Beluga
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Group structure and kinship in beluga whale societies Open
Evolutionary explanations for mammalian sociality typically center on inclusive-fitness benefits of associating and cooperating with close kin, or close maternal kin as in some whale societies, including killer and sperm whales. Their matr…
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Migratory culture, population structure and stock identity in North Pacific beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) Open
The annual return of beluga whales, Delphinapterus leucas, to traditional seasonal locations across the Arctic may involve migratory culture, while the convergence of discrete summering aggregations on common wintering grounds may facilita…
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Insights into processes of population decline using an integrated population model: The case of the St. Lawrence Estuary beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) Open
Integrated population models combine data from several sources into a single model to allow the simultaneous estimation of demographic parameters and the prediction of population trajectories. They are especially useful when survey data al…
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Beluga whale (<i>Delphinapterus leucas</i>) vocalizations and call classification from the eastern Beaufort Sea population Open
Beluga whales, Delphinapterus leucas, have a graded call system; call types exist on a continuum making classification challenging. A description of vocalizations from the eastern Beaufort Sea beluga population during its spring migration …
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Variation in the diet of beluga whales in response to changes in prey availability: insights on changes in the Beaufort Sea ecosystem Open
The eastern Beaufort Sea (EBS) beluga whale Delphinapterus leucas population has experienced a 20 yr decline in inferred growth rates of individuals, which is hypothesized to have resulted from changes in prey availability. We used fatty a…
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Temporal complexity of southern<span>B</span>eaufort<span>S</span>ea polar bear diets during a period of increasing land use Open
From 2000 to 2013, use of land as a seasonal habitat by polar bears ( Ursus maritimus ) of the southern Beaufort Sea ( SB ) subpopulation substantially increased. This onshore use has been linked to reduced spatial and temporal availabilit…
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“That’s how we know they’re healthy”: the inclusion of traditional ecological knowledge in beluga health monitoring in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region Open
Belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) from the Eastern Beaufort Sea (EBS) population are harvested annually in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region (ISR) during their seasonal migration past coastal communities and harvest camps. The beluga harvest …
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Selenoneine is a major selenium species in beluga skin and red blood cells of Inuit from Nunavik Open
Nunavimmiut (Inuit of Nunavik, Northern Quebec, Canada) exhibit a high selenium (Se) status because of their frequent consumption of marine mammal foods. Indirect evidence from our previous studies had suggested that selenoneine - a novel …
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The Genome of the Beluga Whale (Delphinapterus leucas) Open
The beluga whale is a cetacean that inhabits arctic and subarctic regions, and is the only living member of the genus Delphinapterus. The genome of the beluga whale was determined using DNA sequencing approaches that employed both microflu…
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Regional diving behavior of Pacific Arctic beluga whales Delphinapterus leucas and possible associations with prey Open
MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 541:245-264 (2015) - DOI: https://doi.org/10…
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Weaning age variation in beluga whales (<i>Delphinapterus leucas</i>) Open
Beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) have a protracted nursing period estimated to last from 6–32 months, although current estimates of beluga nursing duration are derived using approaches subject to capture bias. Recent studies have show…
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Developing a Catalog of Socio-Sexual Behaviors of Beluga Whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in the Care of Humans Open
The repertoire of socio-sexual and sexual behaviors of cetaceans is relatively unknown. The purpose of the current study was to advance the existing knowledge of socio-sexual behavior of beluga whales through the development of a behaviora…
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Hybridization between two high Arctic cetaceans confirmed by genomic analysis Open
In 1990, a skull from a morphologically unusual Monodontid was found in West Greenland and collected for the Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen. From its intermediate morphology, the skull was hypothesized to be a …
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A shift in foraging behaviour of beluga whales Delphinapterus leucas from the threatened Cumberland Sound population may reflect a changing Arctic food web Open
Cumberland Sound, an inlet on Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada, is undergoing changes in sea ice cover, which is affecting the marine food web. A small population of beluga whales Delphinapterus leucas inhabits Cumberland Sound year round an…
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Beluga whale summer habitat associations in the Nelson River estuary, western Hudson Bay, Canada Open
To understand beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) estuarine use in the Nelson River estuary, southwest Hudson Bay, we recorded and examined beluga movements and habitat associations for the July through August period in 2002-2005. We comp…
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Mapping Arctic cetaceans from space: A case study for beluga and narwhal Open
Emergence of new technologies in remote sensing give scientists a new way to detect and monitor wildlife populations. In this study we assess the ability to detect and classify two emblematic Arctic cetaceans, the narwhal ( Monodon monocer…
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The challenges of a small population exposed to multiple anthropogenic stressors and a changing climate: the St. Lawrence Estuary beluga Open
Until 2012, the St. Lawrence Estuary beluga population was considered stable with about 1100 individuals. An abnormally high number of calves reported dead that year triggered a population status reassessment. This review article summarize…
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Seasonal Trends in Acoustic Detection of Marine Mammals in Baffin Bay and Melville Bay, Northwest Greenland + Supplementary Appendix 1 (See Article Tools) Open
The expansion of hydrocarbon exploration in northwest Greenland has made it increasingly important to understand the occurrence of marine mammals in the region. We describe the seasonal occurrence of marine mammals and the spatial distribu…
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Determinants of selenoneine concentration in red blood cells of Inuit from Nunavik (Northern Québec, Canada) Open
Selenium (Se) is a trace mineral essential to human health, and is especially abundant in marine foods consumed by Inuit populations in Nunavik (northern Quebec, Canada), leading to exceptionally high whole blood Se levels. While most epid…
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Variation in hearing within a wild population of beluga whales (<i>Delphinapterus leuca</i>s) Open
Documenting hearing abilities is vital to understanding a species’ acoustic ecology and for predicting the impacts of increasing anthropogenic noise. Cetaceans use sound for essential biological functions such as foraging, navigation and c…
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Inuvialuit traditional ecological knowledge of beluga whale (<i>Delphinapterus leucas</i>) under changing climatic conditions in Tuktoyaktuk, NT Open
This paper documents Inuvialuit traditional ecological knowledge of beluga, including ecology and behavior, hunting techniques, and food preparation under changing climatic conditions in Tuktoyaktuk, NT. Beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas…
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Inter-annual variation in environmental factors affect the prey and body condition of beluga whales in the eastern Beaufort Sea Open
Arctic ecosystems are changing at an alarming rate, with the Arctic Ocean predicted to be
\nsummer sea ice free within the next few decades. Beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) are the most abundant Arctic odontocete, exhibiting a circum…
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Global PBDE contamination in cetaceans. A critical review Open
This review summarizes the most relevant information on PBDEs' occurrence and their impacts in cetaceans at global scale, with special attention on the species with the highest reported levels and therefore the most potentially impacted by…
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Year-Round Dive Characteristics of Male Beluga Whales From the Eastern Beaufort Sea Population Indicate Seasonal Shifts in Foraging Strategies Open
Dive behavior represents multiple ecological functions for marine mammals, but our understanding of dive characteristics is typically limited by the resolution or longevity of tagging studies. Knowledge on the time-depth structures of dive…
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Behavioural Changes in Belugas (<i>Delphinapterus leucas</i>) During a Killer Whale (<i>Orcinus orca</i>) Attack in Southwest Hudson Bay Open
Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) were observed on 4 August 2012 attacking Belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) at high tide near the mouth of the Seal River (59°9'19"N, 94°45'28"W) in southwest Hudson Bay, near the location where six Belugas had be…
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Can you hear me? Impacts of underwater noise on communication space of adult, sub-adult and calf contact calls of endangered St. Lawrence belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) Open
Noise and anthropogenic disturbances from vessel traffic are an important threat to the recovery of the endangered St. Lawrence Estuary (SLE) beluga population. The consequences of acoustic masking could be particularly adverse in the case…
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Validation of Growth Layer Group (GLG) depositional rate using daily incremental growth lines in the dentin of beluga (Delphinapterus leucas (Pallas, 1776)) teeth Open
Counts of Growth Layer Groups (GLGs) in the dentin of marine mammal teeth are widely used as indicators of age. In most marine mammals, observations document that GLGs are deposited yearly, but in beluga whales, some studies have supported…
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Genetic profiling links changing sea-ice to shifting beluga whale migration patterns Open
There is increasing concern over how Arctic fauna will adapt to climate related changes in sea-ice. We used long-term sighting and genetic data on beluga whales ( Delphinapterus leucas ) in conjunction with multi-decadal patterns of sea-ic…
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Comparative Study of the Gut Microbiota Among Four Different Marine Mammals in an Aquarium Open
Despite an increasing appreciation in the importance of host–microbe interactions in ecological and evolutionary processes, information on the gut microbial communities of some marine mammals is still lacking. Moreover, whether diet, envir…
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Foraging ecology of ringed seals (<i>Pusa hispida</i>), beluga whales (<i>Delphinapterus leucas</i>) and narwhals (<i>Monodon monoceros</i>) in the Canadian High Arctic determined by stomach content and stable isotope analysis Open
Stomach content and stable isotope analysis (δ13C and δ15N from liver and muscle) were used to identify habitat and seasonal prey selection by ringed seals (Pusa hispida; n=21), beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas; n=13) and narwhals (Mon…