Beaked whales represent around 25% of known extant cetacean species, yet they are the least known of all marine mammals. Identification of many Mesoplodon species has relied on examination of a few stranded individuals. Particularly, the ginkgo-toothed beaked whale (Mesoplodon ginkgodens) and Deraniyagala's beaked whale (Mesoplodon hotaula) are among the least-known of beaked whale species, without confirmed sightings of living individuals to date. We present a sighting of 3 free-ranging individuals of M. ginkgodens/hotaula whale from a dedicated marine mammal vessel survey carried out in the South China Sea in April and May 2019. Photographic data (301 photographs) from the sighting were compared to photos of fresh stranded ginkgo-toothed beaked whale and Deraniyagala's beaked whale from both historical and unpublished records. We found that free-ranging M. ginkgodens and M. hotaula individuals can be easily distinguished from other Mesoplodon species due to differences in melon and gape shapes and coloration patterns. However, accurate at-sea differentiation of M. ginkgodens and M. hotaula may not be possible due to high similarity in both coloration and scarring patterns. In addition to our photo-identification data, we collected what we believe to be the first preliminary descriptions of surfacing behavior and diving patterns of one of these species. Finally, the presence of scars possibly caused by fishing gear or marine litter raises concerns about anthropogenic impacts and conservation of these poorly known species.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1749-4877.12507 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Multiclass Steroid Profiling in Short-Finned Pilot Whale Blubber Using Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).
Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom
March 2025
Chemical Sciences Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
Rationale: Wildlife scientists are quantifying steroid hormones in a growing number of tissues and employing novel methods that must undergo validation before application. This study tested the accuracy and precision of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods for use on blubber samples from short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus). We expanded upon a method for corticosteroid quantification by adding analytes and optimizing internal standard (IS) application.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPatterns of paternity: insights into mating competition and gene flow in a recovering population of humpback whales.
R Soc Open Sci
January 2025
Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 8LB, UK.
Variation in reproductive success is a fundamental prerequisite for sexual selection to act upon a trait. Assessing such variation is crucial in understanding a species' mating system and offers insights into population growth. Parentage analyses in cetaceans are rare, and the underlying forces of sexual selection acting on their mating behaviours remain poorly understood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMultipopulation Whale Optimization-Based Feature Selection Algorithm and Its Application in Human Fall Detection Using Inertial Measurement Unit Sensors.
Sensors (Basel)
December 2024
School of Mechanical Electrical and Information Engineering, Shandong University, Weihai 264209, China.
Feature selection (FS) is a key process in many pattern-recognition tasks, which reduces dimensionality by eliminating redundant or irrelevant features. However, for complex high-dimensional issues, traditional FS methods cannot find the ideal feature combination. To overcome this disadvantage, this paper presents a multispiral whale optimization algorithm (MSWOA) for feature selection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSurface Behaviours of Humpback Whale at Nosy Be (Madagascar).
Biology (Basel)
November 2024
Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Italy.
The surface behaviours of humpback whales were studied in the presence of a whale-watching vessel at Nosy Be (Madagascar) during whale-watching activities, in order to characterise the ethogram of these animals. Data were collected from July to October 2018. Of the 75 total trips, humpback whales were observed 68 times and different types of aggregations were observed: Groups (33.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAn intelligent hybrid approach combining fuzzy C-means and the sperm whale algorithm for cyber attack detection in IoT networks.
Sci Rep
January 2025
Department of Information Technology Management, Faculty of Management Technology and Information System, Port Said University, Port Said, 42526, Egypt.
The Internet of Things (IoTs) has revolutionized cities, enabling them to become smarter. IoTs play an important role in monitoring the traffic cameras, roads, smart farming, connected vehicles, air quality, water level, humidity, and carbon dioxide pollution levels in city buildings. One of the major challenges of smart cities is the cyber threat to sensitive data.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!