BELUGA WHALE, Delphinapterus leucas: Cook Inlet Population - Critically Endangered
ثبت نشده
چکیده
Population Identity: Based on studies of mitochondrial DNA, Cook Inlet belugas are genetically distinct from the other four beluga populations that occur in western and northern Alaska (O’Corry-Crowe et al. 1997; O’Corry-Crowe, pers. comm.). There have been only two beluga sightings recorded in the region between Cook Inlet and the nearest beluga population in Bristol Bay (Frost and Lowry 1990; Laidre et al. 2000), suggesting that the 900 km long Alaska Peninsula is an effective barrier to movement and that the Cook Inlet population is geographically and reproductively isolated from beluga populations to the west (Figure 1). A thorough review of survey effort in the Gulf of Alaska (Laidre et al. 2000) produced regular sightings of belugas in only two regions, Cook Inlet and Yakutat Bay. The beluga group in Yakutat Bay is very small, probably numbering only 10-20 individuals (Laidre et al. 2000, O'Corry-Crowe et al., 2006). The demographic and genetic relationships between belugas in Cook Inlet and Yakutat Bay are currently poorly known, but since animals are seen in both areas year round (Hubbard et al. 1999; Moore et al. 2000; Laidre et al. 2000) and there have been very few sightings in the intervening 700 km long region (Laidre et al. 2000) it is possible that the Cook inlet population is also isolated from the whales in Yakutat Bay. The occurrence of belugas in Yakutat Bay will not be considered further in this evaluation.
منابع مشابه
Estimated Abundance of Belugas, Delphinapterus Leucas, in Cook Inlet, Alaska, from Aerial Surveys Conducted in June
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) conducted aerial surveys of the beluga, Delphinapterus leucas, population in Cook Inlet, Alaska, 31 May 9 June 2011 as a continuum of surveys conducted since 1993. Eight of the days in 2011 resulted in complete surveys of the beluga habitat in the upper inlet (north of East Foreland and West Foreland); and the remaining two days included surveys of t...
متن کاملNumbers and distribution of beluga whales, Delphinapterus leucas, in James Bay, eastern Hudson Bay, and Ungava Bay in Canada during the summer of 1993
James, Hudson and Ungava bays are summering areas for stocks of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) (Sergeant and Brodie, 1975; Finley et al., 1982; Smith and Hammill, 1986; Richard et al., 1990). There are several apparently separate summer groups, which include a summer group of ~23,000 individuals in western Hudson Bay, a group of 1500 individuals in the eastern Hudson Bay arc, and a few i...
متن کاملMolecular Genetic Studies of Population Structure and Movement Patterns in a Migratory Species: The Beluga Whale, Delphinaptevus leucas, in the Western Nearctic
متن کامل
Genome Sequence of an Alphaherpesvirus from a Beluga Whale (Delphinapterus leucas)
Beluga whale alphaherpesvirus 1 was isolated from a blowhole swab taken from a juvenile beluga whale. The genome is 144,144 bp in size and contains 86 putative genes. The virus groups phylogenetically with members of the genus Varicellovirus in subfamily Alphaherpesvirinae and is the first alphaherpesvirus sequenced from a marine mammal.
متن کاملBeluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) vocalizations and call classification from the eastern Beaufort Sea population.
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 are presented here, using both a non-parametric classification tree analysis (CART), and a Random Forest analysis. Twelve frequency and duration measurements ...
متن کامل