Context of breaching and tail slapping in Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins in the northern South China Sea

Serres, Agathe; Lin, Wenzhi; Liu, Binshuai; Chen, Shenglan; Li, Songhai

doi:10.1007/s00265-023-03337-3

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…It was thus judged that the other parameters related to feeding that have also been selected (e.g., 'chasing fish' and 'foraging along gillnets') were more informative for welfare assessment, and the 'foraging activity' was removed from the list. The 'tail slapping' behaviour was also discussed following a recent work showing that the function of this behaviour in IPHDs may be highly dependent on context (Serres, Lin, Liu, Chen & Li, 2023). Experts judged that such an ambiguous behaviour may require deeper investigation before being included in a welfare assessment tool.…”

Section: Discussion With Expertsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Selection of parameters to assess the welfare of free‐ranging Indo‐Pacific humpback dolphins using expert opinion survey

Serres,

Platto,

2024

Aquatic Conservation

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Animal welfare assessments have recently been suggested to be useful for free‐ranging animals. Nevertheless, few standardized welfare assessment frameworks have been built for wildlife, including cetaceans. Coastal cetaceans like Indo‐Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis, IPHDs) that form resident populations impacted by a wide range of human activities are subject to reliable photo‐identification efforts and thus represent perfect candidates for welfare monitoring. Parameters that may inform us on some aspects of the welfare of free‐ranging IPHDs were selected through literature review. A panel survey including three consecutive rounds was then conducted to collect the opinion of selected experts on these parameters. The survey allowed the validation of a list containing 31 parameters that provide information on the welfare of IPHDs. The opinion of experts also allowed to set the modalities of the data collection required to measure/observe these parameters. After establishing a consistent scoring method and testing it on existing data, this standardized framework will allow for obtaining a wide picture of the living conditions of IPHDs. Variations across time periods, among dolphin populations and locations, or following major environmental changes (e.g., conservation measures or human disturbances) could then be analysed. Added to traditional conservation approaches, standardized welfare monitoring will greatly participate in the conservation of these animals.

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Section: Discussion With Expertsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Selection of parameters to assess the welfare of free‐ranging Indo‐Pacific humpback dolphins using expert opinion survey

Serres,

Platto,

2024

Aquatic Conservation

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“…Alternatively, animals leaping from the water use a high powered hydrodynamically dominated acceleration underwater to emerge into the air, where a gravity dominated aerial phase is associated with a deceleration that limits leap height ( Chang et al, 2019 ; Halsey and Iosilevskii, 2020 ). Cetaceans (whales and dolphins) generally cross the air–water interface to become completely airborne when breaching and porpoising ( Whitehead, 1985 ; Au et al, 1988 ; Hui, 1989 ; Fish and Hui, 1991 ; Pearson, 2017 ; Aguilar and García-Vernet, 2018 ; Halsey and Iosilevskii, 2020 ; Segre et al, 2020 ; Werth and Lemon, 2020 ; Xia et al, 2021 ; Milmann et al, 2023 ; Serres et al, 2023 ; Yu et al, 2023 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spin-leap performance by cetaceans is influenced by moment of inertia

Fish,

Nicastro,

Cardenas

et al. 2024

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Cetaceans are capable of extraordinary locomotor behaviors both in water and air. Whales and dolphins can execute aerial leaps by swimming rapidly to the water surface to achieve an escape velocity. Previous research on spinner dolphins demonstrated the capability of leaping and completing multiple spins around their longitudinal axis with high angular velocities. This prior research suggested the slender body morphology of spinner dolphins together with the shapes and positions of their appendages, allowed for rapid spins in the air. To test if greater moments of inertia reduced spinning performance, videos and biologging data of cetaceans above and below the water surface were obtained. The principal factors affecting the number of aerial spins a cetacean can execute were moment of inertia and use of control surfaces for subsurface corkscrewing. For spinner dolphin, Pacific striped dolphin, bottlenose dolphin, minke whale, and humpback whale, each with swim speeds of 6-7 m s−1, our model predicted that the number of aerial spins executable were 7, 2, 2, 0.76, and 1, respectively, which were consistent with observations. These data implied that the rate of subsurface corkscrewing was limited to 14.0, 6.8, 6.2, 2.2, and 0.75 rad s−1 for spinner dolphins, striped dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, minke whales, and humpback whales, respectively. In our study, the moment of inertia of the cetaceans spanned a 21,000-fold range The greater moments of inertia for the latter four species produced large torques on control surfaces that limited subsurface corkscrewing motion and aerial maneuvers compared to spinner dolphins.

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“…Swimming features [ 18 , 33 ] such as fast swimming [ 18 ] or repetitive tail slapping [ 141 , 142 ] could also indicate the negative emotional state of the dolphins. So, through conducting behavioural observations and by scoring the presence (score of 2) or absence (score of 0) of these behaviours, we can infer negative or positive affective states in bottlenose dolphins [ 143 ].…”

Section: Final Toolmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dolphin-WET—Development of a Welfare Evaluation Tool for Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) under Human Care

Baumgartner,

Hüttner,

Clegg

et al. 2024

Animals

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Ensuring high standards of animal welfare is not only an ethical duty for zoos and aquariums, but it is also essential to achieve their conservation, education, and research goals. While for some species, animal welfare assessment frameworks are already in place, little has been done for marine animals under human care. Responding to this demand, the welfare committee of the European Association for Aquatic Mammals (EAAM) set up a group of experts on welfare science, cetacean biology, and zoo animal medicine across Europe. Their objective was to develop a comprehensive tool to evaluate the welfare of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), named Dolphin-WET. The tool encompasses 49 indicators that were either validated through peer review or management-based expertise. The first of its kind, the Dolphin-WET is a species-specific welfare assessment tool that provides a holistic approach to evaluating dolphin welfare. Inspired by Mellor’s Five Domains Model and the Welfare Quality®, its hierarchical structure allows for detailed assessments from overall welfare down to specific indicators. Through combining 37 animal-based and 12 resource-based indicators that are evaluated based on a two- or three-level scoring, the protocol offers a detailed evaluation of individual dolphins. This approach allows for regular internal monitoring and targeted welfare management, enabling caretakers to address specific welfare concerns effectively.

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Context of breaching and tail slapping in Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins in the northern South China Sea

Cited by 6 publications

References 46 publications

Selection of parameters to assess the welfare of free‐ranging Indo‐Pacific humpback dolphins using expert opinion survey

Selection of parameters to assess the welfare of free‐ranging Indo‐Pacific humpback dolphins using expert opinion survey

Spin-leap performance by cetaceans is influenced by moment of inertia

Dolphin-WET—Development of a Welfare Evaluation Tool for Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) under Human Care

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