Dear colleagues,
As part of my PhD research, I need to develop allometric equations
for body length of some beaked whale species. I would be very
grateful to get in contact with any
Marine Mammal Stranding organizations who have collected, or
may collect, such data and are willing to share it. Body length and
weight are two parameters that influence the behavioural ecology of
whales, by affecting their oxygen stores, metabolic rates, locomotor
costs and their interaction with prey amongst others. Therefore
their estimation in the field is crucial for understanding their
behaviour. My aim is to jointly
create allometric equations for several species of
beaked whales in order to estimate body length and weight
of free ranging animals in the field using photogrammetry.
Species of primary interest are
Mesoplodon densirostris, Ziphius cavirostris, Hyperoodon
ampullatus and Berardius bairdii although I would be
happy to expand to other species if sufficient data are available.
Please contact me by email at
lmml2@st-andrews.ac.uk
Thank you in advance for any collaborations.
Kind regards
Lucia Martin
--
Lucía Martina Martín López,
PhD student
Sea Mammal Research Unit
Scottish Oceans Institute
University of St Andrews
KY16 8LB, Fife
Scotland, UK
lmml2@st-andrews.ac.uk