Pygmy Blue Whales Research Articles

Separating pygmy and Antarctic blue whales using long‐forgotten ovarian data

AbstractPygmy blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda) are ≤24.1 m and are generally found north of 52°S in summer, whereas the more southerly Antarctic blue whales (B. m. intermedia) may exceed 30 m. Previous assessments have assumed that catches and recent surveys south of 60°S recorded Antarctic blue whales, but these may have included pygmy blue whales. Here, we use ovarian corpora, which accumulate with ovulations and hence with length, to separate these subspecies. The resulting Bayesian mixture model, applied to 1,380 Northern Region (north of 52°S and 35°–180°E) and 3,844 Southern Ocean (south of 52°S) blue whales, estimated that only 0.1% (95% credibility intervals 0.0%–0.4%) of the Antarctic region blue whales were pygmy blue whales and, unexpectedly, found significantly lower lifetime ovulation counts for pygmy blue whales than for Antarctic blue whales (7.6 vs. 13.6). Over four decades, despite substantial depletion of Antarctic blue whales, there was no trend in the estimated proportion of pygmy blue whales in the Antarctic. Several lines of investigation found no evidence for sizeable numbers of pygmy blue whales in ovarian corpora data collected in the 1930s, as was previously hypothesized.

Physical properties and processes in the Perth Canyon, Western Australia: Links to water column production and seasonal pygmy blue whale abundance

The oceanography of the Perth Canyon, off southwestern Australia, was examined through two major field excursions in austral spring/summer 2003/2004 combined with previous results from field analysis and numerical simulations. Water properties were used to identify water masses and vertical displacement. The field cruises and numerical simulation indicated unique circulation features of the Leeuwin Current and Undercurrent within the canyon associated with the topographic features. The input of nutrients to the euphotic zone occurred sporadically as the Leeuwin Current generally suppressed upwelling, although the Perth Canyon had increased nutrient concentrations within its rims. The distribution of chlorophyll in the surface layers indicated high spatial variability, with a prevalent deep chlorophyll (and phytoplankton biomass) maximum at ~ 80 m. Depth-integrated primary production within the study region ranged from 360 to 760 mg C m − 2 d − 1 , which was on average 2.5 times higher than rates measured in continental shelf and offshore waters north of the canyon. Aggregations of krill and other acoustic backscatter targets were concentrated near the head of the canyon at a range of depths, which may have been promoted by the circulation. The findings here are consistent with seasonal variations in wind and insolation, along with variations in the Leeuwin Current, influencing the seasonal changes and mesoscale features within the region, while the canyon promotes localised upwelling, and enhances both pelagic production and physical aggregation of plankton to attract the whales. Canyon processes must be combined with outside factors to allow upwelled nutrients to reach the photic zone. It is concluded that a combination of factors, rather than one factor alone, contributes favourably to the appearance of feeding blue whales in the Perth Canyon during the summer.

Regional differences in length at sexual maturity for female blue whales based on recovered Soviet whaling data

AbstractNew blue whale ovarian corpora data from illegal Soviet catches in the Southern Hemisphere and northern Indian Ocean were recovered from the original logbooks. Catches north of 52°S were assumed to be pygmy blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda, n= 1,272); those south of 56°S were assumed to be Antarctic (true) blue whales (B. m. intermedia, n= 153). Three probable Antarctic blue whales north of 52°S were excluded. Lengths at which 50% and 95% of females become sexually mature (L50 and L95) were estimated from a Bayesian logistic model. These estimates are more precise than previous Japanese estimates because Soviet catches below the legal minimum of 70 ft (21.3 m) were 32 times greater. For pygmy blue whales L50 was 19.2 m (95% interval 19.1–19.3 m) and L95 was 20.5 m (95% interval 20.4–20.7 m). Antarctic L50 (23.4 m, 95% interval 22.9–23.9 m) was much longer than L50 for pygmy blue whale regions (18.4–19.9 m). The median L50 for the northern Indian Ocean was 0.5–0.6 m shorter than for pygmy blue whales from other regions; although statistically significant, these small length differences provide little support for northern Indian Ocean blue whales being a separate subspecies, B. m. indica.

Acoustic localization of two distinct blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) subspecies in the South‐West Indian Ocean

Analysis of one year of acoustic signal recordings from the five permanent autonomous hydrophones of the International Monitoring System in the South‐West Indian Ocean reveals low frequency with high intensity calls produced by two blue whale subspecies. The “Antarctic” or “true” blue whale (B. m. intermedia) calls and the “Madagascar‐type” Pygmy blue whale calls (B. m. brevicauda) were automatically detected through the matched filtering method. The potential movements were investigated by using the time difference of arrival (TDOA) of calls to assess the bearing of the sound source. The fully range dependent parabolic equation code (RAM ‐ range‐dependent acoustic model) and the PMCC code (progressive multi‐channel correlation) are applied to estimate the range between our system and the vocalising animals. Our results show that (1) the variation of call number revealed two distinct patterns of seasonal whale occurrences and (2) the distances from the hydrophones to the blue whales reached up to 50 km. Tracking whales is possible when whales are concentrated of the hydrophone array.

SEPARATING SOUTHERN BLUE WHALE SUBSPECIES BASED ON LENGTH FREQUENCIES OF SEXUALLY MATURE FEMALES

AbstractWhen sexually mature, Antarctic (true) blue whales are substantially longer than pygmy blue whales. To estimate the proportions of these two subspecies in various regions, Bayesian mixture models were fitted to catch length frequencies of sexually mature females. The extent of rounding to 5‐ft intervals was also estimated. Antarctic blue whales dominated (99.2%) pelagic catches south of 52°S, whereas pygmy blue whales dominated (99.9%) north of 52°S and in 35°–180°E. South of 60°S, only 0.7% (95% credibility interval 0.5%–1.0%) were pygmy blue whales, lower than the 7% upper bound currently assumed. Shore‐based catches from SW Africa and those before 1937 from South Georgia and the South Shetlands were estimated to contain 90%–92% Antarctic blue whales. Actual proportions were probably higher, but these data show evidence of rounding (up to 19% of records), poor length‐estimation methods, and other problems. The mean length of sexually mature female Chilean blue whales (77.1 ft, 23.5 m) was intermediate between pygmy (68.9 ft, 21.0 m) and Antarctic blue whales (83.4–86.3 ft, 25.4–26.6 m). A good fit to these data was obtained only by assuming that the Chilean whales are a separate subspecies or distinctive population. This finding is also consistent with their discrete distribution, and genetic and call type differences, compared to Antarctic and pygmy blue whales.

Past and present distribution, densities and movements of blue whales Balaenoptera musculus in the Southern Hemisphere and northern Indian Ocean

ABSTRACT Blue whale locations in the Southern Hemisphere and northern Indian Ocean were obtained from catches (303 239), sightings (4383 records of ≥8058 whales), strandings (103), Discovery marks (2191) and recoveries (95), and acoustic recordings. Sighting surveys included 7 480 450 km of effort plus 14 676 days with unmeasured effort. Groups usually consisted of solitary whales (65.2%) or pairs (24.6%); larger feeding aggregations of unassociated individuals were only rarely observed. Sighting rates (groups per 1000 km from many platform types) varied by four orders of magnitude and were lowest in the waters of Brazil, South Africa, the eastern tropical Pacific, Antarctica and South Georgia; higher in the Subantarctic and Peru; and highest around Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Chile, southern Australia and south of Madagascar. Blue whales avoid the oligotrophic central gyres of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, but are more common where phytoplankton densities are high, and where there are dynamic oceanographic processes like upwelling and frontal meandering. Compared with historical catches, the Antarctic (‘true’) subspecies is exceedingly rare and usually concentrated closer to the summer pack ice. In summer they are found throughout the Antarctic; in winter they migrate to southern Africa (although recent sightings there are rare) and to other northerly locations (based on acoustics), although some overwinter in the Antarctic. Pygmy blue whales are found around the Indian Ocean and from southern Australia to New Zealand. At least four groupings are evident: northern Indian Ocean, from Madagascar to the Subantarctic, Indonesia to western and southern Australia, and from New Zealand northwards to the equator. Sighting rates are typically much higher than for Antarctic blue whales. South‐east Pacific blue whales have a discrete distribution and high sighting rates compared with the Antarctic. Further work is needed to clarify their subspecific status given their distinctive genetics, acoustics and length frequencies. Antarctic blue whales numbered 1700 (95% Bayesian interval 860–2900) in 1996 (less than 1% of original levels), but are increasing at 7.3% per annum (95% Bayesian interval 1.4–11.6%). The status of other populations in the Southern Hemisphere and northern Indian Ocean is unknown because few abundance estimates are available, but higher recent sighting rates suggest that they are less depleted than Antarctic blue whales.

Thermal structure above the Perth Canyon reveals Leeuwin Current, Undercurrent and weather influences and the potential for upwelling

The Perth Canyon is a focal feeding area for pygmy blue whales on the Western Australian coast. Studies aimed at elaborating oceanographic mechanisms within the canyon were conducted between 2002 and 2005. Strings of temperature loggers set around the canyon rim were used to examine the water column’s response to climatological forcing, current meanders, upwelling and downwelling. Six moorings were positioned on a plateau in 500 m of water on the northern canyon rim, and one was positioned at the canyon head. Loggers were positioned to sample the whole water column, including the Leeuwin Current and Undercurrent. Moorings revealed spatial temperature differences between the plateau and canyon head. Observed temperature features ranged temporally from seasonal to <1 day. Seasonal changes in water temperature agreed with published Leeuwin Current studies: for example, mixed layer and stratification changes were apparent. Other observed temperature changes were related to Leeuwin Current movement and wind forcing such as the summer sea breeze and winter storms. Storms induced mixing, re-stratification, downwelling and upwelling as the wind changed direction and strength. Changes lasting a day were associated with diurnal sea breezes, internal waves and possibly solitary waves. Bottom loggers indicated that upwelling and downwelling events each occurred up to 20% of the time.

A Pygmy Blue Whale (Cetacea: Balaenopteridae) in the Inshore Waters of New Caledonia

The occurrence of a blue whale is reported for the first time for the New Caledonian archipelago. The whale, a juvenile male in poor condition, entered the shallow inshore waters of the coral reef lagoon (22° 19-24' S, 166° 46-52' E) where it spent at least 1 month until it was killed by whaler sharks on 27 January 2002. Live observations, examination of photographic documents, and skull osteology indicated that this was a pygmy blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda. Nucleotide sequences of PCR-amplified fragments of its mitochondrial DNA were determined and compared with the few published homologous sequences of North Atlantic blue whales, B. m. musculus, but no obvious differences were apparent.

A DNA-based method for identification of krill species and its application to analysing the diet of marine vertebrate predators.

Accurate identification of species that are consumed by vertebrate predators is necessary for understanding marine food webs. Morphological methods for identifying prey components after consumption often fail to make accurate identifications of invertebrates because prey morphology becomes damaged during capture, ingestion and digestion. Another disadvantage of morphological methods for prey identification is that they often involve sampling procedures that are disruptive for the predator, such as stomach flushing or lethal collection. We have developed a DNA-based method for identifying species of krill (Crustacea: Malacostraca), an enormously abundant group of invertebrates that are directly consumed by many groups of marine vertebrates. The DNA-based approach allows identification of krill species present in samples of vertebrate stomach contents, vomit, and, more importantly, faeces. Utilizing samples of faeces from vertebrate predators minimizes the impact of dietary studies on the subject animals. We demonstrate our method first on samples of Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) stomach contents, where DNA-based species identification can be confirmed by prey morphology. We then apply the method to faeces of Adelie penguins and to faeces of the endangered pygmy blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda). In each of these cases, krill species consumed by the predators could be identified from their DNA present in faeces or stomach contents.

Spectral analysis of the long-term oceanographic time series at ocean weather station “P” : ROSS C. K. and G. T. NEEDLER, 1976. J. Fish. Res. Bd Can., 33 (10): 2203–2212

A large scale, systematic, acoustic survey for whales and seals in eastern Antarctic waters was conducted in January-February 2006. During the BROKE-West survey of Southern Ocean waters between 30 and 80° E longitude, an acoustic survey was conducted to complement a traditional visual survey for marine mammal occurrence and distribution. As part of the survey, 145 DIFAR sonobuoys were deployed every 30’ of latitude on north-south transects, and prior to CTD stations on the initial east-west transect. Underwater sound was analyzed for 70 minute samples from each sonobuoy. Blue whales were the most commonly recorded species, identified at 55 of the sonobuoy deployment sites. Other species recorded include: sperm (46 sites), fin (14), humpback (2), and sei (3) whales, and leopard (11) and Ross (17) seals. Large numbers of blue and sperm whales, and all Ross seals were detected on the westernmost two transects, which were the only transects of the survey with relatively extensive sea ice remaining off the continental shelf. Large numbers of blue whales were also detected in the more eastern waters of the survey off the Prydz Bay region, while two detections of pygmy blue whales represent the farthest south these whales have been recorded. Of the relatively few fin whale detections, most occurred in more northerly waters. Fin whale vocalizations from this region were distinctly different than those recorded elsewhere around Antarctica suggesting acoustic recordings may be useful to delineate regional or stock boundaries of this species. Previously undescribed sounds were attributed to Ross seals. Acoustic detections of these and leopard seal sounds indicate these animals venture further from their traditionally described distributions, with vocalizing leopard seals occurring much further north than might be expected. Overall, the results of the sonobuoy survey provide a measure of each species’ relative spatial distribution over the survey area based on acoustic detections, and when combined with the results of the visual survey, will provide a comprehensive view of marine mammal distribution throughout the region during the BROKE-West survey.

Shepherds Leading Sheep to Slaughter: The Extinction of Species and the Destruction of Ecosystems

T he widespread and catastrophic extinction of species and ecosystems occurring on all continents but especially in regions previously untouched by technology-the tropics and the oceans-is the second concern I wish to discuss. To stop this immense calamity has acquired an urgency absolutely beyond belief. If you pick up Vincenz Ziswiler's Extinct and Vanishing Animals (1967), Fisher, Simon, and Vincent's The Red Book: Wildlife in Danger (1969), or any of the many similar studies you will find pages and pages with nothing but lists of animal species and subspecies close to extinction. Here are some figures for surviving individuals: blue whale (including the pygmy blue whale) about 6,400 in the Antarctic, 1,000 to 2,500 in the North Pacific (Gambell and Brown, 1971); mountain gorilla 1,000 to perhaps 5,000; tamarau (a water buffalo of the Philippines) 200; Florida Key deer 235; giant sable antelope 500; Sumatran rhinoceros 150; Indian rhinoceros 600; Indian tiger 1,700; and on and on into the night of everlasting extinction. Plants are equally vulnerable, and, as a forthcoming book edited by R. Melville of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources shows, there is no time to lose. Not only are species by the thousands threatened with a fate as irrevocable as that of the marvellous dodo, but whole ecosystems of great ecologic and economic value are being developed-a euphemism for exploitation with hardly a thought to the future.

Blood Types of Some Species of Antarctic Whales

Blood-typing investigations of whales were undertaken for the first time in the antarctic in 1960-1961. Individual variations in antigenic specificities were detected in both finback and pygmy-blue whales. The frequency of occurrence of Ju blood types of finbacks suggested that a portion of the Atlantic population from area II (figure 1) migrates to area III and mingles with the population there. Ratios of this intermingling were estimated. Significant differences in the apparent rate of pregnancy by blood-types were the occurrence of isoantibodies. The data strongly suggested the possible occurrence of abortion of fetuses caused by maternal-fetal incompatibility in blood types in both species of whales. This prenatal mortality rate can be assumed to depend upon the frequency of Ju blood types, and this postulate should be kept in mind in subsequent studies.