Abstract: The spatial distribution of four species of rorqual whales was studied along the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence during the months of June to October from 1989 to 2000. A research effort of 6511 hours at sea yielded 849 sightings of blue whales ( Balaenoptera musculus ), 5291 of finback whales ( B. physalus ), 3822...
Abstract: A photo-identification catalogue of 255 individual blue whales ( Balaenoptera musculus ) was compiled from 1984 to 2001 in the Sea of Cortez, of which 45 were determined to be females either through molecular analysis of sloughed skin samples or because they were accompanied by a calf. A total of 42 calves, estimated at between 35-45ft in length, was...
Abstract: We report on an anomalously pigmented white blue whale that was seen 15 times on 9 days over a 4-year period. Albinism or pseudo-albinism is uncommon but does occur widely in land mammals as well as marine mammals. Anomalously white individuals have been described for 20 species of cetaceans including the closely related fin whale ( Balaenoptera physalus )...
Abstract: We explored the variation in functional nuclear genes using single stranded conformational polymorphisms (SSCP) to determine the stock structure of blue whales for conservation management. Our sample set included individuals from 10 locations: California/Mexico (N=61); Central America (N=11) (samples primarily collected during late November); Galapagos Islands (N=11) (early November); Chile (N=14) (mid December to early January); western North Atlantic...
