PacMam Podcast

Want to know what PacMam has been up to this year? Check out this episode where we recap what we have done and are most excited about, and what we have in store for next year!

Join Pacific Mammal Research (PacMam) scientists to learn about different marine mammals each episode! We discuss a little about the biology, behavior and fun facts about each species. Have fun and learn about marine mammals with PacMam!

This week: Harp seal

Presenters: Cindy Elliser, Katrina MacIver

Music by Josh Burns

Sources:

⁠https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/harp-sealhttps://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/species-especes/profiles-profils/harpseal-phoquegroenland-eng.html⁠

⁠https://www.pinnipeds.org/seal-information/species-information-pages/the-phocid-seals/harp-seal⁠

⁠https://www.britannica.com/animal/harp-seal⁠

⁠https://nammco.no/harp-seal/⁠

New Research:

Stenson et al. 2020 - Harp Seals: Monitors of Change in Differing Ecosystem: ⁠https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2020.569258/full⁠

Daoust and Caraguel 2012- The Canadian harp seal hunt: observations on the effectiveness of procedures to avoid poor animal welfare outcomes: ⁠https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/animal-welfare/article/abs/canadian-harp-seal-hunt-observations-on-the-effectiveness-of-procedures-to-avoid-poor-animal-welfare-outcomes/7D9A319A8F86898827F2F03E3C50B154⁠

Stenson et al 2016 - The impact of changing climate and abundance on reproduction in an ice-dependent species, the Northwest Atlantic harp seal, Pagophilus groenlandicus: ⁠https://academic.oup.com/icesjms/article/73/2/250/2614432⁠

Gmuca et al 2015 - The Fat and the Furriest: Morphological Changes in Harp Seal Fur with Ontogeny: ⁠https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/680080⁠

Lindstrom et al 2012 Harp seal foraging behaviour during summer around Svalbard in the northern Barents Sea: diet composition and the selection of prey: ⁠https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00300-012-1260-x⁠

Grahl-Nielsen et al 2011 - Fatty acids in harp seal blubber do not necessarily reflect their diet: ⁠https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v426/p263-276/

This week: Harp seal

Presenters: Cindy Elliser, Katrina MacIver

Music by Josh Burns

Sources:

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/harp-sealhttps://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/species-especes/profiles-profils/harpseal-phoquegroenland-eng.html

https://www.pinnipeds.org/seal-information/species-information-pages/the-phocid-seals/harp-seal

https://www.britannica.com/animal/harp-seal

https://nammco.no/harp-seal/

New Research:

Stenson et al. 2020 - Harp Seals: Monitors of Change in Differing Ecosystem: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2020.569258/full

Daoust and Caraguel 2012- The Canadian harp seal hunt: observations on the effectiveness of procedures to avoid poor animal welfare outcomes: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/animal-welfare/article/abs/canadian-harp-seal-hunt-observations-on-the-effectiveness-of-procedures-to-avoid-poor-animal-welfare-outcomes/7D9A319A8F86898827F2F03E3C50B154

Stenson et al 2016 - The impact of changing climate and abundance on reproduction in an ice-dependent species, the Northwest Atlantic harp seal, Pagophilus groenlandicus: https://academic.oup.com/icesjms/article/73/2/250/2614432

Gmuca et al 2015 - The Fat and the Furriest: Morphological Changes in Harp Seal Fur with Ontogeny: https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/680080

Lindstrom et al 2012 Harp seal foraging behaviour during summer around Svalbard in the northern Barents Sea: diet composition and the selection of prey: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00300-012-1260-x

Grahl-Nielsen et al 2011 - Fatty acids in harp seal blubber do not necessarily reflect their diet: https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v426/p263-276/

Cooperation between humans and animals is not common, but does happen. Killer whales in Eden, New South Wales, had cooperatively hunted baleen whales with Indiginous peoples for millenia, and then for a short time with the commercial whalers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Eventually the baleen whales they hunted became scarce, and so did the Eden killer whales. Was their disspearance due to lack of prey, a breach in protocol (did the humans break the Law of the Tongue), or something else? Did they just die out, or spread their genes elsewhere? Genetics can help solve at least some of this mystery. This is the story of the Eden killer whale, Old Tom, and his pod. Join us as we discuss this unique relationship, and what possibly became of those killer whales.

The paper can be found here: https://academic.oup.com/jhered/article/114/6/598/7308443

End of year fundraiser, thank you for your support!: https://donorbox.org/pacmam2023

This week: Hector's dolphinPresenters: Cindy Elliser, Katrina MacIver

Music by Josh Burns

Sources:

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/hectors-dolphin

https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-animals/marine-mammals/dolphins/hectors-dolphin/https://us.whales.org/whales-dolphins/species-guide/hectors-dolphin/https://animalia.bio/hectors-dolphin

https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-animals/marine-mammals/dolphins/maui-dolphin/facts/#:~:text=Social%20groups&text=Hector's%20dolphins%20often%20form%20groups,few%20other%20females%20and%20calves.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Cephalorhynchus_hectori/https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/hector-s-dolphinNew

Research:

• Roe et al 2013 Toxoplasma gondii as mortality https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1748-7692.2009.00326.x

• Leunissen et al 2019 Impact of pile-driving https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0025326X19302012

• Miller et al 2012 – diet by stomach content https://healthyharbour.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Miller-et-al-2013-Hectors-dolphin.pdf

• Slooten et al. 2010 – effectiveness of conservation measures https://www.cabdirect.org/cabdirect/abstract/20103147699

• Hammer et al. 2013 – long range movements of hectors may help Maui’s dolphin https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/mms.12026

• Webster et al 2010 – laser photogrammetry for measuring Hector’s dolphins https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1748-7692.2009.00326.x

Southern Resident killer whales (SRKW) are fish eating killer whales. In particular, they are salmon eaters, with their preferred prey being Chinook salmon. But over the years they have been documented killing porpoises (often times young calves), but NOT eating them. This type of non-consumptive killing by predators is not unique in the animal kingdom, but the reason behind it varies by species - and sometimes we just don't know why they do it. Are there particular individuals, age classes, or sexes that do it? Is the behavior being transmitted throughout the popluation (evidence of social learning, and culture)? Is it for play, competition for prey, hunting practice, helping of an injured animal, or just fun? Join us as we discuss this paper that covers 45 years of data to try and answer these questions for SRKW and porpoises in the Salish Sea.

Paper available here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/mms.13073

Join Pacific Mammal Research (PacMam) scientists to learn about different marine mammals each episode! We discuss a little about the biology, behavior and fun facts about each species. Have fun and learn about marine mammals with PacMam!

This week: Shepard's beaked whalePresenters: Cindy Elliser, Katrina MacIver

Music by Josh Burns

Sources:

https://us.whales.org/whales-dolphins/species-guide/shepherds-beaked-whale/

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Tasmacetus_shepherdi/

https://australian.museum/learn/animals/mammals/shepherds-beaked-whale/

https://news.mongabay.com/2012/02/featured-video-scientists-capture-first-footage-of-shepherds-beaked-whale/

New Research

Thompson et al 2019 - First underwater sighting -https://mbr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s41200-019-0165-6

Holyoake ey al 2014 - Northern most stranding -https://www.publish.csiro.au/PC/PC130169

Towers et al 2022 - Indian ocean sighting confirms circumpolar distribution -https://www.proquest.com/openview/ea83de51fddba9ba437623426ebb16a7/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=38594

Donnelly et al 2022 - New diagnostic descriptions and distribution information for Shepherd's beaked whale (Tasmacetus shepherdi) off Southern Australia and New Zealand - https://research.monash.edu/en/publications/new-diagnostic-descriptions-and-distribution-information-for-shep

It is a surprise to no one that single use plastics are increasing in the marine environment, and that the dangers of this are widespread across all organisms. For cetaceans it comes in the form of ingesting the material and/or becoming entangled. The outcomes for the animals in these scenarios are not good, and in many cases is death. But how do the animals get to that point - what is the behavior that causes them to ingest or get entangled? Do they mistake it for prey items, or as social animals are they playing with it? Understanding how they are interacting with these pieces of litter can help us understand why the bad outcomes happen, and how we may be better able to help prevent them. Join us as we discuss this interesting paper about how cetaceans around the world are playing with plastic (like they would other items in their environment like seaweed), how social media is helping to document this behavior and how all this can help us in the protection of these animals.

Paper is available here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0025326X23008627

This week: The Byrde's whalePresenters: Cindy Elliser, Katrina MacIver

Music by Josh Burns

Sources:

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/long-finned-pilot-whale#:~:text=Long%2Dfinned%20pilot%20whales%20are%20one%20of%20two%20species%20of,features%2C%20coloration%2C%20and%20pattern.

https://us.whales.org/whales-dolphins/species-guide/long-finned-pilot-whale/https://iwc.int/about-whales/whale-species/pilot-whale

https://www.marinebio.org/species/pilot-whales/globicephala-macrorhynchus/https://www.acsonline.org/pilot-whale

New Research

Visser et al 2014 – Social context of individual foraging dives: https://ffi-publikasjoner.archive.knowledgearc.net/bitstream/handle/20.500.12242/781/1188198.pdf

Visser et al. 2016 – Disturbance specific social responses: https://www.nature.com/articles/srep28641

Isojunno et al. 2017 – Activity budgets: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ecs2.2044

Zwamborn and Whitehead 2016 – repeated calls and behavioral context: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09524622.2016.1233457

Bolea-Fernandez et al 2019 – Mercury metabolism: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-43825-zBetty et al. 2022 – Southern hemi age, growth and sex dimorph: https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article/103/3/560/6520866