Female reproductive success and calf survival in a North Sea coastal bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) population.

ABSTRACT: Between-female variation in reproductive output provides a strong measure of individual fitness and a quantifiable measure of the health of a population which may be highly informative to management. In the present study, we examined reproductive traits in female bottlenose dolphins from the east coast of Scotland using longitudinal sightings data collected over twenty years. From a total of 102 females identified between 1997 and 2016, 74 mothers produced a collective total of 193 calves. Females gave birth from 6 to 13 years of age with a mean age of 8. Calves were produced during all study months, May to October inclusive, but showed a seasonal birth pulse corresponding to the regional peak in summer water temperatures. Approximately 83% (n = 116) of the calves of established fate were

SUBMITTER: Robinson KP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5607131 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature