Assessing Stress Responses in Beaked and Sperm Whales in the Bahamas

Abstract

The long-term goal of this project is to develop fecal hormone assays to assess stress responses in Blainville s beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris) and sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) inhabiting the northern Bahamas. These species were chosen to include a particularly acoustically-sensitive cetacean (beaked whales) and a co-occurring species (sperm whales) for comparison. The immediate goals are to determine baseline fecal hormone levels for un-disturbed reference populations of these two deep-diving whale species, and characterize the natural variations in stress-related hormones according to life history stage (age, sex, reproductive status). The results of this project will provide baseline levels of these hormones in beaked and sperm whales for comparison with those inhabiting the nearby U.S. Navy Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC), or other habitats with known acoustic exposures from man-made sounds.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 30, 2012
Accession Number
ADA573793

Entities

People

  • Charlotte A. Dunn
  • Diane E. Claridge
  • Kathleen E. Hunt
  • Rosalind M. Rolland
  • Scott D. Kraus

Organizations

  • New England Aquarium

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Androgens
  • Cetaceans
  • Deep Diving
  • Dilution
  • Efficiency
  • Habitats
  • Hormones
  • Immunoassay
  • Liquid Chromatography
  • Mammals
  • Marine Mammals
  • Materials
  • New England
  • Odontocetes
  • Salt Water
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Thyroid Hormones

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Marine Mammal Biology