Ultra-high foraging rates of harbor porpoises make them vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbance

Wisniewska, Danuta Maria; Johnson, Mark; Teilmann, Jonas; Rojano-Doñate, Laia; Shearer, Jeanne; Sveegaard, Signe; Miller, Lee A.; Siebert, Ursula; Madsen, Peter Teglberg
Current Biology (2016)

The question of how individuals acquire and allocate resources to maximize fitness is central in evolutionary ecology. Basic information on prey selection, search effort, and capture rates are critical for…


Harbour porpoise movement strategy affects cumulative number of animals acoustically exposed to underwater explosions

Aarts, G.; von Benda-Beckmann, A. M.; Lucke, K.; Sertlek, H. Ö.; van Bemmelen, R.; Geelhoed, S. C. V.; Brasseur, S.; Scheidat, M.; Lam, F. P. A.; Slabbekoorn, H.; Kirkwood, R.
Marine Ecology Progress Series (2016)

Anthropogenic sound in the marine environment can have negative consequences for marine fauna. Since most sound sources are intermittent or continuous, estimating how many individuals are exposed over time remains…


Identification of novel cetacean poxviruses in cetaceans stranded in south west England

Barnett, James; Dastjerdi, Akbar; Davison, Nick; Deaville, Rob; Everest, David; Peake, Julie; Finnegan, Christopher; Jepson, Paul; Steinbach, Falko
PLoS ONE (2015)

Poxvirus infections in marine mammals have been mainly reported through their clinical lesions and electron microscopy (EM). Poxvirus particles in association with such lesions have been demonstrated by EM and…


Developing a new research tool for use in free-ranging cetaceans: recovering cortisol from harbour porpoise skin

Bechshoft, T.; Wright, A. J.; Weisser, J. J.; Teilmann, J.; Dietz, R.; Hansen, M.; Bjorklund, E.; Styrishave, B.
Conservation Physiology (2015)

We developed a chemical analytical procedure for sampling, extracting and determining epidermal skin cortisol concentrations (SCCs) in the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) using gas chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. In brief, this…


Homosexual and masturbating behaviors in a group of captive Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis)

ZHANG, Changqun; ZHENG, Yang; PLATTO, Sara; HAO, Yujiang; WANG, Ding
Acta Theriologica Sinica (2015)

Similar to terrestrial mammals, male-female sexual behavior is significant for the survival and continuation of certain cetacean species. However, non-reproductive mating behaviors, i.e. homosexual behaviors and masturbation, are widespread in…