Life History of the Long-finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala melas edwardii); Insights From Strandings on the New Zealand Coast
Extensive research has been conducted on long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas) populations in the North Atlantic, based predominantly on samples collected from drive fisheries. However, the species remains poorly understood in the Southern Hemisphere. Prior to this study, almost nothing was k...
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Auckland University of Technology
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ftautuniv:oai:openrepository.aut.ac.nz:10292/12677 2023-10-01T03:57:57+02:00 Life History of the Long-finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala melas edwardii); Insights From Strandings on the New Zealand Coast Betty, Emma Bollard, Barbara Murphy, Sinead Stockin, Karen Orams, Mark 2019 application/pdf https://hdl.handle.net/10292/12677 en eng Auckland University of Technology https://hdl.handle.net/10292/12677 OpenAccess Long-finned pilot whale Mass stranding Reproduction Growth Cetacean Conservation New Zealand Life history Thesis 2019 ftautuniv 2023-09-06T13:58:59Z Extensive research has been conducted on long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas) populations in the North Atlantic, based predominantly on samples collected from drive fisheries. However, the species remains poorly understood in the Southern Hemisphere. Prior to this study, almost nothing was known of the biology or ecology of the unique long-finned pilot whale subspecies of the temperate south (G. m. edwardii). Despite recognition as data-poor by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, G. m. edwardii has been classified as “Not Threatened” by the New Zealand Threat Classification System. Although pilot whales are not necessarily under threat, it can be argued that cetacean populations whose abundance, distribution, habitat use and life history remain unknown are most at risk, since population declines are likely to go unnoticed. G. m. edwardii mass strands frequently on the New Zealand coast and data collected from stranding events are the primary data for this population. This thesis contributes new understanding of the biology and ecology of this data-poor subspecies and identifies important relationships between mass stranding events and life history characteristics that have significant implications for the conservation of long-finned pilot whales in New Zealand waters. Specifically, this research presents novel information regarding: (1) growth rates, growth patterns/allometry, sexual dimorphism, (2) age structure, survival and mortality (3) male sexual maturation, (4) female reproductive parameters, and (5) spatiotemporal stranding patterns of G. m. edwardii on the New Zealand coast. Estimated length-at-birth, maximum size and age, survivorship, and average length and age at the attainment of sexual maturity are all reported to be lower in G. m. edwardii than in the North Atlantic subspecies (G. m. melas), indicating that geographic variation in life history occurs in this species, likely reflecting population-specific adaptation to local habitats. This study makes a significant ... Thesis North Atlantic Auckland University of Technology: Tuwhera Open Research New Zealand |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Auckland University of Technology: Tuwhera Open Research |
op_collection_id |
ftautuniv |
language |
English |
topic |
Long-finned pilot whale Mass stranding Reproduction Growth Cetacean Conservation New Zealand Life history |
spellingShingle |
Long-finned pilot whale Mass stranding Reproduction Growth Cetacean Conservation New Zealand Life history Betty, Emma Life History of the Long-finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala melas edwardii); Insights From Strandings on the New Zealand Coast |
topic_facet |
Long-finned pilot whale Mass stranding Reproduction Growth Cetacean Conservation New Zealand Life history |
description |
Extensive research has been conducted on long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas) populations in the North Atlantic, based predominantly on samples collected from drive fisheries. However, the species remains poorly understood in the Southern Hemisphere. Prior to this study, almost nothing was known of the biology or ecology of the unique long-finned pilot whale subspecies of the temperate south (G. m. edwardii). Despite recognition as data-poor by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, G. m. edwardii has been classified as “Not Threatened” by the New Zealand Threat Classification System. Although pilot whales are not necessarily under threat, it can be argued that cetacean populations whose abundance, distribution, habitat use and life history remain unknown are most at risk, since population declines are likely to go unnoticed. G. m. edwardii mass strands frequently on the New Zealand coast and data collected from stranding events are the primary data for this population. This thesis contributes new understanding of the biology and ecology of this data-poor subspecies and identifies important relationships between mass stranding events and life history characteristics that have significant implications for the conservation of long-finned pilot whales in New Zealand waters. Specifically, this research presents novel information regarding: (1) growth rates, growth patterns/allometry, sexual dimorphism, (2) age structure, survival and mortality (3) male sexual maturation, (4) female reproductive parameters, and (5) spatiotemporal stranding patterns of G. m. edwardii on the New Zealand coast. Estimated length-at-birth, maximum size and age, survivorship, and average length and age at the attainment of sexual maturity are all reported to be lower in G. m. edwardii than in the North Atlantic subspecies (G. m. melas), indicating that geographic variation in life history occurs in this species, likely reflecting population-specific adaptation to local habitats. This study makes a significant ... |
author2 |
Bollard, Barbara Murphy, Sinead Stockin, Karen Orams, Mark |
format |
Thesis |
author |
Betty, Emma |
author_facet |
Betty, Emma |
author_sort |
Betty, Emma |
title |
Life History of the Long-finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala melas edwardii); Insights From Strandings on the New Zealand Coast |
title_short |
Life History of the Long-finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala melas edwardii); Insights From Strandings on the New Zealand Coast |
title_full |
Life History of the Long-finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala melas edwardii); Insights From Strandings on the New Zealand Coast |
title_fullStr |
Life History of the Long-finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala melas edwardii); Insights From Strandings on the New Zealand Coast |
title_full_unstemmed |
Life History of the Long-finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala melas edwardii); Insights From Strandings on the New Zealand Coast |
title_sort |
life history of the long-finned pilot whale (globicephala melas edwardii); insights from strandings on the new zealand coast |
publisher |
Auckland University of Technology |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/10292/12677 |
geographic |
New Zealand |
geographic_facet |
New Zealand |
genre |
North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
North Atlantic |
op_relation |
https://hdl.handle.net/10292/12677 |
op_rights |
OpenAccess |
_version_ |
1778530183183073280 |