Publications

on the rudimentary hind-limb of a great fin-whale (baloenoptera musculus) in comparison with those of the humpback whale and the greenland right-whale.		1893	17232044
the red blood cell diameter in blue whale and humpback whale.		1953	13039923
ovulation and pregnancy corpora lutea in the ovaries of the humpback whale.		1954	13132903
the surface features of the brain of the humpback whale (megaptera novaeangliae).		1955	13251964
evidence on growth-rates obtained from two marked humpback whales.		1959	13666895
composition of the urine of the fasting humpback whale (megaptera nodosa).		1963	14109753
[on knowledge of lipids from the brain of a humpback whale. (megaptera novae-anglae borowsky)].		1966	5924993
[brain lipoma in the humpback whale, megaptera novaeangliae].		1966	6006089
[morphology of the brain of the humpback whale, megaptera novaeangliae borowski (cetacea, mysticeti, balaenopteridae)].		1966	5982867
songs of humpback whales.	1) humpback whales (megaptera novaeangliae) produce a series of beautiful and varied sounds for a period of 7 to 30 minutes and then repeat the same series with considerable precision. we call such a performance "singing" and each repeated series of sounds a "song." 2) all prolonged sound patterns (recorded so far) of this species are in song form, and each individual adheres to its own song type. 3) there seem to be several song types around which whales construct their songs, but individual va ...	1971	17833100
an investigation of north atlantic whales for trichinosis.	in 1971, 81 finback (balaenoptera physalus), 119 sei (b. borealis), two piked (b. acutorostrata), 15 humpback (megaptera novaeangliae) and one sperm whale (physeter catodon) taken in the north atlantic off the newfoundland and nova scotia coasts were examined for the presence of trichinella spiralis. all 218 whales were negative for trichinosis.	1976	933319
complete amino acid sequence of the major component myoglobin from the humpback whale, megaptera novaeangliae.	the complete primary structure of the major component myoglobin from the humpback whale, megaptera novaeangliae, was determined by specific cleavage of the protein to obtain large peptides which are readily degraded by the automatic sequencer. over 80% of the amino acid sequence was established from the three peptides resulting from the cleavage of the acetimidated apomyoglobin at the three arginine residues with trypsin. the further digestion of the central cyanogen bromide peptide with trypsin ...	1978	698193
complete amino acid sequence of the myoglobin from the pacific sei whale, balaenoptera borealis.	the complete amino acid sequence of the major component myoglobin from pacific sei whale, balaenoptera borealis, was determined by specific cleavage of the protein to obtain large peptides which are readily degraded by the automatic sequencer. the acetimidated apomyoglobin was selectively cleaved at its two methionyl residues with cyanogen bromide and at its three arginyl residues by trypsin. from the sequence analysis of four of these peptides and the apomyoglobin, over 75% of the covalent stru ...	1979	454658
sound playback experiments with southern right whales (eubalaena australis).	a variety of sound recordings were played to southern right whales. whales approached the loudspeaker and made frequent sounds in response to recordings of other southern right whales, but swam away and made relatively few sounds in response to playbacks of water noise, 200-hertz tones, and humpback whale sounds. thus it appears that southern right whales can differentiate between con-specific sounds and other sounds.	1980	17749328
the limbic lobe of the dolphin brain: a quantitative cytoarchitectonic study.	in these cytoarchitectonic studies of the cortical limbic formations of the bottlenose dolphin and other whale brains we have carried out quantitative analyses of the entire limbic lobe, including all of its sectors: supracallosal, retrosplenial and temporal. the limbic lobe proper has been examined as well as transitional areas between the limbic lobe and the archicortical and paleocortical formations and the extralimbic neocortices, including the entorhinal area and presubiculum. analyses incl ...	1982	7161482
sounds, source levels, and associated behavior of humpback whales, southeast alaska.	humpback whales in southeast alaskan waters produced five categories of sounds: moans, grunts, pulse trains, blowhole-associated sounds, and surface impacts. frequencies (hz) of moans and grunts were 20-1900. major energy in low-frequency pulse trains was in a band of 25-80 hz with pulse duration of 300-400 ms. blowhole-associated sounds, recorded as transiting whales encountered one another, were of two types: shrieks, 555-2000 hz, and trumpetlike horn blasts with fundamental at 414 hz (median) ...	1986	3760326
developmental changes of the fore- and hind-limbs in the fetuses of the southern minke whale, balaenoptera acutorostrata.	15 fetuses of southern minke whale, balaenoptera acutorostrata (from 8.2 mm c.r.l. to 38.9 mm c.r.l.), obtained from the kyodo whale company in japan (in whaling seasons from 1982 to 1986), were used for the present study. the fore-limb first appears in the 11.4 mm fetus, and the hind-limb in the 15.3 mm fetus. the fore-limb develops progressively during gestation, while the hind-limb disappears by the 38.9 mm fetus. the critical period of limb development in southern minke whale was shown to be ...	1989	2589636
influence of seasonal migration on geographic distribution of mitochondrial dna haplotypes in humpback whales.	humpback whales (megaptera novaeangliae) migrate nearly 10,000 km each year between summer feeding grounds in temperate or near-polar waters and winter breeding grounds in shallow tropical waters. observations of marked individuals suggest that major oceanic populations of humpback whales are divided into a number of distinct seasonal subpopulations which are not separated by obvious geographic barriers. to test whether these observed patterns of distribution and migration are reflected in the g ...	1990	1969116
electrocardiogram of the humpback whale (megaptera novaeangliae), with specific reference to atrioventricular transmission and ventricular excitation.	the objective of the study was to record the electrocardiogram (ecg) of a large whale to obtain crucial data for comparative electrophysiologic analysis.	1992	1634688
20-hz pulses and other vocalizations of fin whales, balaenoptera physalus, in the gulf of california, mexico.	low-frequency vocalizations were recorded from fin whales, balaenoptera physalus, in the gulf of california, mexico, during three cruises. in march 1985, recorded 20-hz pulses were in sequences of regular 9-s interpulse intervals. in august 1987, nearly all were in sequences of doublets with alternating 5- and 18-s interpulse intervals. no 20-hz pulse sequences of any kind were detected in february 1987. the typical pulse modulated from 42 to 20 hz and its median duration was 0.7 s (1985 data). ...	1992	1474220
crassicaudosis: a parasitic disease threatening the health and population recovery of large baleen whales.	this communication briefly reviews knowledge of the systemic disease caused by crassicauda boopis in blue whales (balaenoptera musculus), fin whales (b. physalus) and humpback whales (megaptera novaeangliae). infections with this giant nematode characteristically incite a chronic inflammatory reaction of the blood vessels which drain the kidneys. in this critical location, the parasite-induced lesion can cause complete vascular occlusion and kidney failure. whale calves and juveniles typically s ...	1992	1305859
mysticete (baleen whale) relationships based upon the sequence of the common cetacean dna satellite.	the genomes of all extant cetaceans are characterized by the presence of the so-called common cetacean dna satellite. in the mysticetes (whalebone whales) the repeat length of the satellite is 1,760 bp. in the odontocetes (toothed whales), other than the family delphinidae, the repeat length is usually approximately 1,740 bp. the delphinidae are characterized by a repeat length of approximately 1,580 bp. it has been shown in odontocetes that the satellite evolves in concert and that differences ...	1992	1435232
epidermal lipid in several cetacean species: ultrastructural observations.	the ultrastructure of the skin of four cetacean species, bottlenose dolphin (tursiops truncatus) long-finned pilot whale (globicephala melaena), humpback whale (megaptera novaeangliae), and fin whale (balaenoptera physalus) was investigated with particular reference to epidermal lipid. it has already been established that massive lipid reservoirs exist in whales, that the biochemical structures of cetacean lipids are unique, and that unusual intracellular lipid droplets appear in the epidermis. ...	1993	8250278
population characteristics of dna fingerprints in humpback whales (megaptera novaeangliae).	humpback whales exhibit a remarkable social organization that is characterized by seasonal long-distance migration (> 10,000 km/year) between summer feeding grounds in high latitudes and winter calving and breeding grounds in tropical or near-tropical waters. all populations are currently considered endangered as a result of intensive commercial exploitation during the last 200 years. using three hypervariable minisatellite dna probes (33.15, 3'hvr, and m13) originally developed for studies of h ...	1993	8340617
cetacean mitochondrial dna control region: sequences of all extant baleen whales and two sperm whale species.	the sequence of the mitochondrial control region was determined in all 10 extant species commonly assigned to the suborder mysticeti (baleen or whalebone whales) and to two odontocete (toothed whale) species (the sperm and the pygmy sperm whale). in the mysticetes, both the length and the sequence of the control region were very similar, with differences occurring primarily in the first approximately 160 bp of the 5' end of the l-strand of the region. there were marked differences between the my ...	1993	8412655
abundant mitochondrial dna variation and world-wide population structure in humpback whales.	hunting during the last 200 years reduced many populations of mysticete whales to near extinction. to evaluate potential genetic bottlenecks in these exploited populations, we examined mitochondrial dna control region sequences from 90 individual humpback whales (megaptera novaeangliae) representing six subpopulations in three ocean basins. comparisons of relative nucleotide and nucleotype diversity reveal an abundance of genetic variation in all but one of the oceanic subpopulations. phylogenet ...	1993	8367488
pr interval and heart size in the humpback whale.		1993	8473668
hierarchical structure of mitochondrial dna gene flow among humpback whales megaptera novaeangliae, world-wide.	the genetic structure of humpback whale populations and subpopulation divisions is described by restriction fragment length analysis of the mitochondrial (mt) dna from samples of 230 whales collected by biopsy darting in 11 seasonal habitats representing six subpopulations, or 'stocks', world-wide. the hierarchical structure of mtdna haplotype diversity among population subdivisions is described using the analysis of molecular variance (amova) procedure, the analysis of gene identity, and the ge ...	1994	7921358
a role for molecular genetics in biological conservation.	the recognition of recent accelerated depletion of species as a consequence of human industrial development has spawned a wide interest in identifying threats to endangered species. in addition to ecological and demographic perils, it has become clear that small populations that narrowly survive demographic contraction may undergo close inbreeding, genetic drift, and loss of overall genomic variation due to allelic loss or reduction to homozygosity. i review here the consequences of such genetic ...	1994	7912434
contrasting population structure from nuclear intron sequences and mtdna of humpback whales.	powerful analyses of population structure require information from multiple genetic loci. to help develop a molecular toolbox for obtaining this information, we have designed universal oligonucleotide primers that span conserved intron-exon junctions in a wide variety of animal phyla. we test the utility of exon-primed, intron-crossing amplifications by analyzing the variability of actin intron sequences from humpback, blue, and bowhead whales and comparing the results with mitochondrial dna (mt ...	1994	7912407
evidence for a sex-segregated migration in the humpback whale (megaptera novaeangliae).	existing population models for humpback whales assume that all individuals within a population undertake the annual migration from feeding areas in high latitudes to breeding areas in tropical waters. an excess of males was recorded in the commercial whaling catches near breeding areas in the southern hemisphere, but no account of this was taken in developing population models, because it was believed that this bias was a result of whalers selecting against females with young calves. here we dem ...	1995	7732039
hydrodynamic design of the humpback whale flipper.	the humpback whale (megaptera novaeangliae) is reported to use its elongate pectoral flippers during swimming maneuvers. the morphology of the flipper from a 9.02-m whale was evaluated with regard to this hydrodynamic function. the flipper had a wing-like, high aspect ratio planform. rounded tubercles were regularly interspersed along the flipper's leading edge. the flipper was cut into 71 2.5-cm cross-sections and photographed. except for sections near the distal tip, flipper sections were symm ...	1995	7650744
populations genetic analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial loci in skin biopsies collected from central and northeastern north atlantic humpback whales (megaptera novaeangliae): population identity and migratory destinations.	it has been speculated that humpback whales, megaptera novaeangliae, from the northeastern north atlantic breed in tropical waters off the coast of west africa and therefore that they represent a separate breeding population from that which winters in the west indies. we determined the genotype at six microsatellite loci as well as the sequence of the first 288 nucleotides in the mitochondrial control region of 133 skin biopsies collected from humpback whales in the central north atlantic (icela ...	1996	8952097
identification of sex in cetaceans by multiplexing with three zfx and zfy specific primers.	we sequenced 540 nucleotides of the last exon in the zfy/zfx gene in two males and two females for eight cetacean species; four odontocetes (toothed whales) and four mysticetes (baleen whales). based upon the obtained nucleotide sequences, we designed two sets of oligonucleotide primers for specific amplification of the zfx and the zfy sequence in odontocetes and mysticetes, respectively. each primer set consisted of three oligonucleotides; one forward-orientated primer, which anneals to the zfy ...	1996	8673273
genetic tagging of humpback whales.	the ability to recognize individual animals has substantially increased our knowledge of the biology and behaviour of many taxa. however, not all species lend themselves to this approach, either because of insufficient phenotypic variation or because tag attachment is not feasible. the use of genetic markers ('tags') represents a viable alternative to traditional methods of individual recognition, as they are permanent and exist in all individuals. we tested the use of genetic markers as the pri ...	1997	9285587
microsatellite genetic distances between oceanic populations of the humpback whale (megaptera novaeangliae).	mitochondrial dna haplotypes of humpback whales show strong segregation between oceanic populations and between feeding grounds within oceans, but this highly structured pattern does not exclude the possibility of extensive nuclear gene flow. here we present allele frequency data for four microsatellite loci typed across samples from four major oceanic regions: the north atlantic (two mitochondrially distinct populations), the north pacific, and two widely separated antarctic regions, east austr ...	1997	9100365
molecular analysis of paternity shows promiscuous mating in female humpback whales (megaptera novaeangliae, borowski).	it is widely assumed that the mating system of the humpback whale. magaptera novaeangliae, is similar to that of most mammals in that it represents some form of polygyny or promiscuity, but this cannot be tested without observations of copulation or data on paternity of offspring. microsatellite dna markers were used to examine the paternity of calves born to individually identified mature female humpback whales from the gulf of maine. skin biopsies were obtained from three females, and several ...	1997	9061965
molecular analysis of the efficiency of sloughed skin sampling in whale population genetics.	sloughed whale skin contains enough dna for genetic analysis, and offers a non-intrusive method for collecting tissue. here, we examine the efficiency of sloughed skin sampling using 1460 samples collected from free-ranging humpback whales. samples were sexed and screened for up to 10 microsatellite markers. the vast majority of samples appear genetically compatible with field observations. about 1% of groups revealed more genotypes than whales, but we argue that this is more likely to be due to ...	1998	9787449
population structure of nuclear and mitochondrial dna variation among humpback whales in the north pacific.	the population structure of variation in a nuclear actin intron and the control region of mitochondrial dna is described for humpback whales from eight regions in the north pacific ocean: central california, baja peninsula, nearshore mexico (bahia banderas), offshore mexico (socorro island), southeastern alaska, central alaska (prince williams sound), hawaii and japan (ogasawara islands). primary mtdna haplotypes and intron alleles were identified using selected restriction fragment length polym ...	1998	9640650
macroparasites in cetaceans stranded on the northwestern spanish atlantic coast.	an extensive parasitological survey was carried out during autopsy of 80 cetaceans representing 8 species within 4 families (delphinus delphis, stenella coeruleoalba, tursiops truncatus, grampus griseus, globicephala melas, kogia breviceps, phocoena phocoena and megaptera novaeangliae) collected on the northwestern spanish atlantic coast from february 1991 to october 1996. two species of tetraphyllidean cestodes (phyllobothrium delphini and monorygma grimaldii), 2 ascaridoid nematodes (anisakis ...	1998	9676247
multiple levels of single-strand slippage at cetacean tri- and tetranucleotide repeat microsatellite loci.	between three and six tri- and tetranucleotide repeat microsatellite loci were analyzed in 3720 samples collected from four different species of baleen whales. ten of the 18 species/locus combinations had imperfect allele arrays, i.e., some alleles differed in length by other than simple integer multiples of the basic repeat length. the estimate of the average number of alleles and heterozygosity was higher at loci with imperfect allele arrays relative to those with perfect allele arrays. nucleo ...	1999	9872967
environmental constraints on sound transmission by humpback whales.	singing humpback whales in hawaii produce a variety of sounds at high source levels (ca. 185 db re: 1 micropa), in coastal waters 15-500 m deep. these sounds are attenuated and distorted as they propagate away from a singer, limiting the utilizable range of the sounds. in the current study, simulations based on normal-mode theory were used to investigate how the effects of shallow-water propagation constrain humpback whales' use of sound. it is shown that humpbacks can greatly affect transmissio ...	1999	10573910
acoustic detections of singing humpback whales (megaptera novaeangliae) in the eastern north pacific during their northbound migration.	numerous (84) acoustic detections of singing humpback whales were made during a spring (08 march-09 june 1997) research cruise to study sperm whales in the central and eastern north pacific. over 15,000 km of track-line was surveyed acoustically using a towed hydrophone array. additionally, 83 sonobuoys were deployed throughout the study area. detection rates were greatest in late march, near the hawaiian islands, and in early april, northeast of the islands. only one detection was made after ap ...	1999	10420640
acoustic interaction of humpback whales and whale-watching boats.	the underwater acoustic noise of five representative whale-watching boats used in the waters of west maui was measured in order to study the effects of boat noise on humpback whales. the first set of measurements were performed on 9 and 10 march, close to the peak of the whale season. the ambient noise was relatively high with the major contribution from many chorusing humpback whales. measurements of boat sounds were contaminated by this high ambient background noise. a second set of measuremen ...	2000	11285724
polymorphic di-nucleotide microsatellite loci isolated from the humpback whale, megaptera novaeangliae.		2000	11123643
behavioral responses of humpback whales (megaptera novaeangliae) to full-scale atoc signals.	loud (195 db re 1 micropa at 1 m) 75-hz signals were broadcast with an atoc projector to measure ocean temperature. respiratory and movement behaviors of humpback whales off north kauai, hawaii, were examined for potential changes in response to these transmissions and to vessels. few vessel effects were observed, but there were fewer vessels operating during this study than in previous years. no overt responses to atoc were observed for received levels of 98-109 db re 1 micropa. an analysis of ...	2000	11051519
the scaling of locomotor performance in predator-prey encounters: from fish to killer whales.	during predator-prey encounters, a high locomotor performance in unsteady manoeuvres (i.e. acceleration, turning) is desirable for both predators and prey. while speed increases with size in fish and other aquatic vertebrates in continuous swimming, the speed achieved within a given time, a relevant parameter in predator-prey encounters, is size independent. in addition, most parameters indicating high performance in unsteady swimming decrease with size. both theoretical considerations and data ...	2001	11733175
statistical approaches to paternity analysis in natural populations and applications to the north atlantic humpback whale.	we present a new method for paternity analysis in natural populations that is based on genotypic data that can take the sampling fraction of putative parents into account. the method allows paternity assignment to be performed in a decision theoretic framework. simulations are performed to evaluate the utility and robustness of the method and to assess how many loci are necessary for reliable paternity inference. in addition we present a method for testing hypotheses regarding relative reproduct ...	2001	11290722
social structure in migrating humpback whales (megaptera novaeangliae).	although largely solitary, humpback whales exhibit a number of behaviours where individuals co-operate with one another, for example during bubble net feeding. such cases could be due to reciprocal altruism brought on by exceptional circumstances, for example the presence of abundant shoaling fish. an alternative explanation is that these behaviours have evolved through kin selection. with little restriction to either communication or movement, diffuse groups of relatives could maintain some for ...	2002	11918785
from sanddabs to blue whales: the pervasiveness of domoic acid.	domoic acid (da) is a potent food web transferred algal toxin that has caused dramatic mortality events involving sea birds and sea lions. although no confirmed da toxicity events have been reported in whales, here we present data demonstrating that humpback and blue whales are exposed to the toxin and consume da contaminated prey. whale fecal samples were found to contain da at levels ranging from 10 to 207microg da g(-1) feces via hplc-uv methods. sem analysis of whale feces containing da, col ...	2002	12076651
conservation of the 3'-untranslated regions of calmodulin mrnas in cetaceans.	three separate calmodulin (cam) genes (i, ii and iii) encoding an identical cam protein but differing in the 5'- and 3'-untranslated regions of each of the three mrnas are present and highly conserved in all mammals (so far examined). primers complementary to the 3'- untranslated region (3'utr) of each of the three mrnas occurring in human, rat and mouse were synthesized and used to amplify regions of the 3'utr from genomic dna isolated from cetaceans, specifically from the bottled-nosed dolphin ...	2003	12974475
[assessment of population differentiation using dna fingerprinting and modified wright's fst-statistics].	using our results and literature data on multilocus dna fingerprinting, we propose a method of obtaining unbiased estimates of the between--population genetic similarity index and a measure of population subdivision based on modified wright's fst-statistics. on the basis of multiple comparison t2 hotelling's test and holmes' procedure, the fst-statistics was applied to assess differentiation of four (pacific and atlantic) subpopulations of humpback whale megaptera novaeangliae, six populations o ...	2003	12669419
whales before whaling in the north atlantic.	it is well known that hunting dramatically reduced all baleen whale populations, yet reliable estimates of former whale abundances are elusive. based on coalescent models for mitochondrial dna sequence variation, the genetic diversity of north atlantic whales suggests population sizes of approximately 240,000 humpback, 360,000 fin, and 265,000 minke whales. estimates for fin and humpback whales are far greater than those previously calculated for prewhaling populations and 6 to 20 times higher t ...	2003	12881568
variation in humpback whale (megaptera novaeangliae) song length in relation to low-frequency sound broadcasts.	humpback whale song lengths were measured from recordings made off the west coast of the island of hawai'i in march 1998 in relation to acoustic broadcasts ("pings") from the u.s. navy surtass low frequency active sonar system. generalized additive models were used to investigate the relationships between song length and time of year, time of day, and broadcast factors. there were significant seasonal and diurnal effects. the seasonal factor was associated with changes in the density of whales s ...	2003	12822811
acoustic monitoring on a humpback whale (megaptera novaeangliae) feeding ground shows continual singing into late spring.	singing by males is a major feature of the mating system of humpback whales, megaptera novaeangliae (borowski). although a few songs have been opportunistically recorded on the whales' high-latitude feeding grounds, singing in these regions was thought to be only sporadic. we report results from the first continuous acoustic monitoring of a humpback whale feeding ground (off cape cod, ma, usa) in spring. using autonomous sea-floor recording systems, we found singing on a daily basis over the ent ...	2004	15293859
localization of marine mammals near hawaii using an acoustic propagation model.	humpback whale songs were recorded on six widely spaced receivers of the pacific missile range facility (pmrf) hydrophone network near hawaii during march of 2001. these recordings were used to test a new approach to localizing the whales that exploits the time-difference of arrival (time lag) of their calls as measured between receiver pairs in the pmrf network. the usual technique for estimating source position uses the intersection of hyperbolic curves of constant time lag, but a drawback of ...	2004	15237806
the song of the brazilian population of humpback whale megaptera novaeangliae, in the year 2000: individual song variations and possible implications.	the song of the brazilian population of the humpback whale megaptera novaeangliae was studied in its breeding and calving ground, the abrolhos bank, bahia, brazil, from july to november 2000. aural and spectral analyses of digital recordings were completed for approximately 20 song cycles, totaling 5 hours of song from 10 different recording events. we identified 24 note types, organized in five themes. all songs presented the same themes and the order in which they were sung did not vary. we re ...	2004	15258653
intra- and inter-species differences in persistent organic contaminants in the blubber of blue whales and humpback whales from the gulf of st. lawrence, canada.	biopsy samples of blubber from adult male and female blue whales, and from female and young-of-the-year humpback whales were collected during the summers of 1992-1999 in the gulf of st. lawrence, canada. in blue whales, concentrations of 25 pcb congeners, ddt and metabolites and several other organochlorine compounds were present at higher concentrations in the blubber of males relative to females; reflecting maternal transfer of these persistent contaminants from females into young. sex-related ...	2004	14749058
organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in california sea lions.	concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs), ddts, chlordanes, hchs, hexachlorobenzene (hcb), dieldrin, heptachlor epoxide, tris(4-chlorophenyl)methane (tcpme), and tris(4-chlorophenyl)methanol (tcpmoh) were measured in the blubber of california sea lions (zalophus californianus) collected in 2000. ddts were the most predominant contaminants, followed by pcbs, chlordanes, tcpme, hchs, tcpmoh, dieldrin, and heptachlor epoxide. concentrations of pcbs and ddts varied from a few microg/g to s ...	2004	15261406
mitochondrial phylogenetics and evolution of mysticete whales.	the phylogenetic relationships among baleen whales (order: cetacea) remain uncertain despite extensive research in cetacean molecular phylogenetics and a potential morphological sample size of over 2 million animals harvested. questions remain regarding the number of species and the monophyly of genera, as well as higher order relationships. here, we approach mysticete phylogeny with complete mitochondrial genome sequence analysis. we determined complete mtdna sequences of 10 extant mysticeti sp ...	2005	15805012
patterns of cetacean sighting distribution in the pacific exclusive economic zone of costa rica based on data collected from 1979-2001.	nineteen species of cetaceans (families balaenopteridae, kogiidae, physeteridae, ziphiidae and delphinidae) occur in the costa rican pacific exclusive economic zone (eez). based on data recorded from the eez by the southwest fisheries service center, cascadia research collective, and cimar between 1979-2001, we mapped the distribution of 18 cetacean species. our results suggest that the majority of the cetacean species use primarily oceanic waters, particularly those species within the families ...	2005	17354438
against the current: an inter-oceanic whale migration event.	humpback whales seasonally migrate long distances between tropical and polar regions. however, inter-oceanic exchange is rare and difficult to document. using skin biopsy samples collected in the indian ocean and in the south atlantic ocean, and a genetic capture-recapture approach based on microsatellite genotyping, we were able to reveal the first direct genetic evidence of the inter-oceanic migration of a male humpback whale. this exceptional migration to wintering grounds of two different oc ...	2005	17148237
assessing responses of humpback whales to north pacific acoustic laboratory (npal) transmissions: results of 2001--2003 aerial surveys north of kauai.	eight aerial surveys were flown north of the hawaiian island of kauai during 2001 when the north pacific acoustic laboratory (npal) source was not transmitting, and during 2002 and 2003 when it was. all surveys were performed during the period of peak residency of humpback whales (feb-mar). during 2002 and 2003, surveys commenced immediately upon cessation of a 24-h cycle of transmissions. numbers and distribution of whales observed within 40 km of the npal source during 2001 (source off) were c ...	2005	15810697
song copying by humpback whales: themes and variations.	male humpback whales (megaptera novaeangliae) produce long, structured sequences of sound underwater, commonly called "songs." humpbacks progressively modify their songs over time in ways that suggest that individuals are copying song elements that they hear being used by other singers. little is known about the factors that determine how whales learn from their auditory experiences. song learning in birds is better understood and appears to be constrained by stable core attributes such as speci ...	2005	15490289
acoustic properties of humpback whale songs.	a vertical array of five hydrophones was used to measure the acoustic field in the vertical plane of singing humpback whales. once a singer was located, two swimmers with snorkel gear were deployed to determine the orientation of the whale and position the boat so that the array could be deployed in front of the whale at a minimum standoff distance of at least 10 m. the spacing of the hydrophones was 7 m with the deepest hydrophone deployed at a depth of 35 m. an eight-channel tascam recorder wi ...	2006	16938996
visualizing the underwater behavior of humpback whales.		2006	16863093
estimates of relatedness in groups of humpback whales (megaptera novaeangliae) on two wintering grounds of the southern hemisphere.	group formation in humpback whales has been described in relation to different components of the migratory cycle, yet it is debated whether such groups represent real social bonding or ephemeral aggregations. cooperative behaviours are exhibited during feeding activities, and it has been suggested that males may cooperate during competition for mates. since most cooperative behaviours are expected to originate among kin, genetic relatedness represents a critical variable in the understanding of ...	2006	16842425
larval development and settlement of a whale barnacle.	larval development and settlement of whale barnacles have not previously been described, unlike intertidal barnacles. indeed, the mechanisms of the association between barnacles and whales have not been studied. here we describe the larval development and settlement of the whale barnacle, coronula diadema, and possible involvement of a cue from the host in inducing larval settlement. eight-cell stage embryos were collected from c. diadema on a stranded humpback whale, incubated in filtered seawa ...	2006	17148335
genetic impact of an unusual group mortality among humpback whales.	mass mortalities, due to infectious disease or toxic algal blooms, are known to have severe demographic impacts on marine mammal populations. the genetic impacts of these events, however, have received little attention. to investigate the genetic consequences of an unusual group mortality among humpback whales, we compared the mitochondrial dna haplotypes of 10 whales poisoned by mackerel contaminated with a dinoflagellate neurotoxin to those of 32 live whales from the same regional population. ...	2006	8120358
the influence of maternal lineages on social affiliations among humpback whales (megaptera novaeangliae) on their feeding grounds in the southern gulf of maine.	humpback whales on their feeding grounds in the gulf of maine typically form fluid fission/fusion groups of two to three individuals characterized by noncompetitive and, at times, cooperative behavior. here we test the hypothesis that, despite the apparent absence of close kinship bonds, the fluid associations between feeding whales are influenced by "maternal lineages" as represented by mtdna haplotypes. using skin samples collected with a biopsy dart, variation in the hypervariable segment of ...	2006	16489145
diversity and duplication of dqb and drb-like genes of the mhc in baleen whales (suborder: mysticeti).	the molecular diversity and phylogenetic relationships of two class ii genes of the baleen whale major histocompatibility complex were investigated and compared to toothed whales and out-groups. amplification of the dqb exon 2 provided sequences showing high within-species and between-species nucleotide diversity and uninterrupted reading frames consistent with functional class ii loci found in related mammals (e.g., ruminants). cloning of amplified products indicated gene duplication in the hum ...	2006	16568262
information entropy of humpback whale songs.	the structure of humpback whale (megaptera novaeangliae) songs was examined using information theory techniques. the song is an ordered sequence of individual sound elements separated by gaps of silence. song samples were converted into sequences of discrete symbols by both human and automated classifiers. this paper analyzes the song structure in these symbol sequences using information entropy estimators and autocorrelation estimators. both parametric and nonparametric entropy estimators are a ...	2006	16583924
marine mammal strandings in the new caledonia region, southwest pacific.	four hundred twenty three marine mammals, in 72 stranding events, were recorded between 1877 and 2005 in new caledonia, the loyalty islands, and vanuatu in the southwest pacific. sixteen species were represented in this count, including: minke whale, balaenoptera acutorostrata (1 single stranding), sei whale, b. borealis (1 single stranding), blue whale, b. musculus (1 single stranding), humpback whale, megaptera novaeangliae (2 single strandings), giant sperm whale, physeter macrocephalus (18 s ...	2006	16644500
morphological specializations of baleen whales associated with hydrodynamic performance and ecological niche.	feeding behavior, prey type, and habitat appear to be associated with the morphological design of body, fluke, and flippers in baleen whales. morphometric data from whaling records and recent stranding events were compiled, and morphometric parameters describing the body length, and fluke and flipper dimensions for an "average" blue whale balaenoptera musculus, humpback whale megaptera novaeangliae, gray whale eschrichtius robustus, and right whale eubalaena glacialis were determined. body mass, ...	2006	17051544
phylogenetic relationships among the baleen whales based on maternally and paternally inherited characters.	phylogenetic relationships in the cetacean suborder mysticeti (baleen whales) have recently been the focus of increased attention. here, we examine the evolutionary history of this group by comparing genealogies derived from y chromosome and mitochondrial dna sequences. we generated topologies based on paternally and maternally inherited characters for males from nine baleen whale species, including representatives of three families (balaenidae, eschrichtiidae, and balaenopteridae) and four gene ...	2006	16843014
structure of the cerebral cortex of the humpback whale, megaptera novaeangliae (cetacea, mysticeti, balaenopteridae).	cetaceans diverged from terrestrial mammals between 50 and 60 million years ago and acquired, during their adaptation to a fully aquatic milieu, many derived features, including echolocation (in odontocetes), remarkable auditory and communicative abilities, as well as a complex social organization. whereas brain structure has been documented in detail in some odontocetes, few reports exist on its organization in mysticetes. we studied the cerebral cortex of the humpback whale (megaptera novaeang ...	2007	17441195
seasonal variability and detection range modeling of baleen whale calls in the gulf of alaska, 1999-2002.	five species of large whales, including the blue (balaenoptera musculus), fin (b. physalus), sei (b. borealis), humpback (megaptera novaeangliae), and north pacific right (eubalaena japonica), were the target of commercial harvests in the gulf of alaska (goa) during the 19th through mid-20th centuries. since this time, there have been a few summer time visual surveys for these species, but no overview of year-round use of these waters by endangered whales primarily because standard visual survey ...	2007	18247747
swimming in the deep end of the gene pool: global population structure of an oceanic giant.	despite the impression held by some that few biological mysteries remain, even evocative species such as humpback whales (megaptera novaeangliae), white sharks (carcharodon carcharias) and green turtles (chelonia mydas) have poorly documented movement patterns, reproductive strategies and population dynamics despite years of dedicated research. this is largely due to the difficulty of observing wide-ranging marine species over the majority of their life cycle. the advent of powerful tracking dev ...	2007	17944855
phylogenetic relationships among cetaceans revealed by y-chromosome sequences.	the y chromosome has recently come into the spotlight as a new and efficient genetic marker for tracing paternal lineages. we reconstructed cetacean phylogeny using a 1.7-kbp fragment of the non-recombining y chromosome (nry), including the sry gene and a flanking non-coding region. the topology of the y-chromosome tree is robust to various methods of analysis and exhibits high branch-support values, possibly due to the absence of recombination, small effective population size, and low homoplasy ...	2007	17824780
comparative anatomy of the foramen ovale in the hearts of cetaceans.	the structure of the cardiac foramen ovale from 17 species representing six cetacean families, the monodontidae, phocoenidae, delphinidae, ziphiidae, balaenidae and the balaenopteridae, was studied using the scanning electron microscope. eight white whale fetuses (delphinapterus leucas) and a narwhal fetus (monodon monoceros) represented the monodontidae; one fetal and nine neonatal harbour porpoises (phocoena phocoena) and a finless porpoise fetus (neophocoena phocoenoides) represented the phoc ...	2007	17532800
the social vocalization repertoire of east australian migrating humpback whales (megaptera novaeangliae).	although the songs of humpback whales have been extensively studied, other vocalizations and percussive sounds, referred to as "social sounds," have received little attention. this study presents the social vocalization repertoire of migrating east australian humpback whales from a sample of 660 sounds recorded from 61 groups of varying composition, over three years. the social vocalization repertoire of humpback whales was much larger than previously described with a total of 34 separate call t ...	2007	18189579
dismay at japan's new whaling targets.	the fleet setting off last month for japan's largest target for scientific whaling, including up to 50 humpback whales, the lucrative stars of whale-watching tourists worldwide, is set to face a battle with infuriated governments, researchers and conservationists.	2007	18240375
'megapclicks': acoustic click trains and buzzes produced during night-time foraging of humpback whales (megaptera novaeangliae).	humpback whales (megaptera novaeangliae) exhibit a variety of foraging behaviours, but neither they nor any baleen whale are known to produce broadband clicks in association with feeding, as do many odontocetes. we recorded underwater behaviour of humpback whales in a northwest atlantic feeding area using suction-cup attached, multi-sensor, acoustic tags (dtags). here we describe the first recordings of click production associated with underwater lunges from baleen whales. recordings of over 340 ...	2007	17686753
spondylitis in a humpback whale (megaptera novaeangliae) from the southeast pacific.	a 7.25 m long male humpback whale (megaptera novaeangliae) with spondylitis was found beached on august 13, 1994 at ancon, ecuador (2 degrees 23' s, 80 degrees 47' w). the condition involved at least 11 vertebrae, 7 lumbar (l4 to l11) and 4 caudal (ca1 to ca4). partial fusion of vertebrae was observed as a result of intervertebral bony proliferation, likely impeding full motion. the relatively young age of this specimen and the severity of the deformities suggest an infectious, rather than degen ...	2007	17629121
acoustic cues available for ranging by humpback whales.	field measurements of sound propagation in a humpback whale habitat were collected to identify cues that a humpback whale might use to estimate its distance from sound sources. the data show that spectral cues are sufficient for estimating the relative distance a sound has traveled in such environments, and that several other cues may also provide useful information. it is suggested that listening humpback whales may use multiple cues in parallel to determine the range to singing whales.	2007	17550148
blowing bubbles: an aquatic adaptation that risks protection of the respiratory tract in humpback whales (megaptera novaeangliae).	cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) have developed extensive protective barriers to exclude water or food from the respiratory tract, including valvular nostrils, an intranarial elongated larynx, and a sphincteric soft palate. a barrier breach can be lethal, as asphyxiation may occur from incursions of water (drowning) or food (choking). humpback whales (megaptera novaeangliae), however, exhibit a possibly unique and paradoxical behavior concerning respiratory protection: they release a ...	2007	17516445
southern hemisphere humpback whales wintering off central america: insights from water temperature into the longest mammalian migration.	we report on a wintering area off the pacific coast of central america for humpback whales (megaptera novaeangliae) migrating from feeding areas off antarctica. we document seven individuals, including a mother/calf pair, that made this migration (approx. 8300km), the longest movement undertaken by any mammal. whales were observed as far north as 11 degrees n off costa rica, in an area also used by a boreal population during the opposite winter season, resulting in unique spatial overlap between ...	2007	17412669
underwater topography determines critical breeding habitat for humpback whales near osa peninsula, costa rica: implications for marine protected areas.	migrating humpback whales from northern and southern feeding grounds come to the tropical waters near osa peninsula, pacific of costa rica, to reproduce and raise their calves. planning effective marine protected areas that encompass humpback critical habitats require data about which oceanographic features influence distribution during the breeding period. this study examines the relationship between water depth and ocean floor slope with humpback whale distribution, based on sightings during t ...	2008	19256430
information theory analysis of australian humpback whale song.	songs produced by migrating whales were recorded off the coast of queensland, australia, over six consecutive weeks in 2003. forty-eight independent song sessions were analyzed using information theory techniques. the average length of the songs estimated by correlation analysis was approximately 100 units, with song sessions lasting from 300 to over 3100 units. song entropy, a measure of structural constraints, was estimated using three different methodologies: (1) the independently identically ...	2008	19062876
hydrodynamic flow control in marine mammals.	the ability to control the flow of water around the body dictates the performance of marine mammals in the aquatic environment. morphological specializations of marine mammals afford mechanisms for passive flow control. aside from the design of the body, which minimizes drag, the morphology of the appendages provides hydrodynamic advantages with respect to drag, lift, thrust, and stall. the flukes of cetaceans and sirenians and flippers of pinnipeds possess geometries with flexibility, which enh ...	2008	21669832
how bumps on whale flippers delay stall: an aerodynamic model.	wind tunnel experiments have shown that bumps on the leading edge of model humpback whale flippers cause them to "stall" (i.e., lose lift dramatically) more gradually and at a higher angle of attack. here we develop an aerodynamic model which explains the observed increase in stall angle. the model predicts that as the amplitude of the bumps is increased, the lift curve flattens out, leading to potentially desirable control properties. we find that stall delay is insensitive to the wavelength of ...	2008	18352375
methods for automatically analyzing humpback song units.	this paper presents mathematical techniques for automatically extracting and analyzing bioacoustic signals. automatic techniques are described for isolation of target signals from background noise, extraction of features from target signals and unsupervised classification (clustering) of the target signals based on these features. the only user-provided inputs, other than raw sound, is an initial set of signal processing and control parameters. of particular note is that the number of signal cat ...	2008	18345864
vocalizations produced by humpback whale (megaptera novaeangliae) calves recorded in hawaii.	although humpback whale (megaptera novaeangliae) calves are reported to vocalize, this has not been measurably verified. during march 2006, an underwater video camera and two-element hydrophone array were used to record nonsong vocalizations from a mother-calf escort off hawaii. acoustic data were analyzed; measured time delays between hydrophones provided bearings to 21 distinct vocalizations produced by the male calf. signals were pulsed (71%), frequency modulated (19%), or amplitude modulated ...	2008	18345861
understanding auditory distance estimation by humpback whales: a computational approach.	ranging, the ability to judge the distance to a sound source, depends on the presence of predictable patterns of attenuation. we measured long-range sound propagation in coastal waters to assess whether humpback whales might use frequency degradation cues to range singing whales. two types of neural networks, a multi-layer and a single-layer perceptron, were trained to classify recorded sounds by distance traveled based on their frequency content. the multi-layer network successfully classified ...	2008	18068910
the effect of differential reproductive success on population genetic structure: correlations of life history with matrilines in humpback whales of the gulf of maine.	to examine whether demographic and life-history traits are correlated with genetic structure, we contrasted mtdna lineages of individual humpback whales (megaptera novaeangliae) with sighting and reproductive histories of female humpback whales between 1979 and 1995. maternal lineage haplotypes were obtained for 323 whales, either from direct sequencing of the mtdna control region (n = 159) or inferred from known relationships along matrilines from the sequenced sample of individuals (n = 164). ...	2008	12642638
perceptually motivated wavelet packet transform for bioacoustic signal enhancement.	a significant and often unavoidable problem in bioacoustic signal processing is the presence of background noise due to an adverse recording environment. this paper proposes a new bioacoustic signal enhancement technique which can be used on a wide range of species. the technique is based on a perceptually scaled wavelet packet decomposition using a species-specific greenwood scale function. spectral estimation techniques, similar to those used for human speech enhancement, are used for estimati ...	2008	18646979
cetacean diversity on the parnaiba delta, maranhão state, northeastern brazil.	the increase in the research of cetacean surveys on the brazilian coast has brought new data on the distribution of species never reported before. the present work reviews the current knowledge on cetaceans species and extends this knowledge with an analysis of cetaceans stranded in the parnaiba delta, on the coast of maranhão state, brazil. the studies on cetacean diversity on the coast of the parnaíba delta were made from august 2004 to august 2006. fourteen strandings were reported, represent ...	2008	18833476
bowhead whale springtime song off west greenland.	three songs were recorded from bowhead whales (balaena mysticetus) in disko bay, west greenland, during 59 h of recordings via sonobuoys deployed on seven days between 5 and 14 april 2007. song elements were defined by units following the protocol of previous description of bowhead whale song. the two most prominent songs were loud, complex, and repeated in long bouts on multiple recording days while the third song was much simpler and recorded on only one day. bowhead whale simple calls and fai ...	2008	19045814
foraging behavior of humpback whales: kinematic and respiratory patterns suggest a high cost for a lunge.	lunge feeding in rorqual whales is a drag-based feeding mechanism that is thought to entail a high energetic cost and consequently limit the maximum dive time of these extraordinarily large predators. although the kinematics of lunge feeding in fin whales supports this hypothesis, it is unclear whether respiratory compensation occurs as a consequence of lunge-feeding activity. we used high-resolution digital tags on foraging humpback whales (megaptera novaengliae) to determine the number of lung ...	2008	19011211
comparing evolutionary patterns and variability in the mitochondrial control region and cytochrome b in three species of baleen whales.	the rapidly evolving mitochondrial control region remains an important source of information on phylogeography and demographic history for cetaceans and other vertebrates, despite great uncertainty in the rate of nucleotide substitution across both nucleotide positions and lineages. patterns of variation in linked markers with slower rates of evolution can potentially be used to calibrate the rate of nucleotide substitution in the control region and to better understand the interplay of evolutio ...	2009	19116685