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; Kate Sprogis

doi:10.3390/su142214787

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, Kate Sprogis

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Original language	English
Article number	14787
Number of pages	18
Journal	Sustainability
Volume	14
Issue number	22
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3390/su142214787
Publication status	Published - 9 Nov 2022

Access to Document

10.3390/su142214787Licence: CC BY

Cite this

@article{2cd4a1213a374ca0bbf001fc5f475f40,

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

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 (BL2.37 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 and0.32 m3for calves, 0.25 and 0.64 m3for juveniles, and 0.46 and 1.13 m3for 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 = "aerial photogrammetry, Globicephala macrorhynchus, morphometrics, odontocete, unmanned aerial systems, unmanned aerial vehicles",

author = "Patricia Arranz and Fredrik Christiansen and Maria Glarou and Shane Gero and Fleur Visser and Oudejans, {Machiel G.} and {Aguilar de Soto}, Natacha and Kate Sprogis",

note = "Funding Information: We greatly appreciate the field assistance of Ana Monta{\~n}ez, Marc Mart{\'i}n, Eli Badosa, Claudia Hurtado, V{\'i}ctor Ib{\'a}{\~n}ez, and many others. We thank Francis P{\'e}rez for the photograph in C. PA was supported by the Agust{\'i}n de Betancourt Fellowship financed by the Cabildo of Tenerife and the Canary Islands Development Fund (FDCAN). Field equipment and experiments were funded by the Technology Transfer Office of the University of La Laguna, the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology project FILMAR (FCT-19-1441), the Canary Agency for Research, Innovation, and Information Society project START-BLUE (ProID2021010029), and the Canary Islands Government project INMAR (EIS-2020-07). We thank the crewmembers of The Dominica Sperm Whale Project and the support of the peoples and Government of Dominica. Field research in Dominica was funded through a FNU fellowship for the Danish Council for Independent Research supplemented by a Sapere Aude Research Talent Award, a Carlsberg Foundation expedition grant, a grant from Focused on Nature, and a CRE Grant from the National Geographic Society to S.G.; an FNU Large Frame Grant and Villum Foundation Grant to Peter T. Madsen at Aarhus University; and supplementary grants from the Arizona Center for Nature Conservation, Quarters For Conservation, the Dansk Akustisks Selskab, Oticon Foundation, and the Dansk Tennis Fond. Funding Information: UAV photogrammetry data on pilot whales were collected off the Canaries (off Tenerife in 2021 and 2022), the Lesser Antilles (off Dominica in 2017), and the Azores (off Terceira in 2018 and 2021) (). In these three locations, data collection was performed in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations. Off Tenerife, the UAVs were operated under a UAV Operator licence (Register # 2020064914) and an Advanced certificate of aircraft piloted by remote control (RPA20605OT and RPA20605OP) under the Spanish Aviation Safety and Security Agency (AESA). The research was conducted under a research permit from the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (permit AUTSPP/41/2020). In Dominica, research was undertaken under permit #RP16-04/88FIS-9 in 2016 and #RP17-08/12FIS-1 from the Fisheries Division of the Ministry of the Blue and Green Economy of the Government of Dominica. Off Terceira, research was conducted under permit LMAS-DRAM/2018/01 in 2018 and LMAS-DRAM/2021/04 in 2021. Funding Information: This research was funded by Agust{\'i}n de Betancourt Fellowship 2018; Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology grant number FCT-19-1441; Canary Agency for Research, Innovation and Information Society grant number ProID2021010029; Gobierno de Canarias grant number EIS-2020-07; Danish Council for Independent Research FNU fellowship. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 by the authors.",

year = "2022",

month = nov,

day = "9",

doi = "10.3390/su142214787",

language = "English",

volume = "14",

journal = "Sustainability",

issn = "2071-1050",

publisher = "MDPI AG",

number = "22",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Body Condition and Allometry of Free-Ranging Short-Finned Pilot Whales in the North Atlantic

AU - Arranz, Patricia

AU - Christiansen, Fredrik

AU - Glarou, Maria

AU - Gero, Shane

AU - Visser, Fleur

AU - Oudejans, Machiel G.

AU - Aguilar de Soto, Natacha

AU - Sprogis, Kate

N1 - Funding Information: We greatly appreciate the field assistance of Ana Montañez, Marc Martín, Eli Badosa, Claudia Hurtado, Víctor Ibáñez, and many others. We thank Francis Pérez for the photograph in C. PA was supported by the Agustín de Betancourt Fellowship financed by the Cabildo of Tenerife and the Canary Islands Development Fund (FDCAN). Field equipment and experiments were funded by the Technology Transfer Office of the University of La Laguna, the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology project FILMAR (FCT-19-1441), the Canary Agency for Research, Innovation, and Information Society project START-BLUE (ProID2021010029), and the Canary Islands Government project INMAR (EIS-2020-07). We thank the crewmembers of The Dominica Sperm Whale Project and the support of the peoples and Government of Dominica. Field research in Dominica was funded through a FNU fellowship for the Danish Council for Independent Research supplemented by a Sapere Aude Research Talent Award, a Carlsberg Foundation expedition grant, a grant from Focused on Nature, and a CRE Grant from the National Geographic Society to S.G.; an FNU Large Frame Grant and Villum Foundation Grant to Peter T. Madsen at Aarhus University; and supplementary grants from the Arizona Center for Nature Conservation, Quarters For Conservation, the Dansk Akustisks Selskab, Oticon Foundation, and the Dansk Tennis Fond. Funding Information: UAV photogrammetry data on pilot whales were collected off the Canaries (off Tenerife in 2021 and 2022), the Lesser Antilles (off Dominica in 2017), and the Azores (off Terceira in 2018 and 2021) (). In these three locations, data collection was performed in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulations. Off Tenerife, the UAVs were operated under a UAV Operator licence (Register # 2020064914) and an Advanced certificate of aircraft piloted by remote control (RPA20605OT and RPA20605OP) under the Spanish Aviation Safety and Security Agency (AESA). The research was conducted under a research permit from the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (permit AUTSPP/41/2020). In Dominica, research was undertaken under permit #RP16-04/88FIS-9 in 2016 and #RP17-08/12FIS-1 from the Fisheries Division of the Ministry of the Blue and Green Economy of the Government of Dominica. Off Terceira, research was conducted under permit LMAS-DRAM/2018/01 in 2018 and LMAS-DRAM/2021/04 in 2021. Funding Information: This research was funded by Agustín de Betancourt Fellowship 2018; Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology grant number FCT-19-1441; Canary Agency for Research, Innovation and Information Society grant number ProID2021010029; Gobierno de Canarias grant number EIS-2020-07; Danish Council for Independent Research FNU fellowship. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 by the authors.

PY - 2022/11/9

Y1 - 2022/11/9

N2 - 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 (BL2.37 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 and0.32 m3for calves, 0.25 and 0.64 m3for juveniles, and 0.46 and 1.13 m3for 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.

AB - 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 (BL2.37 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 and0.32 m3for calves, 0.25 and 0.64 m3for juveniles, and 0.46 and 1.13 m3for 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.

KW - aerial photogrammetry

KW - Globicephala macrorhynchus

KW - morphometrics

KW - odontocete

KW - unmanned aerial systems

KW - unmanned aerial vehicles

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85142715910&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3390/su142214787

DO - 10.3390/su142214787

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85142715910

SN - 2071-1050

VL - 14

JO - Sustainability

JF - Sustainability

IS - 22

M1 - 14787

ER -

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

Access to Document

Other files and links

Cite this