Search results for "Blubber"

Gastrointestinal helminths of Risso's dolphin Grampus griseus from the Western Mediterranean.

2003

The gastrointestinal helminth fauna of 17 Risso's dolphins Grampus griseus (Cuvier, 1812) from the Western Mediterranean was analysed. Five helminth species were found. Adults and juveniles of Hadwenius delamurei were collected from the duodenum of 7 animals. Adults were located significantly more anteriorly than juveniles, which is compatible with a previous hypothesis that species of Hadwe- nius undergo an ontogenetic migration towards the anterior duodenum. Eggs from Pholeter gastrophilus appeared in 1 small cyst in the main stomach. Adults of Tetrabothrius forsteri and Trigonocotyle globicephalae were collected from the duodenum of 1 and 4 individuals, respectively. Metaces- todes, Scol…

Parasites in Stranded Cetaceans of Patagonia

2008

There is an increasing interest in parasites of marine mammals of Argentina. Here, we examined several poorly known cetaceans, i.e., 2 spectacled porpoises and 1 Burmeister's porpoise (Phocoenidae), and 1 Gray's beaked whale and 1 Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphidae); we also updated the parasite information for 1 sperm whale (Physeteridae). These hosts strand only occasionally. We found Anisakis simplex s.l. in 2 spectacled porpoises and the Burmeister's porpoise, and recorded its distribution among the stomach chambers. Anisakis physeteris infected the sperm whale; Corynosoma cetaceum occurred in the duodenal ampulla of the Burmeister's porpoise; Corynosoma australe was found in the posterior…

Comparison of Three Techniques for Lipid Removal from Seal Blubber: Gel Permeation, Acid Treatment, and Dialysis with Semipermeable Membrane

2000

Abstract Harbor seal blubber samples were analyzed for PCDD/Fs and PCBs by splitting the initial extract into three aliquots and applying three different techniques for lipid removal (the first step of sample cleanup methodology for GC-HRMS analysis): gel permeation chromatography (GPC), sulfuric acid treatment, and dialysis through semipermeable membrane. Correlation coefficients of analyte concentrations obtained from three sets of replicate samples ranged from 0.965 to 0.994. In addition, a number of seal blubber samples were processed without pre-extraction using only the dialysis technique. The analyte concentrations in these samples correlated well with the analyte concentrations obta…

Occurrence of whale barnacles in Nerja Cave (Málaga, southern Spain): Indirect evidence of whale consumption by humans in the Upper Magdalenian

2014

A total of 167 plates of two whale barnacle species (Tubicinella major Lamarck, 1802 and Cetopirus complanatus Morch, 1853) have been found in the Upper Magdalenian layers of Nerja Cave, Mina Chamber (Maro, Malaga, southern Spain). This is the first occurrence of these species in a prehistoric site. Both species are specific to the southern right whale Eubalena australis, today endemic in the Southern Hemisphere. Because of Antarctic sea-ice expansion during the Last Glacial Period, these whales could have migrated to the Northern Hemisphere, and reached southern Spain. Whale barnacles indicate that maritime-oriented forager human groups found stranded whales on the coast and, because of th…

Polychlorinated diphenyl ethers, dibenzo-p-dioxins, dibenzofurans and biphenyls in seals and sediment from the Gulf of Finland.

1997

Polychlorinated diphenyl ethers (PCDEs), 2,3,7,8-substituted polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were analyzed in seals from the Gulf of Finland and in sediments from the Gulf of Finland and near Gotland. The sediments included one surface core from both sampling sites. The seal material consisted of 14 ringed seals and 6 grey seals that all were found dead and examined for pathology. The main aims were to scrutinize levels and patterns of PCDEs for the first time in seals from the Baltic Sea and to estimate whether chlorinated compounds mentioned have an influence on an exceptional high mortality that occurred among ring…

2019

The growing grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) population in the Baltic Sea has created conflicts with local fisheries, comparable to similar emerging problems worldwide. Adequate information on the foraging habits is a requirement for responsible management of the seal population. We investigated the applicability of available dietary assessment methods by comparing morphological analysis and DNA metabarcoding of gut contents (short-term diet; n = 129/125 seals, respectively), and tissue chemical markers i.e. fatty acid (FA) profiles of blubber and stable isotopes (SIs) of liver and muscle (mid- or long-term diet; n = 108 seals for the FA and SI markers). The methods provided complementary inf…

Complementary methods assessing short and long-term prey of a marine top predator ‒ Application to the grey seal-fishery conflict in the Baltic Sea.

2019

The growing grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) population in the Baltic Sea has created conflicts with local fisheries, comparable to similar emerging problems worldwide. Adequate information on the foraging habits is a requirement for responsible management of the seal population. We investigated the applicability of available dietary assessment methods by comparing morphological analysis and DNA metabarcoding of gut contents (short-term diet; n = 129/125 seals, respectively), and tissue chemical markers i.e. fatty acid (FA) profiles of blubber and stable isotopes (SIs) of liver and muscle (mid- or long-term diet; n = 108 seals for the FA and SI markers). The methods provided complementary inf…