Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year(sorted ascending) Filter | PMID Filter |
|---|
| prenatal and postnatal development of the cervical portion of the spine in the short-finned pilot whale globicephala macrorhyncha. | fusion of the cervical spine in globicephala macrorhyncha is a prenatal rather than a postnatal phenomenon which encompasses all cervical vertebra. this results in a relatively short, nonarticulated, composite cervical spine in this particular species. cervicothoracic spine segments removed from fetuses demonstrated complete fusion of all cervical vertebra commencing during early prenatal development. c1 and c2 initially developed as a composite central cartilaginous unit, although laterally the ... | 1981 | 7258696 |
| mass stranding of odontoceti caused by parasitogenic eighth cranial neuropathy. | hearing organs of the odontoceti from two mass strandings in 1983 and 1986 were examined histopathologically. in the 1983 stranding, two of three pilot whales (globicephala macrorhynchus) were necropsied and numerous nasitrema sp. were found close to the eighth cranial nerve (nervus vistibulo cochlearis) in both animals. patchy degeneration of the eighth cranial nerve in and out of the modiolus of the cochlea was observed. in the 1986 stranding, five of 125 false killer whales (pseudorca crassic ... | 1987 | 3682083 |
| heavy metals in tissues of stranded short-finned pilot whales. | selected tissues from four short-finned pilot whales that stranded at cumberland island national seashore were analyzed for total cadmium, mercury and selenium by neutron activation. cadmium reached a maximum mean wet weight concentration of 31.4 ppm in the kidney tissues. maximum mean wet weight concentrations of mercury, 230.0 ppm, and selenium, 44.2 ppm, were found in the liver tissues. the lowest concentration of each metal was found in the blubber. postmortem examination showed that the wha ... | 1991 | 208141 |
| microscopy of vascular architecture and arteriovenous communications in the spleen of two odontocetes. | the red pulp of the spleens of the short-finned pilot whale (globicephala macrorhynchus) and the pacific bottle-nosed dolphin (tursiops truncatus gilli) (odontoceti) were examined by light and electron microscopy and found to comprise two venous layers, an inner and an outer. the inner layer is homologous to the intermediate zone (iz) of primitive-type mammalian spleens and contains sinusoids consisting of endothelial cells and a thin layer of extracellular deposits. its vascular structure is un ... | 1994 | 7932770 |
| a role for airborne particulates in high mercury levels of some cetaceans. | in a study of 25 tursiops truncatus and two globicephala macrorhynchus examined by necropsy, abundant hgse was found in both the liver and in the respiratory system (lung and hilar lymph nodes). in the liver hgse was consistently associated with the cell-breakdown pigment lipofuscin, whereas in lung and hilar lymph nodes it was consistently associated with particulates consisting of partially graphitic soot and silicates. this supports earlier suggestions that in the liver hgse may be a storage ... | 1995 | 7541345 |
| the use of non destructive biomarkers in the study of marine mammals. | marine mammals have been subject to heavy anthropogenic pressure by direct killing and chemical pollution all over the world. most studies of contamination and biomarker responses in marine mammals have been conducted using animals killed by hunting out of a total of 12 cetacean species studied, 45 of the specimens were obtained by sacrificing the animal; out of a total of eight pinniped species studied, 40 of the specimens were obtained by killing. the development of a series of non destructive ... | 1997 | 23899212 |
| a sine species from hippopotamus and its distribution among animal species. | thirty sequences of a short interspersed repetitive element (sine) were isolated from genomic dna of hippopotamus amphibius (hippopotamus). rna polymerase iii split promoter sequence was observed in all of the 30 sequences; and poly(a)-like structure at 3'-end, as well as direct repeat flanking to the repetitive sequence in many of the 30 sequences. a comparison of the consensus sequence of the 30 sequences with sequences in a dna database (ddbj/genbank/embl) revealed 93% homology to the consens ... | 1998 | 9657853 |
| morphology of the complex laryngeal gland in the atlantic bottlenose dolphin, tursiops truncatus. | a complex lymphoepithelial gland is a constant feature in the larynx of atlantic bottlenose dolphins, tursiops truncatus, based on study of 56 animals. larynges were removed from fresh, non-decomposed beach-stranded animals for gross examination and histological sampling. a large lymphoepithelial gland occurs in the rostro-ventral mucosa of the larynx, overlying the cricoid cartilage. it presents as a well-defined, elevated, and heavily trabeculated area. histological examination reveals a pseud ... | 1999 | 9892423 |
| population structure of long-finned pilot whales in the north atlantic: a correlation with sea surface temperature? | the long-finned pilot whale, globicephala melas, is a social, pelagic odontocete distributed widely in the cold temperate waters of the north atlantic. despite genetic, morphometric, physiological and observational studies, it remains unclear whether any population substructure exists. we have used eight highly polymorphic microsatellite loci to analyse samples from four disparate sampling sites: usa east coast (cape cod), west greenland, the faeroe islands and the uk. our results indicate that ... | 2000 | 10886657 |
| chemical speciation of arsenic in the livers of higher trophic marine animals. | concentrations of total arsenic and individual arsenic compounds were determined in livers of cetaceans (dall's porpoise and short-finned pilot whale), pinnipeds (harp and ringed seals), sirenian (dugong), and sea turtles (green and loggerhead turtles) to characterize arsenic accumulation profiles in higher trophic marine animals. hepatic arsenic concentrations in sea turtles were highest among the species examined. chemical speciation of arsenic revealed that arsenobetaine was the major arsenic ... | 2002 | 12398388 |
| molecular and functional characterization of a urea transporter from the kidney of a short-finned pilot whale. | cetaceans (whales and dolphins) always excrete urine with an osmolality markedly higher than that of plasma. although the mechanisms by which cetaceans concentrate urine have not been elucidated, data support a role for medullary urea accumulation in this process, as is the case for terrestrial mammals. therefore, we hypothesized that facilitated urea transporters are present in the kidney of cetaceans. using 5'/3'-rapid amplification of cdna ends, we cloned a 2.7-kb cdna from the kidney of the ... | 2002 | 11959693 |
| structure and presumptive function of the iridocorneal angle of the west indian manatee (trichechus manatus), short-finned pilot whale (globicephala macrorhynchus), hippopotamus (hippopotamus amphibius), and african elephant (loxodonta africana). | the iridocorneal angles of prepared eyes from the west indian manatee, short-finned pilot whale, hippopotamus and african elephant were examined and compared using light microscopy. the manatee and pilot whale demonstrated capacity for a large amount of aqueous outflow, probably as part of a system compensating for lack of ciliary musculature, and possibly also related to environmental changes associated with life at varying depths. the elephant angle displayed many characteristics of large herb ... | 2003 | 12641841 |
| trace elements in two odontocete species (kogia breviceps and globicephala macrorhynchus) stranded in new caledonia (south pacific). | liver, muscle and blubber tissues of two short-finned pilot whales (globicephala macrorhynchus) and two pygmy sperm whales(kogia breviceps) stranded on the coast of new caledonia have been analysed for 12 trace elements (al, cd, co, cr, cu. fe, organic and total hg, mn, ni, se, v, and zn). liver was shown to be the most important accumulating organ for cd, cu, fe, hg, se, and zn in both species, g. macrorhynchus having the highest cd, hg, se and zn levels. in this species, concentrations of tota ... | 2003 | 12713926 |
| morphologic characteristics of pulmonary macrophages in cetaceans: particular reference to pulmonary intravascular macrophages as a newly identified type. | we examined the morphologic characteristics of pulmonary macrophages in 42 specimens of odontoceti (globicephala macrorhynchus, grampus griseus, tursiops truncatus, stenella attenuata, stenella coeruleoalba, berardius bairdii), using light and electron microscopes as well as immunohistochemistry with sra-e5. sra-e5-positive alveolar macrophages and pulmonary interstitial macrophages contained graphitic soots, indicating the clearance of airborne, aspirated foreign bodies. pulmonary intravascular ... | 2004 | 15557077 |
| distributive and phagocytic characteristics of hepatic macrophages in five cetaceans belonging to delphinidae and ziphiidae. | details of morphology and distribution of hepatic macrophages in cetaceans were investigated using the immunohistochemistry with an antibody (sra-e5) generated against human macrophage scavenger receptor antigen. liver samples were obtained from five species of cetaceans (baird's beaked whales, short-finned pilot whales, risso's dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, and pantropical spotted dolphins). except for two species of whales, the number of sra-e5-positive kupffer cells was greatest in the periv ... | 2004 | 15240942 |
| immunohistochemical detection of macrophages in the short-finned pilot whale (globicephala macrorhynchus) and risso's dolphin (grampus griseus). | macrophages play a central role in the immune system, but few markers are available for their detection in cetaceans. the purpose of the present study, therefore, was to examine the cross-reactivity for two cetacean species (short-finned pilot whale and risso's dolphin) of four anti-human antibodies (sra-e5, am-3k, ebm11 and anti-human lysozyme). the distribution of sra-e5- and am-3k-positive cells was similar, both antibodies labelling (1) many resident macrophages in the spleen, lymph nodes, l ... | 2004 | 14693122 |
| total mercury, methyl mercury, and selenium levels in the red meat of small cetaceans sold for human consumption in japan. | we surveyed the total mercury (t-hg) and methyl mercury (m-hg) levels in red meat products (n = 160) from small cetacean species sold for human consumption in markets throughout japan from 2000 to 2003. genetic identification showed that the red meat products originated from nine species: false killer whale, bottlenose dolphin, short-finned pilot whale, striped dolphin, rough-toothed dolphin, risso's dolphin, pantropical spotted dolphin, baird's beaked whale, and dall's porpoise. t-hg and m-hg c ... | 2005 | 16124305 |
| comparative anatomy of the ciliary body of the west indian manatee (trichechus manatus) and selected species. | to examine the anatomy of the ciliary body in the west indian manatee (trichechus manatus), paying close attention to its vascularization and to compare to those of its distant relative, the african elephant (loxodonta africana), the amphibious hippopotamus (hippopotamus amphibius) and the aquatic short-finned pilot whale (globicephala macrorhynchus). | 2006 | 16359360 |
| 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 |
| a tool for real-time acoustic species identification of delphinid whistles. | the ability to identify delphinid vocalizations to species in real-time would be an asset during shipboard surveys. an automated system, real-time odontocete call classification algorithm (rocca), is being developed to allow real-time acoustic species identification in the field. this matlab-based tool automatically extracts ten variables (beginning, end, minimum and maximum frequencies, duration, slope of the beginning and end sweep, number of inflection points, number of steps, and presence/ab ... | 2007 | 17614515 |
| accumulation of organotin compounds in tissues and organs of stranded whales along the coasts of thailand. | concentrations of butyltin (bt) and phenyltin (pt) compounds were measured in organs and tissues of five species of whales (bride's whale [balaenoptera edeni], false killer whale [pseudorca crassidens], pygmy sperm whale [kogia breviceps], short-finned pilot whale [globicephala macrorhynchus], and sperm whale [physeter macrocephalus]) found stranded on the coasts of thailand. the mean concentrations of bts in various whales were in the range of 0.157 to 1.03 mg kg(-1 )wet weight, which were high ... | 2007 | 17285238 |
| histological, immunohistochemical and pathological features of the pituitary gland of odontocete cetaceans from the western gulf of mexico. | pituitary glands were recovered from dolphins and small whales found stranded along the texas coast of the gulf of mexico over a 15-year period (1991-2006). one hundred animals of 14 species were found to be suitable for inclusion in this study. of these, 72 were atlantic bottlenose dolphins (tursiops truncatus). other species included were the melon-headed whale (peponocephala electra), spinner dolphin (stenella longirostris), striped dolphin (stenella coeruleoalba), pantropical spotted dolphin ... | 2008 | 18621384 |
| mortality rate acceleration and post-reproductive lifespan in matrilineal whale species. | the strength of selection to increase the span of a life stage is dependent upon individuals at that stage being able to contribute towards individual fitness and the probability of their surviving to that stage. complete reproductive cessation and a long post-reproductive female lifespan as found in humans are also found in killer whale (orcinus orca) and short-finned pilot whale (globicephala macrorhynchus), but not in the long-finned pilot whale (globicephala melaena). each species forms kin- ... | 2008 | 18252662 |
| sequence analysis of dolphin ferritin h and l subunits and possible iron-dependent translational control of dolphin ferritin gene. | iron-storage protein, ferritin plays a central role in iron metabolism. ferritin has dual function to store iron and segregate iron for protection of iron-catalyzed reactive oxygen species. tissue ferritin is composed of two kinds of subunits (h: heavy chain or heart-type subunit; l: light chain or liver-type subunit). ferritin gene expression is controlled at translational level in iron-dependent manner or at transcriptional level in iron-independent manner. however, sequencing analysis of mari ... | 2008 | 18954429 |
| cheetahs of the deep sea: deep foraging sprints in short-finned pilot whales off tenerife (canary islands). | 1. empirical testing of optimal foraging models for breath-hold divers has been difficult. here we report data from sound and movement recording dtags placed on 23 short-finned pilot whales off tenerife to study the foraging strategies used to catch deep-water prey. 2. day and night foraging dives had a maximum depth and duration of 1018 m and 21 min. vocal behaviour during dives was consistent with biosonar-based foraging, with long series of echolocation clicks interspersed with buzzes. simila ... | 2008 | 18444999 |
| to breathe or not to breathe: optimal strategies for finding prey in a dark, three-dimensional environment. | the use of sophisticated telemetry logging devices has revealed that short-finned pilot whales employ energetic sprints to chase down their deep-dwelling prey. these sprints are costly in terms of energy, and therefore oxygen, which is a valuable resource for an animal that has to hold its breath while hunting. this finding highlights the challenges faced by ecologists when trying to develop foraging models for marine predators because many of the key parameters, such as movements in three dimen ... | 2008 | 18844756 |
| additional records of metazoan parasites from caribbean marine mammals, including genetically identified anisakid nematodes. | studies of marine mammal parasites in the caribbean are scarce. an assessment for marine mammal endo- and ectoparasites from puerto rico and the virgin islands, but extending to other areas of the caribbean, was conducted between 1989 and 1994. the present study complements the latter and enhances identification of anisakid nematodes using molecular markers. parasites were collected from 59 carcasses of stranded cetaceans and manatees from 1994 to 2006, including globicephala macrorhynchus, kogi ... | 2009 | 19582477 |
| metazoan parasites of cetaceans off the northeastern coast of brazil. | this study represents the first survey of the parasitic fauna of cetaceans off the northeastern coast of brazil. parasites were collected from 82 animals rescued from the states of ceará to bahia, including the archipelago of fernando de noronha. a total of 14 species of cetaceans were evaluated: sotalia guianensis, stenella sp., stenella clymene, stenella longirostris, stenella coeruleoalba, stenella frontalis, megaptera novaeangliae, peponocephala electra, steno bredanensis, kogia breviceps, k ... | 2010 | 20638793 |
| hearing loss in stranded odontocete dolphins and whales. | the causes of dolphin and whale stranding can often be difficult to determine. because toothed whales rely on echolocation for orientation and feeding, hearing deficits could lead to stranding. we report on the results of auditory evoked potential measurements from eight species of odontocete cetaceans that were found stranded or severely entangled in fishing gear during the period 2004 through 2009. approximately 57% of the bottlenose dolphins and 36% of the rough-toothed dolphins had significa ... | 2010 | 21072206 |
| calling under pressure: short-finned pilot whales make social calls during deep foraging dives. | toothed whales rely on sound to echolocate prey and communicate with conspecifics, but little is known about how extreme pressure affects pneumatic sound production in deep-diving species with a limited air supply. the short-finned pilot whale (globicephala macrorhynchus) is a highly social species among the deep-diving toothed whales, in which individuals socialize at the surface but leave their social group in pursuit of prey at depths of up to 1000 m. to investigate if these animals communica ... | 2011 | 21345867 |
| auditory evoked potentials in two short-finned pilot whales (globicephala macrorhynchus). | the hearing sensitivities of two short-finned pilot whales (globicephala macrorhynchus) were investigated by measuring auditory evoked potentials generated in response to clicks and sinusoidal amplitude modulated (sam) tones. the first whale tested, an adult female, was a long-time resident at seaworld san diego with a known health history. click-evoked responses in this animal were similar to those measured in other echolocating odontocetes. auditory thresholds were comparable to dolphins of si ... | 2011 | 21361467 |
| phylogenetic analysis of a new cetacean morbillivirus from a short-finned pilot whale stranded in the canary islands. | cetacean morbillivirus (cemv) is considered the most pathogenic virus in cetaceans. three strains have been already described: the dolphin morbillivirus (dmv), the porpoise morbillivirus (pmv) and the tentatively named pilot whale morbillivirus (pwmv). this study describes the molecular characterization of a strain of cemv detected in the brain of a short-finned pilot whale that had stranded in the eastern atlantic ocean around the canary islands and that showed lesions compatible with morbilliv ... | 2011 | 20576281 |
| historical and current records of aquarium cetaceans in china. | the number of cetaceans housed in aquariums in china is increasing. detailed information on the historical and current population status has not been reported, despite its importance for successful breeding and population management. questionnaires were conducted between december 2006 and may 2009, and the information was used to construct studbooks. our survey showed that 10 species had been introduced to aquariums since 1978, including 26 (with 15 in the current population) finless porpoises ( ... | 2011 | 21674602 |
| lipid class and depth-specific thermal properties in the blubber of the short-finned pilot whale and the pygmy sperm whale. | blubber, the specialized hypodermis of cetaceans, provides thermal insulation through the quantity and quality of lipids it contains. quality refers to percent lipid content; however, not all lipids are the same. certain deep-diving cetacean groups possess blubber with lipids - wax esters (we) - that are not typically found in mammals, and the insulative quality of 'waxy' blubber is unknown. our study explored the influence of lipid storage class - specifically we in pygmy sperm whales (kogia br ... | 2012 | 22972895 |
| novel locomotor muscle design in extreme deep-diving whales. | most marine mammals are hypothesized to routinely dive within their aerobic dive limit (adl). mammals that regularly perform deep, long-duration dives have locomotor muscles with elevated myoglobin concentrations that are composed of predominantly large, slow-twitch (type i) fibers with low mitochondrial volume densities (v(mt)). these features contribute to extending adl by increasing oxygen stores and decreasing metabolic rate. recent tagging studies, however, have challenged the view that two ... | 2013 | 23393275 |
| interspecific introgression in cetaceans: dna markers reveal post-f1 status of a pilot whale. | visual species identification of cetacean strandings is difficult, especially when dead specimens are degraded and/or species are morphologically similar. the two recognised pilot whale species (globicephala melas and globicephala macrorhynchus) are sympatric in the north atlantic ocean. these species are very similar in external appearance and their morphometric characteristics partially overlap; thus visual identification is not always reliable. genetic species identification ensures correct i ... | 2013 | 23990883 |
| clonally related methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus isolated from short-finned pilot whales (globicephala macrorhynchus), human volunteers, and a bayfront cetacean rehabilitation facility. | in may of 2011, a live mass stranding of 26 short-finned pilot whales (globicephala macrorhynchus) occurred in the lower florida keys. five surviving whales were transferred from the original stranding site to a nearby marine mammal rehabilitation facility where they were constantly attended to by a team of volunteers. bacteria cultured during the routine clinical care of the whales and necropsy of a deceased whale included methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (m ... | 2013 | 23508733 |
| classification of large acoustic datasets using machine learning and crowdsourcing: application to whale calls. | vocal communication is a primary communication method of killer and pilot whales, and is used for transmitting a broad range of messages and information for short and long distance. the large variation in call types of these species makes it challenging to categorize them. in this study, sounds recorded by audio sensors carried by ten killer whales and eight pilot whales close to the coasts of norway, iceland, and the bahamas were analyzed using computer methods and citizen scientists as part of ... | 2014 | 25234903 |
| presence and seasonal variation of deep diving foraging odontocetes around kauai, hawaii using remote autonomous acoustic recorders. | ecological acoustic recorders (ears) were moored off the bottom in relatively deep depths (609-710 m) at five locations around the island of kauai. initially, the ears had an analog-to-digital sample rate of 64 khz with 30-s recordings every 5 min. after the second deployment the sampling rate was increased to 80 khz in order to better record beaked whale biosonar signals. the results of the 80 khz recording are discussed in this manuscript and are the results of three deployments over a year's ... | 2014 | 24437792 |
| hearing threshold measurements of five stranded short-finned pilot whales (globicephala macrorhynchus). | on may 5, 2011, 23 short-finned pilot whales, globicephala macrorhynchus, were stranded along the coastline near cudjoe key, fl. five animals (two adult females, two juvenile females, and an adult male) were transported to a rehabilitation facility in key largo, fl. auditory evoked potentials (aeps) were recorded in response to amplitude modulated tone pips modulated at 1000 hz. aep thresholds were determined at 10, 20, 40, 80, and 120 khz for the four females. however, the adult male was euthan ... | 2014 | 24437793 |
| annotated checklist and fisheries interactions of cetaceans in togo, with evidence of antarctic minke whale in the gulf of guinea. | based on strandings and captures, 9 cetacean species, including 6 odontocetes and 3 mysticetes, are documented (photos and specimens) in togo's coastal waters (newly-recorded species marked with an asterisk): antarctic minke whale (balaenoptera bonaerensis*), bryde's whale (balaenoptera brydei or b. edeni), humpback whale (megaptera novaeangliae), sperm whale (physeter macrocephalus), pygmy sperm whale (kogia breviceps*), short-finned pilot whale (globicephala macrorhynchus*), pantropical spotte ... | 2014 | 24447657 |
| animal vocal sequences: not the markov chains we thought they were. | many animals produce vocal sequences that appear complex. most researchers assume that these sequences are well characterized as markov chains (i.e. that the probability of a particular vocal element can be calculated from the history of only a finite number of preceding elements). however, this assumption has never been explicitly tested. furthermore, it is unclear how language could evolve in a single step from a markovian origin, as is frequently assumed, as no intermediate forms have been fo ... | 2014 | 25143037 |
| cytochrome p4501a1 expression in blubber biopsies of endangered false killer whales (pseudorca crassidens) and nine other odontocete species from hawai'i. | odontocetes (toothed whales) are considered sentinel species in the marine environment because of their high trophic position, long life spans, and blubber that accumulates lipophilic contaminants. cytochrome p4501a1 (cyp1a1) is a biomarker of exposure and molecular effects of certain persistent organic pollutants. immunohistochemistry was used to visualize cyp1a1 expression in blubber biopsies collected by non-lethal sampling methods from 10 species of free-ranging hawaiian odontocetes: short-f ... | 2014 | 25134676 |
| ecological knowledge, leadership, and the evolution of menopause in killer whales. | classic life-history theory predicts that menopause should not occur because there should be no selection for survival after the cessation of reproduction [1]. yet, human females routinely live 30 years after they have stopped reproducing [2]. only two other species-killer whales (orcinus orca) and short-finned pilot whales (globicephala macrorhynchus) [3, 4]-have comparable postreproductive lifespans. in theory, menopause can evolve via inclusive fitness benefits [5, 6], but the mechanisms by w ... | 2015 | 25754636 |
| characterizing a foraging hotspot for short-finned pilot whales and blainville's beaked whales located off the west side of hawai'i island by using tagging and oceanographic data. | satellite tagging data for short-finned pilot whales (globicephala macrorhynchus) and blainville's beaked whales (mesoplodon densirostris) were used to identify core insular foraging regions off the kona (west) coast of hawai'i island. ship-based active acoustic surveys and oceanographic model output were used in generalized additive models (gams) and mixed models to characterize the oceanography of these regions and to examine relationships between whale density and the environment. the regions ... | 2015 | 26605917 |
| mercury speciation and selenium in toothed-whale muscles. | mercury accumulates at high levels in marine mammal tissues. however, its speciation is poorly understood. the main goal of this investigation was to establish the relationships among mercury species and selenium (se) concentrations in toothed-whale muscles at different mercury levels. the concentrations of total mercury (t-hg), methylmercury (mehg), inorganic mercury (i-hg) and se were determined in the muscles of four toothed-whale species: bottlenose dolphins (n=31), risso's dolphins (n=30), ... | 2015 | 26436307 |
| nitrogen solubility in odontocete blubber and mandibular fats in relation to lipid composition. | understanding toothed whale (odontocete) diving gas dynamics is important given the recent atypical mass strandings of odontocetes (particularly beaked whales) associated with mid-frequency naval sonar. some stranded whales have exhibited gas emboli (pathologies resembling decompression sickness) in their specialized intramandibular and extramandibular fat bodies used for echolocation and hearing. these tissues have phylogenetically unique, endogenous lipid profiles with poorly understood bioche ... | 2015 | 26290593 |
| hidden markov models reveal complexity in the diving behaviour of short-finned pilot whales. | diving behaviour of short-finned pilot whales is often described by two states; deep foraging and shallow, non-foraging dives. however, this simple classification system ignores much of the variation that occurs during subsurface periods. we used multi-state hidden markov models (hmm) to characterize states of diving behaviour and the transitions between states in short-finned pilot whales. we used three parameters (number of buzzes, maximum dive depth and duration) measured in 259 dives by digi ... | 2017 | 28361954 |
| acoustic differentiation of shiho- and naisa-type short-finned pilot whales in the pacific ocean. | divergence in acoustic signals used by different populations of marine mammals can be caused by a variety of environmental, hereditary, or social factors, and can indicate isolation between those populations. two types of genetically and morphologically distinct short-finned pilot whales, called the naisa- and shiho-types when first described off japan, have been identified in the pacific ocean. acoustic differentiation between these types would support their designation as sub-species or specie ... | 2017 | 28253689 |
| evidence for a postreproductive phase in female false killer whales pseudorca crassidens. | a substantial period of life after reproduction ends, known as postreproductive lifespan (prls), is at odds with classical life history theory and its causes and mechanisms have puzzled evolutionary biologists for decades. prolonged prls has been confirmed in only two non-human mammals, both odontocete cetaceans in the family delphinidae. we investigate the evidence for prls in a third species, the false killer whale, pseudorca crassidens, using a quantitative measure of prls and morphological e ... | 2017 | 28649267 |