scholarly journals Mass stranding and unusual sightings of northern bottlenose whales ( Hyperoodon ampullatus ) in Skjálfandi Bay, Iceland

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 1033-1041
Author(s):  
Thomas Grove ◽  
Chloé Senglat ◽  
Marie Petitguyot ◽  
Danny Kosiba ◽  
Marianne H. Rasmussen
Keyword(s):  
Northern Bottlenose Whales ◽  
Mass Stranding ◽  
Hyperoodon Ampullatus

Stomach contents of northern bottlenose whales Hyperoodon ampullatus stranded in the North Sea

2001 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.B. Santos ◽  
G.J. Pierce ◽  
C. Smeenk ◽  
M.J. Addink ◽  
C.C. Kinze ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Important Species ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Northern Latitudes ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Fish Remains ◽  
Northern Bottlenose Whales ◽  
Hyperoodon Ampullatus

This paper presents information on the stomach contents of four northern bottlenose whales Hyperoodon ampullatus (Odontoceti: Ziphiidae) from the north-east Atlantic, an area for which there are few recent data on the feeding ecology of this species. Two of these whales were relatively recent strandings, a female stranded in August 1993 at Hargen (the Netherlands) and a male stranded in February 1997 on the island of Tåsinge (Denmark). Stomach content samples were also examined from a juvenile male stranded in November 1885 at Dunbar (Scotland) and a female stranded in August 1956 on the island of Texel (the Netherlands).  Food remains from the four samples consisted almost entirely of cephalopod beaks. Some fish remains were also found in the stomach of the Hargen and Tåsinge whales, and the latter also had crustacean remains in the stomach. The cephalopod prey consisted mainly of oceanic cephalopods: Gonatus sp. (probably G. fabricii, Cephalopoda: Teuthoidea), Taoniuspavo and Histioteuthis sp. for the Dunbar whale; Gonatus and Teuthowenia megalops for the Texel whale; Gonatus for the Hargen whale and Gonatus, T. megalops and Taonius pavo for the Tåsinge whale. Other prey species found in the Tåsinge specimen included the squid Histioteuthis reversa, H. arcturi, and the octopods Vampiroteuthis infernalis and Vitreledonella richardi. Based on the size of the lower beaks, the squid eaten included juvenile and mature individuals of the most important species (Gonatus and Teuthowenia megalops). The fish remains consisted of vertebrae of Gadidae and fish eye lenses (Hargen whale) and two Trisopterus otoliths (Tåsinge whale).  The results from this study are in agreement with those of previous authors in that cephalopods in general, and G. fabricii in particular, are the main prey of the northern bottlenose whale and other toothed whales in northern latitudes.

Heterogeneity and the mark–recapture assessment of the Scotian Shelf population of northern bottlenose whales (Hyperoodon ampullatus)

2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (11) ◽  
pp. 2573-2585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hal Whitehead ◽  
Tonya Wimmer
Keyword(s):  
High Probability ◽  
Temporal Trend ◽  
Parametric Bootstrap ◽  
Estimation Procedure ◽  
Submarine Canyon ◽  
Mixed Population ◽  
Scotian Shelf ◽  
Mark Recapture ◽  
Northern Bottlenose Whales ◽  
Hyperoodon Ampullatus

A population of northern bottlenose whales (Hyperoodon ampullatus) inhabits the waters along the edge of the Scotian Shelf. The most important habitat of this population is the Gully, a large submarine canyon, where animals were photographically identified between 1988 and 2003. Open mark–recapture models, including mixture models that allow for heterogeneity in identifiability and (or) mortality among individuals, were fitted to identification-history data. Models without heterogeneity in identifiability had poor fit to the data and underestimated population size. The population is estimated to contain about 163 animals (95% confidence interval 119–214), with no statistically significant temporal trend. About 12% of the population has a high probability of being identified within the Gully in any year. Many of them are mature males. The remainder is less likely to be identified in the Gully during any year, spend generally shorter periods in the Gully even in years when they are found, and are more likely to be female. This and other work indicate a poorly mixed population inhabiting the canyons and other deeper waters off the Scotian Shelf. Non parametric bootstrap methods were used to validate the estimation procedure and to estimate the efficiency of future fieldwork scenarios.

Reliability of photographic and molecular techniques for sexing northern bottlenose whales (Hyperoodon ampullatus)

2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (7) ◽  
pp. 1224-1229 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Gowans ◽  
M L Dalebout ◽  
S K Hooker ◽  
H Whitehead
Keyword(s):  
Zinc Finger Protein ◽  
Molecular Techniques ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Molecular Sexing ◽  
Immature Male ◽  
Zinc Finger Protein Gene ◽  
Large Size ◽  
Target Dna ◽  
Northern Bottlenose Whales ◽  
Hyperoodon Ampullatus

Identifying the sex of living cetaceans can be difficult, even when species are sexually dimorphic. We compare two methods of molecular sexing (ZFY (zinc finger protein gene) and SRY (sex-determining region Y gene)) and evaluate the effectiveness of photographic techniques for identifying sex in northern bottlenose whales, Hyperoodon ampullatus, in the Gully, off Nova Scotia, Canada. Samples from individuals of known sex from historic Norwegian whaling (n = 19) and from recent strandings (n = 3) were used to test the reliability of the molecular techniques. Although both methods gave accurate results, the ZFY method was found to be unsuitable for degraded (historic) samples, owing to the large size of the target DNA fragment. Results from the two molecular-sexing methods were in agreement for biopsy samples taken from bottlenose whales in the Gully (7 males and 13 females). Photographs of the melon profile were used to assign free-swimming animals to the categories female - immature male, subadult male, and mature male. Melon photographs of adult-sized animals taken up to 7 years apart were consistently assigned to the same category. Overall, sex identification from melon photographs was in agreement with results from molecular sexing. However, animals in the category female - immature male were difficult to assign on the basis of morphological features alone.

Genetic diversity and population structure among northern bottlenose whales, Hyperoodon ampullatus, in the western North Atlantic Ocean

2001 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 478-484 ◽  
Author(s):  
M L Dalebout ◽  
S K Hooker ◽  
I Christensen
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Population Structure ◽  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
North Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Davis Strait ◽  
Northern Bottlenose Whales ◽  
Hyperoodon Ampullatus

To assess population structure and genetic diversity among northern bottlenose whales (Hyperoodon ampullatus), we compared mitochondrial DNA control region sequences from three populations in the western North Atlantic Ocean. Skin-biopsy samples were collected from animals in the Gully off Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1996 and 1997 (n = 20), and teeth were obtained from whales taken in Davis Strait off northern Labrador (n = 20) and off northern Iceland (n = 5) between 1967 and 1971 by the historical Norwegian fishery. Only low levels of genetic diversity were found among the 45 animals sampled (three polymorphic sites over 434 base pairs defining four haplotypes; haplotype diversity (h) = 0.57, nucleotide diversity (π) = 0.0015). The cause of this low variability is unclear but may be due to a possible bottleneck event associated with the last glaciation. The distribution of mitochondrial DNA haplotypes between the Gully and Davis Strait populations was suggestive of regional differentiation (FST = 0.118, P = 0.024; ΦST = 0.145, P = 0.007). Animals taken off northern Iceland were not included in statistical analyses of population structure, owing to the small sample size. These data, in conjunction with other information collected to date, indicate that the Gully and Davis Strait populations should be considered separate stocks for management purposes.

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