Research news
The research news presented here are studies conducted by other researchers of the marine mammal scientific community. Please visit the journals' websites to download full articles.
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(04.12.2009) / Noise impacts
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Source: Jensen et al. (2009) Vessel noise effects on delphinid communication. Marine Ecology Progress Series 395: 161-175.
The authors discuss potential impacts of vessel noise on the communication system of short-finned pilot whales. Pilot whales, as a deep-water inhabitant, were calculated to suffer a reduction in their communication range within 50m of 58% in response to small vessels travelling at 5 knots.
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(23.11.2009) / Distribution and taxonomy
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Source: Oremus et al. (2009) Wordlwide mitochondrial DNA diversity and phylogeography of pilot whales (Globicephala spp.). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 98(4): 729-744.
The authors examined the evolution and biogeography of both pilot whale species using mitochondrial DNA. They found that short-finned pilot whales off south Japan appear to represent genetically-distinct forms. The data further suggest that the Japanese southern form of short-finned pilot whales may represent a distinct subspecies.
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(28.02.2009) / Strandings
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Source: Kusum Mustika et al. (2009) Whale strandings in Indonesia, including the first record of a humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the archipelago. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 57(1): 199-206.
The authors reviewed whale strandings in Indonesian waters from 1987-2007. Next to sperm whales, short-finned pilot whales were the most identified stranding species.
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(01.01.2009) / Distribution
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Source: Galindo et al. (2009) Cetacean diversity, distribution, and abundance in northern Veracruz, Mexico. Aquatic Mammals 35(1): 12-18.
During surveys conducted from 2005-2006, the authors observed solely a single short-finned pilot whale in 1.500m deep waters off Veracruz, Gulf of Mexico.
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(01.11.2008) / Distribution and social structure
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Source: Herman, A. & Pistorius, P.A. (2008) Marine mammal diversity in the remote waters of Aldabra Atoll, southern Seychelles. Atoll Research Bulletin 564: 1-7.
The authors sighted 8 groups of short-finned pilot whales from 2000-2007 off the Seychelles. Mean group size was 23.06 animals ranging 4-50.
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(01.09.2008) / Noise impacts
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Source: Weir, C.R. (2008) Short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) respond to an airgun ramp-up procedure off Gabon. Aquatic Mammals 34(3): 349-354.
A pod of 15 pilot whales were shown to spatially avoid airgun procedures off the coast of Gabon.
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(28.04.2008) / Foraging and diving
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Source: Aguilar Soto, N. Et al. (2008) Cheetahs of the deep sea: deep foraging sprints in short-finned pilot whales off Tenerife (Canary Islands). Journal of Animal Ecology 77(5): 936-947.
23 short-finned pilot whales off Tenerife were tagged off the southwest coast of Tenerife, Canary Islands. Researchers found them to dive up to 1.018 m in depth and 21 min in duration. Furthermore, the acoustic behavior was recorded during dives which were consistently accompanied by regular echolocation clicks and buzzes. Buzzes were associated with prey capture attempts. Data revealed that pilot whales used deep sprints as a high-risk/high gain foraging tactic, similar to terrestrial predators such as cheetahs.
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(01.04.2008) / Strandings and stomach contents
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Source: Mintzer et al. (2008) Stomach contents of mass-stranded short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) from North Carolina. Marine Mammal Science 24(2): 290-302.
The stomach contents of 27 stranded short-finned pilot whales in North Carolina waters were examined in 2005. The diet was composed mainly of squid (49%) but also fish species.
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(09.02.2008) / Strandings and naval excercises
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Source: Yang et al. (2008) Unusual cetacean mortality event in Taiwan, possibly linkes to naval activities. Veterinary Record 162: 184-186.
From July 19 to August 13 2005 an increase in strandings was reported along the coast of Taiwan. Next to others, one stranded animal was a short-finned pilot whale. The stranding was categorized as 'unusual' because of the amount and temporal concentration of stranded animals which was significant for the area. Furthermore, this unusual mass stranding event can be temporarily correlated with naval excercises held by China and the USA in that region.
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(05.02.2008) / Social structure and life history
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Source: Foote, A.D. (2008) Mortality rate acceleration and post-reporductive lifespan in matrilinear whale species. Biology Letters 4: 189-191.
The author discusses the long post-reproductive lifespan of short-finned pilot whales (similar to killer whales) in contrast to that of long-finned pilot whales. Short-finned pilot whales are believed to form matrilinear stable kinship groups (as killer whales).
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(01.02.2008) / Distribution
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Source: Sudo et al. (2008) Sighting survey of cetaceans in the Tsugaru Strait, Japan. Fisheries Science 74(1): 211-213.
During a two-year survey from 2003-2004 in the Tsugaru Strait (channel between Honshu and Hokkaido, northern Japan) the authors sighted only a single short-finned pilot whale, indicating a low density for this species in that area.