长江江豚细菌性疾病的诊治

人工饲养或易地保护长江江豚(Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis), 其水体中常含有病原菌且易引起江豚发病, 探讨长江江豚的细菌性疾病诊疗方法十分必要。文章利用细菌的分离培养与鉴定, 结合血液检测结果, 对安庆西江围网内一头患病江豚进行了病原确诊, 结果发现患病江豚的致病原为金黄色葡萄球菌(Staphylococcus aureus)和魔氏摩根菌(Morganella morganii)。依据致病菌的药敏试验结果, 综合患病江豚的整体状况制定了治疗方案并对其进行系统治疗, 结果预后良好。研究的成功开展为江豚、海豚等鲸类动物细菌性疾病的诊断与防治提供了良好借鉴。     

长江江豚锌、铜、铅、镉和砷的摄入与累积

根据室内饲养的3头长江江豚(Neophocaena phocaenoides asiaeorientalis)食物鲫(Carassius auratus)中锌(Zn)、铜 (Cu)、铅(Pb)、镉(Cd)、砷(As)的浓度值和饲养记录,推算出了饲养条件下江豚这些微量元素每日及每周估计摄入 量的范围。必需元素的需求方面与世界卫生组织/联合国粮农组织(WHO/FAO)提出的人暂定每周耐受摄人量 (PTWI)相类似,可是毒性较强的元素Cd、As、Pb的摄入量大大高于人体的PTWI。对湖北天鹅洲故道收集到的一头 江豚的10种组织、器官的研究发现,摄入后的Zn、Cu、Pb、Cd、As显示出有组织、器官选择性累积的倾向。这可能主 要与鲸类组织、器官对相应的元素有特殊的要求相关。本研究的结果还显示出有必要建立饲养鲸类动物食物安全 管理规范以控制食源污染。更深入地研究各组织、器官中微量元素与生命机能的关系,应该是鲸类动物微量元素 的营养化学和生态毒理学发展的重要方向之一。     

人工饲养鲸类动物的繁殖

介绍多年来对鲸类动物在人工饲养条件下繁殖问题的研究成果,包括：雌雄性生殖器官的组织解剖,饲养和采精训练,人工饲养条件下的繁殖,孕豚护理,分娩和幼豚饲养。为推动我国鲸类动物的人工繁殖提供科学资料。     

白鱀豚和长江江豚消化道常见疾病的诊断与治疗

随着社会的进步 ,我国大中城市相继建成了一些水族馆和海洋世界 ,并花巨资引进海豚、海狮和海豹进行人工驯养和商业性表演。由于管理经验缺乏和动物疾病诊治水平的滞后 ,在饲养中 ,动物常常罹患疾病 ,加之诊治不及时而导致死亡 ,造成很大的经济损失和不良的社会影响。因此 ,提高饲养中的科学管理水平和医疗水平 ,是我们面临的一大课题。本文主要对 1 980～ 2 0 0 1年白既鱼 豚 (Ｌｉｐｏｔｅｓｖｅｘｉｌｌｉｆｅｒ)和江豚 (Ｎｅｏｐｈｏｃａｅｎａｐｈｏｃａｅｎｏｉｄｅｓａｓｉａｅｏｒｉｅｎｔａｌｉｓ )驯养过程中 ,对豚类动物的消化道…     

迁地保护

石首天鹅洲保护区自1992年正式成立之后。经过各方多年的努力,在该保护区中已经建立了一个稳步增长的。可以自由交配和繁殖的迁地保护江豚群体。天鹅洲故道长江江豚繁殖群体的建立是世界上第一次对鲸类动物进行迁地保护的成功尝试,肩负着物种保护的重任。     

PCR扩增Sry基因进行鲸类动物性别的鉴定

哺乳动物Y染色体短臂上的Sry 基因决定雄性发育方向。本研究参照哺乳动物Sry 基因保守区序列设计引物, 以非性别特异性的线粒体DNA 细胞色素b 基因作为阳性对照, 用PCR 扩增江豚、长喙真海豚等鲸类动物的Sry 基因片断并对其进行凝胶电泳分析来鉴定鲸类动物的性别。通过此方法对87 个已知性别鲸类动物标本的检验, 结果完全正确, 并进一步应用此方法成功地完成了另外33 个未知性别鲸类标本的性别鉴定。由此建立了一套简单、快速、可靠的鲸类动物的性别鉴定方法。     

人工饲养长江江豚的同性性行为和自慰行为

雌雄性之间的性行为对鲸类的生存和繁衍有着极其重要的意义。然而不具有繁殖功能的同性性行为和自慰行为在多种鲸类中存在。因此对鲸类非繁殖性性行为研究,将有助于深入认识该物种性行为特点和规律,并解决室内饲养可能存在的问题以及促进可控性人工繁殖的成功。本研究以人工饲养的7头长江江豚为研究对象,定义并描述了14种性行为。其中,同性之间的性行为定义为同性性行为,雌雄个体单独的性行为定义为自慰行为。雄性同性性行为发现于所有定义的性行为中,但雌性同性性行为仅在7种性行为中观察到。同性性行为（3633次）占总性行为（5563次）的65.31%,自慰行为（254次）占4.57%。同性性行为中,雄性之间的同性性行为（3438次,94.63%）远多于雌性同性性行为（195次,5.37%）。两头有父子关系的江豚（阿福和淘淘）之间的雄性同性性行为最多（1921次,55.88%）,雄性江豚之间的同性性行为可能存在结盟竞争关系或教育练习作用。两头青少年雌豚（F7和F9）之间的同性性行为最活跃（117次,60.00%）,雌性江豚之间的同性性行为很可能具有结伴交流的功能。     

胆鼻海豚、江豚的捕捉、运输、饲养和声学实验

胆鼻海豚(Tursips truncatus) 和江豚(Neomeris phocaeuoides)是生活在海洋里的哺乳动物。由于这类动物具有极其完善的回声定位系统,多年来,人们以极大的兴趣对它们做了大量的研究工作。1971年3月至1972年8月,我们先后捕捉胆鼻海豚、江豚,进行人工饲养,对其做了声讯号接收实验,还解剖了胆鼻海豚、江豚的听觉器官和江豚的鼻囊系统,制作了     

人与自然可以和谐相处从天鹅洲白譬豚保护区人、豚争水事件说起

近几十年来．长江环境的日益恶化已严重影响了长江江豚的生存与繁衍．迁地保护在当前被认为是最为可行的保护手段。经过20多年的努力．在湖北长江天鹅洲白籍豚国家级自然保护区所属的天鹅洲故道．一个长江江豚迁地保护群体已经得以建立．这是世界上第一个对一种鲸类动物进行迁地保护并取得初步成功的范例,在长江江豚的保护事业中具有极其重要的地位．在国内外具有重大影响。     

保护需要科技支撑

2005年7月5日,人工饲养条件下第一头江豚在武汉白鱀豚馆繁殖成功. 除了就地保护和迁地保护之外,建立一定规模的饲养群体并开展人工繁殖研究是保护长江江豚这一濒危物种的别外一种重要保护策略.     

豢养条件下白鱀豚雌雄个体的感情协调及其行为分

为独居6年的雄性白鱀豚“淇淇”成功地介绍了雌性白鱀豚“珍珍”。通过近两年的驯养,已使雌雄豚生活融洽。本文还对不同个体之间的行为关系作了仔细的观察和研究,特别对白鱀豚的性行为和人工饲养条件下繁殖的可行途径作了探讨。     

DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL FUNCTIONS OF SIGNATURE WHISTLES IN BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS TURSIOPS TRUNCATUS

ABSTRACT

Bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus produce individually distinctive signature whistles. Dolphins recognize the signature whistles of animals with which they share a social bond. Signature whistles develop within the first few months of life and are stable for a lifetime. Vocal learning appears to play a role in the development of signature whistles in bottlenose dolphins. The signature whistles of most female dolphins and about half of male dolphins differ from those of their mothers. Some dolphin calves born in captivity develop a signature whistle that matches either man-made whistles or those of an unrelated dolphin. Dolphins retain the ability as adults to imitate the whistles of animals with which they share strong individual-specific social relationships, bonds which may change throughout their lifetime. The exceptional imitative abilities of dolphin infants and the retention of this ability in adults may be related to the maintenance of changing individual specific social relationships. Individual recognition by the voice may differ in marine vs terrestrial mammals. Diving marine mammals may not be able to rely upon involuntary voice cues for individual recognition, but rather may require vocal learning to maintain a stable signature as their vocal tract changes shape with increasing pressure during a dive.     

EXPERIMENTAL RETURN TO THE WILD OF TWO BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS

In the first scientific experiment of its kind, two young male bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) were captured in Tampa Bay, Florida, and then returned to the wild at the same locale in October 1990, after two years in captivity. The dolphins' age/sex class and the capture and release site were selected prior to their collection. The ranging and social association patterns of the host community were examined prior to, and, including the two animals, after release. The dolphins remained together for the first month, then began interacting more with other dolphins and less with each other. Within the first year, one dolphin returned to the waters near his capture site and has remained there at least through September 1993. The other dolphin has remained in his original home range at least through June 1996. Observations of each dolphin have shown them to be fully integrated into the local dolphin societies. They displayed typical behavioral, ranging, and social association patterns. Their body condition has been excellent at each observation. They have not been observed interacting with humans. The apparent success of this experiment cannot necessarily be generalized to all potential candidates for return to the wild, but the results can be used to guide future experiments.     

Importance of spontaneous micronucleated erythrocytes in bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) to marine toxicology studies

The objective of the work was to characterize the presence of spontaneous micronucleated erythrocytes (MNES) from peripheral blood of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) to evaluate the possibility to use this species as potential bioindicator of genotoxic compounds. Forty-eight blood samples from 12 bottlenose dolphins were obtain from three Mexican dolphinariums, and from 10 dolphins was possible to obtain more than one sample at different sampling times. Smears were processed and observed with an epifluorescence microscope. The average of MNES and polychromatic erythrocytes (PCE) from the 48 samples was 24.3 +/- 6.1 MNES/10,000 total erythrocytes (TE), and 9.1 +/- 5.5 PCE/1,000 TE. MNES and PCE number did not show differences between gender and age. No variations in the MNES values of the bottlenose dolphins that were sampled more than one occasion were found. Comparisons among dolphinariums revealed differences in MNES frequency, with the highest significant frequency observed in dolphins from dolphinarium "A" (26.0 +/- 5.9 MNES/10,000 TE) than dolphinarium "B" (19.5 +/- 3.1 MNES/10,000 TE) (p < 0.05) and dolphinarium "C" (18.6 +/- 3.5 MNES/10,000 TE) (p < 0.007). The presence of MNES and PCE in the bottlenose dolphin may provide a useful marine mammal model to detect DNA damage by means of micronuclei test in peripheral blood erythrocytes to evaluate genotoxicity and cytotoxicity expositions.     

The prevalence of antibodies to morbilliviruses,Brucella, and Toxoplasma in the Black Sea bottlenose dolphin <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tursiops truncatus ponticus</Emphasis> maintained in captivity

The prevalence of antibodies to morbilliviruses, Brucella and Toxoplasma was studied in the Black Sea bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus ponticus maintained in captivity. Serum from 59 dolphins was tested, and in most cases the tests were repeated 2–4 years later. Antibodies to the tested pathogens were detected in 69% of the dolphins. Sixteen Black Sea bottlenose dolphin maintained in captivity (27%) had antibodies to two, or even three, of the pathogens. No apparent signs of infection were found in the dolphins; however, the high prevalence of antibodies to the morbilliviruses, Brucella, and Toxoplasma may indicate an important role of dolphins in the ecology of these pathogens.     

Patterns of Dolphin Bycatch in a North-Western Australian Trawl Fishery

The bycatch of small cetaceans in commercial fisheries is a global wildlife management problem. We used data from skippers'' logbooks and independent observers to assess common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) bycatch patterns between 2003 and 2009 in the Pilbara Trawl Fishery, Western Australia. Both datasets indicated that dolphins were caught in all fishery areas, across all depths and throughout the year. Over the entire datasets, observer reported bycatch rates (n = 52 dolphins in 4,124 trawls, or 12.6 dolphins/1,000 trawls) were ca. double those reported by skippers (n = 180 dolphins in 27,904 trawls, or 6.5 dolphins/1,000 trawls). Generalised Linear Models based on observer data, which better explained the variation in dolphin bycatch, indicated that the most significant predictors of dolphin catch were: (1) vessel - one trawl vessel caught significantly more dolphins than three others assessed; (2) time of day – the lowest dolphin bycatch rates were between 00:00 and 05:59; and (3) whether nets included bycatch reduction devices (BRDs) - the rate was reduced by ca. 45%, from 18.8 to 10.3 dolphins/1,000 trawls, after their introduction. These results indicated that differences among vessels (or skippers'' trawling techniques) and dolphin behavior (a diurnal pattern) influenced the rates of dolphin capture; and that spatial or seasonal adjustments to trawling effort would be unlikely to significantly reduce dolphin bycatch. Recent skipper''s logbook data show that dolphin bycatch rates have not declined since those reported in 2006, when BRDs were introduced across the fishery. Modified BRDs, with top-opening escape hatches from which dolphins might escape to the surface, may be a more effective means of further reducing dolphin bycatch. The vulnerability of this dolphin population to trawling-related mortality cannot be assessed in the absence of an ongoing observer program and without information on trawler-associated dolphin community size, broader dolphin population size and connectivity with adjacent populations.     

UNOBSERVED KILL OF NURSING DOLPHIN CALVES IN A TUNA PURSE-SEINE FISHERY

The kill of dolphins ( Stenella attenuata and S. longirostris ) in the eastern tropical Pacific tuna purse-seine fishery has been underestimated because of unobserved deaths of nursing calves due to separation from their mothers during fishing. Based on an analysis of dolphins killed from 1973 to 1990, and depending on the length at which calves are assumed to become independent, there was a deficit of calves relative to the number of lactating females killed in 24%–32% of 1,847 spotted-dolphin sets and in 13%–19% of 563 spinner-dolphin sets. We found a deficit of 0.31–0.45 spotted dolphin and 0.15–0.26 spinner dolphin calves per set. If these missing calves were added to the observed kill, it would represent an increase in the kill of 10%–15% for spotted dolphins and 6%–10% for spinner dolphins in the sets we examined. We did not attempt to estimate the actual number of unobserved calf deaths due to purse-seine fishing on dolphins, either in the sets we examined or in all dolphin sets. The actual number of unobserved calf deaths is likely to be higher than the calf deficit we found. Separation of dolphin mothers from calves could occur at any of several points in the fishing process, but most of these would be invisible to us and not produce a calf deficit. Estimation of the actual number of unobserved calf deaths would require further information on how frequently permanent mother-calf separations occur, the fraction of calves that survive after separation, the fraction of lactating females set upon that are carrying calves, and the fraction of calves killed that are actually related to lactating females killed in the same set. In any case, the observation of a calf deficit indicates that the reported dolphin kill fails to measure the full impact of purse-seine fishing on spotted and spinner dolphin populations.     

QUANTITATIVE BEHAVIORAL STUDY OF BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS IN SWIM-WITH-DOLPHIN PROGRAMS IN THE UNITED STATES

The behavior of dolphins in four Swim-With-Dolphin programs was compared by type of Swim encounter, defined by the presence ("Controlled") or absence ("Not-Controlled") of explicit trainer regulation of interactions between dolphins and human swimmers. Dolphin-swimmer interactions involving aggressive, submissive, or sexual behavior were designated as "high-risk" in the Swim context; sexual behavior was included as high-risk based on analyses that demonstrated co-occurrence of sexual and agonistic behaviors. High-risk activity comprised a substantial proportion of dolphin-swimmer social activity during Not-Controlled Swims. In contrast, high-risk activity rarely occurred during Controlled Swims, even though agonistic and sexual behaviors were normal components of the same dolphins' free-time social repertoire. These results indicated that direct trainer control of dolphin-swimmer interactions virtually eliminated high-risk activity from the Swim context, and thereby diminished the potential for dolphin distress, swimmer injury, and rejection of dolphins from Swim programs due to swimmer injury. This study illustrates effective use of quantitative behavioral sampling techniques for evaluation of captive management concerns and promotes broader use of these techniques for a better understanding of cetacean behavior.     

SURVIVORSHIP PATTERNS IN THREE SPECIES OF CAPTIVE CETACEANS

Survival rates for three species of captive cetaceans are reported, based on records of dates of capture, birth, and death of individual animals. The annual survival rate was 0.93 for bottlenose dolphins and killer whales and 0.94 for white whales. Confidence limits of these estimates are discussed. Differences in survival rates between institutions were significant for bottlenose dolphins only. Calf survival for bottlenose dolphins was lower than non-calf survival. Survivorship of male killer whales was significantly less than survivorship of female killer whales; sex-specific survival rates were similar for the other two species. Estimates of average or maximum longevity alone were not useful in comparing rates of survival. Because survival in the first year of captivity may be lower than subsequent years, estimates of the expected lifespan, based on data from the first few years of captivity, may be biased.     

LOCAL ABUNDANCE AND DISTRIBUTION OF BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS (TURSIOPS TRUNCATUS) IN THE NEARSHORE WATERS OF VIRGINIA BEACH,VIRGINIA

We investigated patterns of abundance and distribution for coastal migratory Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) that appear seasonally in the nearshore waters of Virginia Beach, Virginia. The study was conducted along 24 km of shoreline at the southern point of the Chesapeake Bay mouth from April 1994 to March 1995. This is the first study to investigate the relationship between the abundance of coastal migratory dolphins and factors that might affect their movement. A profile analysis of variance revealed significant differences in local abundance and distribution throughout the year. Dolphin number was positively correlated with water temperature and not correlated with photoperiod. Although prey distribution and abundance are two factors thought to affect dolphin presence, in this study the relationship between these two factors and dolphin abundance was unclear. Greater numbers of dolphins were found in the ocean section of the study area. However, significantly higher ratios of neonatal dolphins were observed in the bay section, suggesting the bay serves as a nursery area. The observed relationship between local dolphin abundance and environmental factors in Virginia may provide insight into dolphin distribution and migration along the Atlantic coast of the United States.