialization using stable carbon and nitr ... | 2020 | 31967988 |
| ecological costs of climate change on marine predator-prey population distributions by 2050. | identifying and quantifying the effects of climate change that alter the habitat overlap of marine predators and their prey population distributions is of great importance for the sustainable management of populations. this study uses bayesian joint models with integrated nested laplace approximation (inla) to predict future spatial density distributions in the form of common spatial trends of predator-prey overlap in 2050 under the "business-as-usual, worst-case" climate change scenario. this w ... | 2020 | 32015865 |
| hyperbaric tracheobronchial compression in cetaceans and pinnipeds. | assessment of the compressibility of marine mammal airways at depth is crucial to understanding vital physiological processes such as gas exchange during diving. very few studies have directly assessed changes in cetacean and pinniped tracheobronchial shape, and none have quantified changes in volume with increasing pressure. a harbor seal, gray seal, harp seal, harbor porpoise and common dolphin were imaged promptly post mortem via computed tomography in a radiolucent hyperbaric chamber. volume ... | 2020 | 32041809 |
| a review of pathogens in selected baltic sea indicator species. | here we review the state-of-the-art of pathogens in select marine and terrestrial key species of the baltic sea, i.e. ringed seal (pusa hispida), harbour seal (phoca vitulina), grey seal (halichoerus grypus), harbour porpoise (phocoena phocoena), common eider (somateria mollissima), pink-footed goose (anser brachyrhynchus) and white-tailed eagle (haliaeetus albicilla). this review is the first to merge and present available information and baseline data for the fp7 bonus balthealth project: balt ... | 2020 | 32070804 |
| pinnipeds orient and control their whiskers: a study on pacific walrus, california sea lion and harbor seal. | whisker touch is an active sensory system. previous studies in pinnipeds have adopted relatively stationary tasks to judge tactile sensitivity, which may not accurately promote natural whisker movements and behaviours. this study developed a novel feeding task, termed fish sweeping to encourage whisker movements. head and whisker movements were tracked from video footage in harbor seal (phoca vitulina), california sea lion (zalophus californianus) and pacific walrus (odobenus rosmarus divergens) ... | 2020 | 32077991 |
| pathological findings in north sea and baltic grey seal and harbour seal intestines associated with acanthocephalan infections. | grey seals halichoerus grypus and harbour seals phoca vitulina are common seal species in the north and baltic seas and final hosts of corynosoma acanthocephalans. c. strumosum and c. magdaleni infect the small intestines of both seal species. in contrast to harbour seals, baltic grey seals in the past have regularly displayed severe c. semerme infections in the caecum and colon, with associated tunica muscularis hypertrophy, inflammation and ulcerations as part of the baltic seal disease comple ... | 2020 | 32103824 |
| deiminated proteins and extracellular vesicles as novel biomarkers in pinnipeds: grey seal (halichoerus gryptus) and harbour seal (phoca vitulina). | peptidylarginine deiminases (pads) are phylogenetically conserved calcium-dependent enzymes which post-translationally convert arginine into citrulline in target proteins in an irreversible manner, leading to functional and structural changes in target proteins. protein deimination can cause the generation of neo-epitopes, affect gene regulation and also allow for protein moonlighting and therefore facilitate multifaceted functions of the same protein. pads are furthermore a key regulator of cel ... | 2020 | 32105816 |
| a brief introduction to influenza a virus in marine mammals. | influenza a infection has been detected in marine mammals going back to 1975, with additional unconfirmed outbreaks as far back as 1931. over the past forty years, infectious virus has been recovered on ten separate occasions from both pinnipeds (harbor seal, elephant seal, and caspian seal) and cetaceans (striped whale and pilot whale). recovered viruses have spanned a range of subtypes (h1, h3, h4, h7, h10, and h13) and, in all but h1n1, show strong evidence for deriving directly from avian so ... | 2020 | 32170708 |
| intestinal displacements in older harbour and grey seals. | intestinal displacements including volvulus, torsion and invagination have been reported in various terrestrial and marine mammals. we conducted pathological investigations on 157 seals that had either stranded on the coasts of the north or baltic sea between 1996 and 2015 (115 harbour seals, >19 mo old; 21 grey seals, >13 mo old) or died while in human care (18 harbour seals, >19 mo old; 3 grey seals, >13 mo old). intestinal displacements were found in 23% of the examined free-living harbour se ... | 2020 | 32213669 |
| temporary hearing threshold shift in harbor seals (phoca vitulina) due to a one-sixth-octave noise band centered at 40 khz. | as part of a series of studies to determine frequency-dependent susceptibility to temporary hearing threshold shifts (tts), two female harbor seals (f01 and f02) were exposed for 60 min to a one-sixth-octave noise band centered at 40 khz at mean sound pressure levels ranging from 126 to 153 db re 1 μpa [mean received sound exposure level (sel) range: 162-189 db re 1 μpa2s]. ttss were quantified at 40, 50, and 63 khz within 1-4 min of the exposure for f02 and within 12-16 min of the exposure for ... | 2020 | 32237841 |
| temporary hearing threshold shift in harbor seals (phoca vitulina) due to a one-sixth-octave noise band centered at 32 khz. | two female harbor seals were exposed for 60 min to a continuous one-sixth-octave noise band centered at 32 khz at sound pressure levels of 92 to 152 db re 1 μpa, resulting in sound exposure levels (sels) of 128 to 188 db re 1 μpa2s. this was part of a larger project determining frequency-dependent susceptibility to temporary threshold shift (tts) in harbor seals over their entire hearing range. after exposure, ttss were quantified at 32, 45, and 63 khz with a psychoacoustic technique. at 32 khz, ... | 2020 | 32237866 |
| acoustically advertising male harbour seals in southeast alaska do not make biologically relevant acoustic adjustments in the presence of vessel noise. | aquatically breeding harbour seal (phoca vitulina) males use underwater vocalizations during the breeding season to establish underwater territories, defend territories against intruder males, and possibly to attract females. vessel noise overlaps in frequency with these vocalizations and could negatively impact breeding success by limiting communication space. in this study, we investigated whether harbour seals employed anti-masking strategies to maintain communication in the presence of vesse ... | 2020 | 32264795 |
| perfluoroalkyl substances (pfass) in white whales (delphinapterus leucas) from svalbard - a comparison of concentrations in plasma sampled 15 years apart. | the objective of the present study was to investigate recent concentrations of perfluoroalkyl substances (pfass) in white whales (delphinapterus leucas) from svalbard and compare them to concentrations found in white whales sampled from that same area 15 years ago. plasma collected from live-captured white whales from two time periods (2013-2014, n = 9, and 1996-2001, n = 11) were analysed for 19 different pfass. the 11 pfass detected included seven c8-c14 perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (pfcas) and ... | 2020 | 32302893 |
| resistance to carbapenems and other antibiotics in klebsiella pneumoniae found in seals indicates anthropogenic pollution. | the beta-lactamase enzyme oxa-48 has spread widely in recent years in enterobacteriaceae associated with man, disseminated primarily on incompatibility group l/m plasmids. oxa-48 confers resistance to carbapenems, important antimicrobials for treating highly resistant bacterial infections in humans. this enzyme has rarely been detected in bacteria from animals. furthermore, the use of carbapenem compounds is not permitted in food-producing animals in europe and to our knowledge has not been repo ... | 2020 | 32327551 |
| surprisingly long body length of the lungworm parafilaroides gymnurus from common seals of the dutch north sea. | lungworms of the genera parafilaroides and otostrongylus are responsible for parasitic bronchopneumonia, the foremost disease of eastern atlantic common seals (eacs, phoca vitulina vitulina) in the dutch north sea. recently, there have been increased reports of lungworm cases and observations of unusually long parafilaroides sp. adults in this location. the initial aim of this study was to confirm the identity of the parafilaroides species infecting this population. parafilaroides are usually sm ... | 2020 | 32372130 |