The Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis a.) are an endemic and critically endangered species in China. Intensive captive breeding is essential for understanding the biology of critically endangered species, especially…
Harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) are the only cetaceans routinely sighted in Hood Canal, a narrow fjord that comprises the western edge of Puget Sound, Washington, USA. Harbor porpoises are sensitive…
Cetaceans are well-regarded as sentinels for toxin exposure. Emerging studies suggest that cetaceans can also develop neuropathological changes associated with neurodegenerative disease. The occurrence of neuropathology makes cetaceans an ideal…
Rapid changes of marine ecosystems resulting from human activities and climate change, and the subsequent reported rise of infectious diseases in marine mammals, highlight the urgency for timely detection of…
Many man-made marine structures (MMS) will have to be decommissioned in the coming decades. While studies on the impacts of construction of MMS on marine mammals exist, no research has…
The Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis; YFP) is now critically endangered, calling for prompt and effective actions to strengthen research and conservation. The Poyang Lake is the most critical…
The Shandong Peninsula is located on the western coast of the Pacific and is adjacent to the Bohai Sea (BS) and the Yellow Sea (YS) to the east. The East…
Blubber thickness (BT) has a seasonal pattern in most small cetaceans in temperate and polar regions, which may be a crucial adaptive mechanism in response to environmental temperature changes. However,…
Seabed pockmarks are among the most prominent morphologic structures in the oceans. They are usually interpreted as surface manifestation of hydrocarbon fluids venting from sediments. Here we suggest an alternative…
The only native cetacean in German waters, the harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), is impacted by numerous pathological lesions in the respiratory tract mainly caused by parasites or bacteria. Although harbor…