Killer Whale Antarctica
HSWRI researchers recorded for the first time killer whale calls in the Antarctic at McMurdo Station in January 1980. These killer whale calls were compared to other researchers’ recordings from Newfoundland to search for geographic differences. The researchers found that strong geographic differences were found in all four types of vocalizations (clicks, buzzes, screams, and […]
Dolphin Survey 1977
In August 1977, dolphin numbers in Florida’s Indian River Lagoon were unknown, but some estimated that up to 5,000 dolphins lived in the lagoon. Commercial fishing operators were concerned about dolphin predation of fish, which also damaged nets due to entanglements. This led to repeated requests to control the dolphins. HSWRI’s survey found less than […]
Bowhead Whale Songs
HSWRI researchers were part of the team that first recorded bowhead whale songs in 1977 and then later analyzed the first mother – calf bowhead sounds in 1979. Subsequent research has shown bowhead whales exhibit elaborate acoustic displays that rival the complexity of the better known humpback whale songs. The popularization of whale songs become […]
California Brown Pelicans
HSWRI researchers were the first to recognize DDT-related damage to pelican eggs. Exhaustive scientific studies showed that DDT was partially, if not wholly, responsible for the population decline by reducing egg thickness. At that time the coastal waters of California were the most pesticide polluted in the world. The declines in California populations were masked […]
Dolphin Entanglements
From 1969 to 1976 HSWRI researchers worked in conjunction with Southwest Fisheries Science Center tagging and tracking 3,712 dolphins in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Researchers were trying to discover any migration patterns to prevent inadvertent dolphin entanglements. At that time, approximately one quarter of the world’s tuna catch was taken in the eastern tropical […]
Dolphin Associations
In many long-lived mammalian species, association patterns between individuals have been found to influence sociality, behavioral traits, survival, and longevity. In common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), the early stages of development are of particular importance as associations experienced as dependent calves may influence future association patterns. While behavioral characteristics associated with the transition from a […]
Killer Whale Interactions
Increased sablefish or black cod (Anoplopoma fimbria) catches in the 1980s in Prince William Sound and the Bering Sea lead to more reports of killer whales interfering with fishing vessels by removing the hooked sablefish from the longlines as they were being hauled to the surface. In addition to taking the fish, the orcas were […]
Desert Tortoises
Testudinates (turtles and tortoises) have been characterized as deaf because many species exhibit little response to sounds in their environment. However, they possess auditory organs, and several species of tortoises, including the threatened desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), produce acoustic social signals and are known to react to meaningful sounds in their environment, including sounds produced […]
Baikal Seals
The Baikal seal (Phoca sibirica) is confined to Lake Baikal in southern Siberia. The breeding distribution of seals in winter, when the lake is frozen over, is fairly well known, whereas their movements and foraging behaviors have been relatively unstudied. With satellite-linked radio transmitters, we documented the movements and dive patterns of four juvenile Baikal […]
Sea Turtle Recovery
HSWRI staff served as the Team Leader of the Pacific Sea Turtle Recovery Team, professional biologists experienced with marine turtles in the Pacific region who drafted recovery plans for species of turtle in 1998. All six species of Pacific sea turtles were listed as endangered, so the team was tasked with creating a plan, if […]