Omura's whales (Balaenoptera omurai) off northwest Madagascar: ecology, behaviour and conservation needs.

ABSTRACT: The Omura's whale (Balaenoptera omurai) was described as a new species in 2003 and then soon after as an ancient lineage basal to a Bryde's/sei whale clade. Currently known only from whaling and stranding specimens primarily from the western Pacific and eastern Indian Oceans, there exist no confirmed field observations or ecological/behavioural data. Here we present, to our knowledge, the first genetically confirmed documentation of living Omura's whales including descriptions of basic ecology and behaviour from northwestern Madagascar. Species identification was confirmed through molecular phylogenetic analyses of biopsies collected from 18 adult animals. All individuals shared a single haplotype in a 402 bp sequence of mtDNA control region, suggesting low diversity and a potentially smal

SUBMITTER: Cerchio S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4632516 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature