Media Releases and Opportunities
» Go to news mainMedia opportunity: Flanking female pilot whales are the leaders most often when it comes to diving decisions within the pod: Dalhousie University research
Pilot whales get their name from the belief that they have a lead or 'pilot' who sets the course for their pods, which can sometimes number in the dozens and even hundreds. Little is known, however, about how this highly social species makes decisions that can affect the entire pod.
A new study by Dalhousie University researchers explores that very question with the help of aerial drones and survey vessels that monitored long-finned pilot whales off Cape Breton. They wanted to find out whether there is evidence of leadership in initiating deep group dives among pilot whales -- a subject that has not been studied before with this species.
They found that they could use the timing of when individuals dive to look at decision-making strategies, with females on the left and right periphery most often leading the group. They also determined that it wasn't just nursing or pregnant females that led the dives, suggesting that the search for sustenance for their offspring did not determine who would lead.
Instead, female pilot whales might be viewed as knowledge keepers, much like the cultural practices of southern resident killer whales.
Elizabeth Zwamborn, a marine mammal scientist at Dalhousie, led the research project and is available to discuss the findings, which are particularly important since pilot whales mass strand so easily, with hundreds of whales washing up onshore at once. Understanding how and why they make decisions in their day-to-day lives may ultimately help prevent these often-deadly events.
Please access photos of pilot whales off northwestern Cape Breton. Credit: Elizabeth Zwamborn.
-30-
Media contact:
Alison Auld
Senior Research Reporter
Communications, Marketing and Creative Services
Dalhousie University
Cell: 1-902-220-0491
Email: alison.auld@dal.ca
Recent News
- Media opportunity: Being involved in extracurricular activities really does matter when it comes to 'mattering': Dalhousie University research
- Media opportunity: Podcast by Dalhousie researcher and Halifax photographer looks at barriers to Nova Scotia's coastline, decreasing access to waterfronts and problems with litter, marine debris in public coastal areas
- Media opportunity: Dalhousie University researcher pioneers new cancer treatment ‑‑ cutting‑edge CAR‑T cell therapy
- Media opportunity: Research sheds light on the difficulty temporary foreign workers can face in securing permanent residency in P.E.I.
- Media opportunity: World's largest stores of unfrozen freshwater projected to warm and affect cold‑water habitats, geothermal energy resources and drinking water quality : Dalhousie University research
- Media release: Dalhousie University research reveals conservation benefits are doubled for reef sharks and rays in fully protected marine areas that also have strong fisheries management
- Media release: New program partners Dalhousie researcher and IWK Health to tackle violence against women
- Media opportunity: Dalhousie University researchers and an international team identify new strain of mpox virus in Africa that can spread through heterosexual sex and community contact
Comments
comments powered by Disqus