Body Condition and Allometry of Free-Ranging Short-Finned Pilot Whales in the North Atlantic

Patricia Arranz (), Fredrik Christiansen, Maria Glarou, Shane Gero, Fleur Visser, Machiel G. Oudejans, Natacha Aguilar de Soto and Kate Sprogis
Additional contact information
Patricia Arranz: Biodiversity, Marine Ecology and Conservation Research Group, Department of Animal Biology, Edaphology and Geology, University of La Laguna, 38200 Tenerife, Spain
Fredrik Christiansen: Section for Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
Maria Glarou: Húsavík Research Centre, University of Iceland, 641 Húsavík, Iceland
Shane Gero: Section for Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
Fleur Visser: Kelp Marine Research, 1624 Hoorn, The Netherlands
Machiel G. Oudejans: Kelp Marine Research, 1624 Hoorn, The Netherlands
Natacha Aguilar de Soto: Biodiversity, Marine Ecology and Conservation Research Group, Department of Animal Biology, Edaphology and Geology, University of La Laguna, 38200 Tenerife, Spain
Kate Sprogis: Great Southern Marine Research Facility, The UWA Oceans Institute, School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Albany 6009, Australia

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 22, 1-18

Abstract: To understand the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on the nutritional health of animals, it is important to measure and understand the morphometrics, allometrics, and body condition of the species. We examined the body shape, allometric relationships, and body condition of short-finned pilot whales ( Globicephala macrorhynchus ) in three locations across the North Atlantic. Using unmanned aerial vehicles, the body length (BL) and width (along the body axis) were measured from photographs of the dorsal side, while body height (dorso-ventral distance) was measured on the lateral side. Seventy-seven pilot whales were measured (mean ± SD), including 9 calves (BL 2.37 m ± 0.118), 31 juveniles (2.90 m ± 0.183), and 37 adults (3.72 m ± 0.440). The body shape was similar among reproductive classes, with the widest point being anterior of the dorsal fin (at 30–35% BL from the rostrum). The cross-sectional body shape of the whales was flattened in the lateral plane, which increased towards the peduncle and fluke. The rostrum-blowhole distance and fluke width increased linearly with BL. The estimated volumes of pilot whales ranged between 0.15 and 0.32 m 3 for calves, 0.25 and 0.64 m 3 for juveniles, and 0.46 and 1.13 m 3 for adults. The body condition (residual of log-volume vs. log-length) ranged from −34.8 to +52.4%. There was no difference in body condition among reproductive classes or locations.

Keywords: morphometrics; unmanned aerial vehicles; unmanned aerial systems; aerial photogrammetry; Globicephala macrorhynchus; odontocete (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
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