Injuries, Malformations, and Epidermal Conditions in Cetaceans of the Strait of Gibraltar

Epibiotic fauna of the Antarctic minke whale as a reliable indicator of seasonal movements

“…There are many examples of photographic records of P. balaenoptera and/or coronulids obtained from vessels on both odontocetes [e.g. 25,26,30,[137][138][139][140][141][142][143] ] and baleen whales 53,65,125,[144][145][146] . Even in the case of elusive species, such as the Antarctic minke whale, the advent of novel non-invasive tools (e.g.…”

Skin condition of fin whales at Antarctic feeding grounds reveals little evidence for anthropogenic impacts and high prevalence of cookiecutter shark bite lesions

“…The skin condition of cetaceans, including scars, scratches, and injuries, can tell us a lot about the exposure to natural and anthropogenic impacts on individuals or populations (Baker, 1992; Herr et al, 2020; Kiszka et al, 2008; Van Bressem et al, 2006). Some features naturally accumulate over a lifetime and may be indicative of the age or sex of the animal (MacLeod, 1998).…”

“…bite lesions on cetaceans in high latitudes suggest movement outside the cold‐water regions, as the known distribution of cookiecutter sharks is in warm temperate to tropical waters (Dwyer & Visser, 2011; Jones, 1971). Specific marks can be related to predatory scarring (Moore et al, 2003; Naessig & Lanyon, 2004) and certain characteristics tell of individual fates, such as injuries from ship strikes or interaction with fisheries (Bradford et al, 2009; Herr et al, 2020; Pettis et al, 2004; van Waerebeek et al, 2007). Reoccurring features among individuals of a population may inform about threats within their habitat (Bonneville et al, 2021; Kiszka et al, 2008; Panigada et al, 2006), and prevalent skin diseases can indicate poor habitat quality and environmental stressors (Van Bressem et al, 2009).…”

“…photography)(Ramp et al, 2021), we deem it unlikely that major features like entanglement scars and propeller cuts went undetected in our study, particularly given the large number of smallest features that were detected.Examples from cetaceans in human high-use marine areas show a completely different spectrum of injuries and demonstrate that signs of severe trauma can be quite common in cetacean populations(Baird & Gorgone, 2005;Bonneville et al, 2021;Herr et al, 2020;Kiszka et al, 2008). Fin whales are considered to be a predominantly…”

Killer whales of the Strait of Gibraltar, an endangered subpopulation showing a disruptive behavior

“…In those interactions, killer whales scan the area around the fishing boats until they spot a tuna caught on a line, at which point they try to eat the fish before fisherman can bring it to the surface (Esteban et al, 2016c). Deep lacerations and even amputations have been observed among these killer whales, which were suggested to be related to fishery interactions (Herr et al, 2020; Otero‐Sabio et al, 2018). Thus, negative impacts on depredating cetaceans are normally associated with injuries caused by interactions with fishing gear, as well as the fisherman's fatal response (e.g., Tixier et al, 2017).…”