Sex ratios in blue whales from conception onward: effects of space,time, and body size

Deviations from equal sex ratios in mammals can reveal insights into sex-specific growth, survival, movements, and behavior. We assessed blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) sex ratios based on 21,542 fetal and 311,901 whaling records, finding that males were slightly but significantly more common than females (51.3% fetal, 52.1% postnatal). Antarctic catches shifted from 52.4% male before 1951 to 48.0% male thereafter, even though larger females were preferentially targeted by whalers and should have declined. The southernmost land stations caught more males than those in southern Africa, and at land stations, sex ratios shifted subtly over the course of a year. Pelagic catches demonstrated spatial structure in sex ratios, including more males being caught in the Ross Sea. In utero, the smallest females were often misidentified as males, and there was some evidence for higher prenatal male mortality. Once born, medium-sized blue whales within each region were more often male, while the longest were nearly all female; explained entirely by females growing faster and reaching longer sizes. Overall, though, sex ratios are remarkably close to equality across time, space, and length; with any deviations best explained by faster female growth and size-selective whaling.     

VOCALIZATIONS OF A CAPTIVE JUVENILE AND FREE-RANGING ADULT-CALF PAIRS OF BRYDE'S WHALES, BALAENOPTERA EDENI

Abstract: Vocalizations were recorded from a captive juvenile Bryde's whale, Balaenoptera edeni , that stranded off the gulf coast of Florida (Pinellas Co.) and was held at Sea World of Florida. The most common vocalization was a pulsed moan with durations of 0.5–51 set and acoustic energy from 200–900 Ht. Although these sounds are unlike any reported previously from this species, there are similarities to moans recorded opportunistically during a feeding study of free-ranging B. edeni in the Gulf of California (GOC). The pulsed moans recorded from Bryde's whale adults in the GOC were shorter in duration (0.7–1.4 set) than those recorded from the captive juvenile, but the frequencies were similar (165–875 Hz). In addition, a series of discrete, regularly spaced pulses (interpulse interval = 0.5–1.0 set, 700–950 Hz) were recorded only in the presence of Bryde's whale calves in the GOC.
Pulse rates produced by the captive juvenile (20–70 pulses/set) were intermediate between those recorded in the presence of GOC adults (60–130/sec) and calves (10–20/set). With these limited data it is not possible to determine to what extent the intermediate qualities of the juvenile call reflect maturational differences in the sound production apparatus, a phase of learning to vocalize like an adult, or the characteristics of a context-dependent call not recorded in the GOC.     

Distribution and abundance of sei whales off the west coast of the Falkland Islands

Little information exists on the current status of Southern Hemisphere sei whales (Balaenoptera borealis). We assessed their distribution and abundance along the west coast of the Falkland Islands (southwest Atlantic) during February and March 2018, using line transect and nonsystematic surveys. Abundance estimates were generated for a single survey stratum using design- and model-based approaches. Sightings of sei whales and unidentified baleen whales (most, if not all, likely to be sei whales) occurred from the coast to the 100 m depth isobath that marked the offshore boundary of the stratum. The modeled distribution predicted highest whale densities in King George Bay and in the waters between Weddell Island and the Passage Islands. Sei whale abundance was estimated as 716 animals (CV = 0.22; 95% CI [448, 1,144]; density = 0.20 whales/km²) using the design-based approach, and 707 animals (CV = 0.11; 95% CI [566, 877]; density = 0.20 whales/km²) using the model-based approach. For sei whales and unidentified baleen whales combined, the equivalent estimates were 916 animals (CV = 0.19; 95% CI [606, 1,384]; density = 0.26 whales/km²) and 895 animals (CV = 0.074; 95% CI [777, 1,032]; density = 0.25 whales/km²). The data indicate that the Falkland Islands inner shelf region may support globally important seasonal feeding aggregations of sei whales, and potentially qualify as a Key Biodiversity Area.