Morphometric analysis of Chilean blue whales and implications for their taxonomy
Abstract In the Southern Hemisphere, blue whales are currently divided into two subspecies, Antarctic blue whales ( Balaenoptera musculus intermedia ) and pygmy blue whales ( B. m. brevicauda ), but there is some debate about whether Chilean blue whales should also be considered as a separate subspe...
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crwiley:10.1111/mms.12625 2024-09-15T17:45:11+00:00 Morphometric analysis of Chilean blue whales and implications for their taxonomy Pastene, Luis A. Acevedo, Jorge Branch, Trevor A. 2019 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mms.12625 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fmms.12625 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/mms.12625 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1111/mms.12625 en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Marine Mammal Science volume 36, issue 1, page 116-135 ISSN 0824-0469 1748-7692 journal-article 2019 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12625 2024-07-30T04:24:14Z Abstract In the Southern Hemisphere, blue whales are currently divided into two subspecies, Antarctic blue whales ( Balaenoptera musculus intermedia ) and pygmy blue whales ( B. m. brevicauda ), but there is some debate about whether Chilean blue whales should also be considered as a separate subspecies. Here, we provide novel morphometric data to directly address this taxonomic question from a biological survey of 60 blue whales taken during the 1965/1966 Chilean whaling season. The data show that maximum body length and mean body length of both sexually mature females and males for Chilean blue whales are intermediate between pygmy and Antarctic blue whales; and that fluke‐anus lengths of Chilean blue whales are significantly different from pygmy blue whales, but not necessarily from Antarctic blue whales. There is also some support from the data that snout‐eye measurements are different among all three groups. These data provide further confirmation that Chilean blue whales are a distinct population requiring separate management from other blue whale populations, and are also consistent with suggestions that Chilean blue whales are not the same subspecies as pygmy blue whales. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Balaenoptera musculus Blue whale Wiley Online Library Marine Mammal Science 36 1 116 135 |
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Wiley Online Library |
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English |
description |
Abstract In the Southern Hemisphere, blue whales are currently divided into two subspecies, Antarctic blue whales ( Balaenoptera musculus intermedia ) and pygmy blue whales ( B. m. brevicauda ), but there is some debate about whether Chilean blue whales should also be considered as a separate subspecies. Here, we provide novel morphometric data to directly address this taxonomic question from a biological survey of 60 blue whales taken during the 1965/1966 Chilean whaling season. The data show that maximum body length and mean body length of both sexually mature females and males for Chilean blue whales are intermediate between pygmy and Antarctic blue whales; and that fluke‐anus lengths of Chilean blue whales are significantly different from pygmy blue whales, but not necessarily from Antarctic blue whales. There is also some support from the data that snout‐eye measurements are different among all three groups. These data provide further confirmation that Chilean blue whales are a distinct population requiring separate management from other blue whale populations, and are also consistent with suggestions that Chilean blue whales are not the same subspecies as pygmy blue whales. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Pastene, Luis A. Acevedo, Jorge Branch, Trevor A. |
spellingShingle |
Pastene, Luis A. Acevedo, Jorge Branch, Trevor A. Morphometric analysis of Chilean blue whales and implications for their taxonomy |
author_facet |
Pastene, Luis A. Acevedo, Jorge Branch, Trevor A. |
author_sort |
Pastene, Luis A. |
title |
Morphometric analysis of Chilean blue whales and implications for their taxonomy |
title_short |
Morphometric analysis of Chilean blue whales and implications for their taxonomy |
title_full |
Morphometric analysis of Chilean blue whales and implications for their taxonomy |
title_fullStr |
Morphometric analysis of Chilean blue whales and implications for their taxonomy |
title_full_unstemmed |
Morphometric analysis of Chilean blue whales and implications for their taxonomy |
title_sort |
morphometric analysis of chilean blue whales and implications for their taxonomy |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mms.12625 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fmms.12625 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/mms.12625 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1111/mms.12625 |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Balaenoptera musculus Blue whale |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Balaenoptera musculus Blue whale |
op_source |
Marine Mammal Science volume 36, issue 1, page 116-135 ISSN 0824-0469 1748-7692 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12625 |
container_title |
Marine Mammal Science |
container_volume |
36 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
116 |
op_container_end_page |
135 |
_version_ |
1810492923319418880 |