Aquatic Mammals (2016)
The dorsal fin of odontocetes has, among other roles, hydrodynamic and thermoregulatory functions. In captivity, the dorsal fin sometimes bends laterally. Bending of the dorsal fin was described in 13…
Cognitive control of heart rate in diving harbor porpoises
Elmegaard, Siri L.; Johnson, Mark; Madsen, Peter T.; McDonald, Birgitte I.
Current Biology (2016)
Marine mammals have adapted to forage while holding their breath in a suite of aquatic habitats from shallow rivers to deep oceans. The key to tolerate such extensive apnea is…
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…
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…
Behavioral responses of a Harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) to 25-kHz FM sonar signals
Kastelein, Ronald A.; van den Belt, Ivanka; Helder-Hoek, Lean; Gransier, Robin; Johansson, Torbjörn
Aquatic Mammals (2015)
The effects of three sonar sound types (peak frequency ca. 25 kHz with high-frequency side bands at 71 and 121 kHz) on the behavior of a harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena)…
Behavioral responses of a harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) to 25.5- to 24.5-kHz sonar down-sweeps with and without side bands
Kastelein, Ronald A.; van den Belt, Ivanka; Gransier, Robin; Johansson, Torbjörn
Aquatic Mammals (2015)
Signals used in naval and long-range fish detection sonar often contain harmonics which may influence the behavior of harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) more than the lower fundamental frequencies, so the…
Cetacean noise criteria revisited in the light of proposed exposure limits for harbour porpoises
Tougaard, Jakob; Wright, Andrew J.; Madsen, Peter T.
Marine Pollution Bulletin (2015)
The impact of underwater noise on marine life calls for identification of exposure criteria to inform mitigation. Here we review recent experimental evidence with focus on the high-frequency cetaceans and…
Eat and be eaten – Porpoise diet studies
Leopold, Maarten Frederik
Doctoral Thesis - Wageningen University (2015)
1. Diet studies of marine mammals typically summarise prey composition across all individuals studied. Variation in individual diets is usually ignored, but may be more than just “noise” around an…
Synthetic communication signals influence wild harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) behaviour
Culik, Boris; von Dorrien, Christian; Müller, Vailett; Conrad, Matthias
Bioacoustics (2015)
We used our novel and programmable Porpoise Alarm (PAL, patd.) to synthesize life-like, electronic harbour porpoise communication signals based on those described for captive animals. In the Little Belt, Denmark,…
Harbour porpoises react to low levels of high frequency vessel noise
Dyndo, Monika; Wiśniewska, Danuta Maria; Rojano-Doñate, Laia; Teglberg Madsen, Peter
Scientific Reports (2015)
Cetaceans rely critically on sound for navigation, foraging and communication and are therefore potentially affected by increasing noise levels from human activities at sea. Shipping is the main contributor of…