Dear MARMAM
colleagues,
We are pleased to
announce the publication of the following paper in Marine Mammal Science:
Authors
Chiara G. Bertulli, Anders
Galatius, Carl C. Kinze Marianne H. Rasmussen, William Keener and Marc
A. Webber
Title
Color patterns in
white-beaked dolphins (Lagenorhynchus
albirostris) from Iceland
Abstract
Few studies have examined the natural complex
pigmentation patterns of white-beaked dolphins. From 2002 to 2014, whale-watching
trips in Iceland provided a platform of opportunity to collect a large body of
photographs of free-ranging individuals from a single area of distribution for
this species. Based on 823 images, 571 individuals showing one or more color
components were identified, and assigned to the following four age classes:
adults (n = 437), juveniles (n = 109), calves (n = 14), and neonates (n = 11).
A total of 26 color components were observed and described: seven terms
previously applied to white-beaked dolphins, 12 previously applied to other dolphin
species, and seven newly defined terms. Results showed that each age class
could be positively identified by differences in specific color components,
some of which were exclusive. Therefore, color patterns may prove useful in
estimating maturity in free-ranging white-beaked dolphins. This tool could be
further refined through assessment of a wide sample of freshly stranded specimens
of known sex and age, which could reveal new age class-specific components, as
well as sexually dimorphic characteristics not seen here. Geographic variation
should be investigated by comparing image data sets and stranded animals from
different parts of the North Atlantic.
Kind regards,
Chiara Giulia Bertulli
Chiara Giulia Bertulli, Ph.D. Faculty of Life and Environmental Science
University of Iceland
Faxafloi Cetacean Research
ResearchGate