Comparing progesterone in blubber and serum to assess pregnancy in wild beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas)
Blood and blubber were sampled from live-captured beluga whales in Bristol Bay, Alaska. Progesterone levels were used to assess pregnancy status. For most cases, blubber progesterone levels correlated with serum, indicating that pregnancy can be assessed using a remote biopsy and thereby providing a...
Published in: | Conservation Physiology |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
Other Authors: | , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Oxford University Press (OUP)
2019
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coz071 http://academic.oup.com/conphys/article-pdf/7/1/coz071/30622691/coz071.pdf |
Summary: | Blood and blubber were sampled from live-captured beluga whales in Bristol Bay, Alaska. Progesterone levels were used to assess pregnancy status. For most cases, blubber progesterone levels correlated with serum, indicating that pregnancy can be assessed using a remote biopsy and thereby providing a valuable tool to better understand reproduction dynamics from populations that cannot be readily captured for examination. |
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