A comparison of pigmentation features among North Atlantic killer whale (Orcinus orca) populations

Here we present a comparison of saddle and eye patch patterns of killer whales from Norwegian, Icelandic, British, Spanishand Greenlandic waters. We found only a small amount of variation in saddle patch shapes, which may reflect a recent phylo-genetic divergence from the most recent common ancestor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom
Main Authors: Mäkeläinen, Pirjo, Esteban, Ruth, Foote, Andrew D., Kuningas, Sanna, Nielsen, Julius, Samarra, Filipa I.p., Similä, Tiu, Van Geel, Nienke C.f., Víkingsson, Gíslia A.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2014
Subjects:
Killer whale
Orcinus orca
Colour pattern
Saddle patch
Eye patch orientation
Genetic drift
greenlandic
Killer Whale
North Atlantic
Orca
Online Access:https://pure.uhi.ac.uk/en/publications/cc01914e-f311-49f6-8095-2b5599802219
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025315414000277
https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0025315414000277/type/journal_article
Description
Summary:Here we present a comparison of saddle and eye patch patterns of killer whales from Norwegian, Icelandic, British, Spanishand Greenlandic waters. We found only a small amount of variation in saddle patch shapes, which may reflect a recent phylo-genetic divergence from the most recent common ancestor. Eye patch shapes were more variable than saddle patches in smalldetails. Most individuals had eye patches with parallel orientation, with the exception of a small group of killer whales fromthe Hebrides, which, as previously reported, had sloping eye patches that sloped downward at the posterior end. This differ-entiation in pigmentation patterns of the Hebridean killer whales from neighbouring populations could reflect one or moreof several evolutionary processes, including a deeper phylogenetic divergence, low gene flow with other local populationsand drift.

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