Whales of Alaska

Brittany Amano, Naveen Hrishikesh, Karley Whelan and Tiwatope Ibidapo

Information to Address:The 1) life history, 2) evolution 3) ecology and 4) conservation of:

Beluga whales

Blue whales

Bowhead whales

Bottlenose whales

Gray whales

Humpback whales

Orca whales (actually dolphins)

Minke whales

Sperm whales

Overview● Order: Cetacea● Mammals

○ Warm-blooded ○ Breathe air into lungs

● Most species have a dorsal fin● Two Suborders

○ Mysticetes or Baleen ■ Comb-like fringe (baleen) on upper jaw to filter plankton, small fish, & crustaceans■ Largest species of whales

○ Odontocetes or Toothed ■ Teeth ■ Prey on fish, squid, other whales, & marine animals ■ Use echolocation

Major Evolution of Whales● Hippos once thought to be the closest living relatives of whales; but they are not

ancestors ● Whales were initially land animals (like Pakicetus)● similar brain structures is evidence they are related ● Ambulocetus is the first evidence of whales that lived in water; evidenced by

isotopes of seawater● Position of nostril evolved into the modern blowhole of whales; pushed further

back on head ● Other evolutionary evidence is the vertebral column and pelvis structure; evolved

to allow for undulation in the water ● Recently grouped into mammal lineage due to the discovery of Indohyus, a small

deer like mammal; genetic data proves this is actually its closest relative

Bowhead Whales: Balaena Mysticetus Iñupiaq Name: Aġviq

● Baleen whales● Most ice adapted of the larger whales● 50 to 60 ft long● 75 to 100 tons● Very thick blubber (1.5 ft thick)● No dorsal fin

Life History & Evolution ● Migration

○ Spend most of their lives in Bering, Chukchi, & Beaufort Seas near sea ice

● Reproduction○ Mating occurs during late winter & spring in the

Bering Sea○ Gestation period: 13-14 months

● Life Span○ 150-200 years

● Evolution○ Arched upper jaw forms bow shape

● Thought to be the longest-lived mammals on the planet

Ecology & Conservation● Ecology

○ Diet■ small prey■ plankton■ krill

○ Habitat■ Artic

● Conservation○ Favored whale for hunting

■ produce large quantities of oil, baleen, meat, & muktuk (blubbery skin)

■ Slow and nonaggressive○ Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commision (AEWC)

■ 2013-2018: Alaskan & Chukotkan whalers to land up to 336 Bowhead whales over the next six years

■ copepods ■ mysids (tiny

crustaceans)

Bottlenose Whales Hyperoodon spp. ● Second largest toothed whale

○ Two pairs of large triangular teeth at tip of lower jaw ■ Each tooth projects upward about 4 inches

● Two species○ Northern - Hyperoodon ampullatus○ Southern - Hyperoodon planifrons

● 10 to 12 meters long● 5,800 to 7,500 kilograms (12,800-16,500 lb)

Life History & Evolution ● Migration

○ Northern Bottlenose: No seasonal North-South migration ○ Southern Bottlenose: summer migration from Antarctic to

temperate waters

● Reproduction○ Mate during spring & early summer ○ Seual Maturity at 8-10 years of age ○ Gestational period is 10 to 17 months

● Life Span ○ 35 to 40 years

● Evolution ○ Low genetic diversity

Ecology & Conservation

● Ecology○ Diet

■ Squid■ Fish ■ Shrimp

○ Habitat■ Cold, deep waters (over 1,000 meters)■ Temperate to subarctic oceanic waters

● Conservation○ Most hunted species of beaked whales○ Current status:Data Deficient (Northern) & Least Concern

(Southern) on IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

■ Sea cucumbers■ Starfish

Minke Whales: Balaenoptera acutorostrata

1) Description:● dark gray on top and lighter on bottom

● stocky because of layers of blubber, two long flippers

● small dorsal fin and small ridges, weighing ten tons

http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/whale-wars/about-whaling/whales-whaling-minke-whale/ http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/whales/species/Minke.shtml

Life History

● average life span: 50 years

● spend winters in pacific ocean near Baja, California and then migrate to Alaska in the spring and summer

● sexually mature around 3-8 years old

● mate during the winter; gestation around 10-12 months; give birth to single calf

● can become pregnant annually

http://www.sci.ccny.cuny.edu/~mcesaire/glacier.htmlhttp://whaleopedia.org/animalfund/store/minke-whale-calf-poster-lf2/

http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/dwarf-minke-whale-spyhopping-western-high-res-stock-photography/73787387

Evolution

● members of baleen family; smallest of great whales

● two (sometimes three) species: northern, antarctic and dwarf?

http://www.sci-news.com/biology/mariana-trench-minke-whales-call-04455.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctic_minke_whale

http://www.salishsea.org/media/northern-minke-whale-balaenoptera-acutorostrata/

Ecology

● Habitat is mainly northern pacific

● prefer temperate to boreal waters

● distribution considered cosmopolitan

● Feed in colder waters; eat crustaceans, plankton and small schooling fish

http://www.mesa.edu.au/crustaceans/default.asphttps://amazingseacreatures.wordpress.com/the-facts/crustaceans/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/207236020329821246/

Conservation

● considered stable

● hunting has doubled due to killing of larger whales

● however have increased due to increased availability of food once eaten by larger whales

http://takasito.blogspot.com/

Blue Whales: Balaenoptera musculus

Description: ● can weight up to 200 tons

● 24-30 meters long

● loudest calls on earth

● small dorsal fin, blue grey, yellow white undersides

http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/cetaceans/about/blue_whale/

Life History

● average life span: 40-50 years; can vary (have been seen up to 90)

● move towards poles in spring and summer; move to equator in winter

● sexually mature around 5-15 years old

● birth and mating occurs in the winter; 9-10 month gestation period

http://okcfox.com/archive/study-california-blue-whales-recover-from-whaling-01-27-2016http://www.buzzle.com/articles/why-are-blue-whales-endangered.html

Evolution

● baleen whales; females are larger than males

● largest animal known to have existed

https://www.britannica.com/animal/blue-whale

Ecology

● habitat is all oceans except enclosed seas; mostly offshore

● feed on up to 40 million krill a day

● distribution: globally

http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/cetaceans/about/blue_whale/ http://healthhamster.com/antarctic-krill-oil/

Conservation

● rarest whale; most endangered

● climate change, pollution and vessel strikes are greatest threats

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blue_Whale_population,_Pengo.svg http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/2016/03/06/time-to-change-the-climate-about-climate-change/

GRAY WHALES-Eschrichtius robustusDescription:

● Gray whales are often covered with parasites and other organisms that make their snouts and backs look like a crusty ocean rock

● Two blowholes on top of head● Dorsal ridge instead of dorsal fin● Series of knocking noises is most prevalent call

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/g/gray-whale/

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/85/d1/43/85d1439d73396834ab6a9e1d7c40054e.jpg

Life History● Average life span: 75-80 years● Sexually mature at 8 years old● Swim up to 12,340 miles roundtrip annually from Alaska to Baja California,

Mexico in the winter to breed; most whales give birth in January ● Other Gray Whales live in Korea in northern Bering and Chukchi Seas● 13 ½ month gestation period● Biennial birthing is common ● Grow to be 40-50 feet, 30-40 tons

Migration Route

https://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/gwhale/annual/map.html

https://www.bajawhale.com/rob-servations/rob-servation-4-gray-whale-identification/

Evolution● Oldest gray whale fossil dates back 2.5 million years ago● Members of baleen family● Once thought to feed only by suctioning seafloor sediment and filtering out

worms and amphipods● Population was expected to be 76,000 to 120,000 before humans started

hunting

https://www.mmc.gov/priority-topics/species-of-concern/western-north-pacific-gray-whales/

Ecology● Feeds mainly on benthic crustaceans which it eats by turning on its right side (often losing eyesight

on right eye amongst older whales) and scoops up sediment from sea floor● Calf gray whales drink 190-300 US gallons of their mother’s 53% fat milk daily● Primarily bottom feeders and are thus restricted to shallow continental shelf waters for feeding

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benthic_zone

Conservation● According to the IUCN, the gray whale is ranked as being of the least concern

for extinction ● Once the target of extensive hunting, and by early in the 20th century they

were in serious danger of extinction● Today gray whales are protected by international law; Removed from US

Endangered Species List in 1994● Limited hunting in Chukotka Region of Russia for aboriginal/subsistence

whaling

http://www.slocoe.org/whale/whale5.html

HUMPBACK WHALES-Megaptera novaeangliaeDescription:

● Primarily dark grey, with some areas of white● Long "pectoral" fins, which can be up to 15 feet (4.6 m) in length● Variation is so distinctive that the pigmentation pattern on the

undersides of their "flukes" is used to identify individual whales● Frequently perform aerial displays, such as breaching (jumping out of

the water), or slapping the surface with their pectoral fins, tails, or heads● Length up to 60 feet; 25-40 tons● Common call includes moans, howls, and cries

Photos of Humpback Whale

http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=39 https://www.afsc.noaa.gov/nmml/education/cetaceans/gray.php

Life HistoryIn the North Pacific, there are at least three separate populations:

1 California/Oregon/Washington stock that winters in coastal Central America and Mexico and migrates to areas ranging from the coast of California to southern British Columbia in summer/fall;

2 Central North Pacific stock that winters in the Hawaiian Islands and migrates to northern British Columbia/ Southeast Alaska and Prince William Sound west to Kodiak; and

3 Western North Pacific stock that winters near Japan and probably migrates to waters west of the Kodiak Archipelago (the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands ) in summer/fall. There is some mixing between these populations, though they are still considered distinct stocks.

Southern Hemisphere Humpbacks migrate along the west coast of Africa and Central America

Life History continued● Average life span: About 50 years● Sexually mature around 5-14 years ● 11 month gestation period ● Get pregnant every 2-4 years● Newborns weigh 1 ton/15 feet long

http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov/explore/images/splashdatamap.jpg

EvolutionSinonyx 60 million years ago to Indohyus to Ambulocetus to Rodhocetus to Dorudon to Basilosaurus 35 to 45 million years ago

https://coast.noaa.gov/data/SEAMedia/Posters/G4%20U4%20HumpbackWhalePoster.pdf

Ecology● Feed on tiny crustaceans (mostly krill), plankton, and small fish and can

consume up to 3,000 pounds of food per day● Hunting methods involve using air bubbles to herd, corral, or disorient fish● Bubble netting is often performed in groups with defined roles for distracting,

scaring, and herding before whales lunge at prey corralled near the surface● Mating involves chasing, vocal and bubble displays, horizontal tail thrashing,

violence, and rear body thrashing● Found in high latitude feeding grounds in winter/calving grounds in summer

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2169603/Humpback-whales-work-unison-bubble-net-fishing-corral-meal-Alaskan-coast.html

ConservationHumpback whales face a series of threats including:

• entanglement in fishing gear (bycatch)

• ship strikes

• whale watch harassment

• habitat impacts

• harvest

IUCN Least Concern for Extinction http://mauiwhalewatching.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/conservation-graphic.jpg

ORCA WHALES-Orcinus orcaDescription:

● Largest member of dolphin family● Distinctive black-and-white coloring● Used in many aquarium shows; Shamu at SeaWorld● Common call includes clicks and whistles● Dorsal fin up to 6 feet tall● Weighs up to 6 tons/23-32 feet long

https://www.exploringnature.org

Life History● Average life span: 50-80 years● Give birth every 3-10 years● 17 month gestation period● Females exually mature at 10/Males at 15; Peak fertility at 20● To avoid inbreeding, males mate with females from other pods● 37-50% of calves die● Captive killer whales live between 25-40 years● Orcas can be found anywhere; Tend to go wherever food is versus seasons

http://acsonline.org/fact-sheets/orca-killer-whale/

Evolution● Expected to have evolved from land animals called Mesonychids due to

similar facial structure, teeth, and other morphological structures

imgur.com

Ecology● Feast on marine mammals such as seals, sea lions, and even whales,

employing teeth that can be four inches long● Resident pods tend to prefer fish, while transient pods target marine

mammals● Each pod has distinctive noises that its members will recognize even at a

distance● Hunt in deadly pods, family groups of up to 40 individuals● Frequent cold, coastal waters but cosmopolitan● Apex predators

pinterest.com

Conservation● Greenland, Japan, Indonesia, and some Caribbean islands – they are still

victims of whaling efforts● Populations in the Pacific Northwest and North Atlantic were targeted for live

captures to be sold to oceanariums like SeaWorld● Orcas in the Pacific waters off Russia are still captured and sold into captivity● Pacific Northwest, three biggest threats are prey depletion, biocontamination,

and increasing vessel traffic● IUCN classifies as Data Deficient regarding extinction information●

https://www.eopugetsound.org/science-review/12-killer-whales

Sperm WhalesPhyseter macrocephalus

Quick Facts

Weight: F: 15 tons; M: 45 tons

Length: F: 36 feet; M: 52 feet

Appearance: Mostly dark gray, enormous head (⅓ body length)

Lifespan: unknown

Life History

Social Lives

- Family Groups called pods

- Memories

- Tight networks: ~7 females and their young

Reproduction

- Sexual maturity: M: late 20s; F: 9 years

- Produce a calf once every 5 years

- Gestation is 14-16 months

- Calf: 13 ft at birth; suckles for over a year

Population and Migration

EcologyHabitat and Feeding

Hunt and feed 400m--1,000m down

Store oxygen in blood and muscles really efficiently

→ can hold their breath for over an hour

- Toothed whales (odontocetes)

Eat giant squid, octopus, small sharks

Swallow prey whole

- Complete darkness: use echolocation

ECHOLOCATION

Harris, Martin. "Why the sperm whale has a huge head." Cosmos Magazine. N.p., 13 Oct. 2014. Web. 17 June 2017.

Ecology Spermaceti Organ

Hypotheses:

- Flotation

- Focus echolocation

- agression

Spermaceti Oil/ Uses

Conservation- Historical and modern

commercial and substantive whaling

- IWC (Int’l Whaling Commission) Prohibitions

- Endangered Species Conservation Act 1969 classified as endangered

- Marine Mammal Protection Act 1972

Evolution

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Cetacea

Suborder: Odontoceti

Family: Physeteridae

Genus: Physeter

Species: macrocephalus

Classification

Beluga Whales Beluga Whale or White WhaleDelphinapterus leucas

Weight: 1 to 1.5 tons

Length: 13 to 20 ft

Appearance: White, small, no dorsal fin, big forehead bulge (melon)

Lifespan: 35 to 50

Quick Facts

Life HistoryVocalization

-unique and complex

calls (clicks, chirps,

whistles)

-Can mimic sounds,

including human

speech

-”canaries of the sea”

Life HistorySocial

Very social, live in big groups called Pods

Pods can have hundreds of whales in them

Hunt, feed, migrate together

Life History

Reproduction

-mate in March or April (warmer water)

-gestation period of 14-15

-calves are born gray, about 5 feet long and 110-130 lbs

Eat snails, salmon, crabs, shrimp, clams, octopus, etc.

Swallow their food whole-- only use their teeth to grab prey

“Melon” (forehead bulge) helps with echolocation to hunt prey

Predators: polar bears,Killer whales, and humans

Range of Beluga Whales (mostly arctic)

40,000 to 80,000 worldwide

Cook Inlet, St. Lawrence, and Alaskan belugas are classified as endangered

Threats to Beluga Populations:-noise pollution

CommunicationHunting

-fishing gear entanglement

-pollution, habitat destruction, warming of cold waters

Conservation-Populations within Cook Inlet are depleted

-Globally: “near threatened”

-2008: Conservation Plan for the Cook Inlet beluga whales

-Cooperative Agreement between Nat’l Marine Fisheries Service and the Cook Inlet Marine Mammal Council to manage subsistence hunting

EvolutionRange affected by ice ages and the glaciation

Fossil evidence suggests that they were once in warmer waters

Earliest known ancestor: Denebola brachycephala (9-10 mya)

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Cetacea

Suborder: Odontoceti

Family: Monodontidae

Genus: Delphinapterus

Species: Leucas

Citations Tiwa’s Citations"Basic Facts About Whales." Defenders of Wildlife. N.p., 19 Sept. 2016. Web. 17 June 2017."Bowhead Whale." Whale Facts. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 June 2017.Culik, Boris. "Hyperoodon Ampullatus (Forster, 1770)." CMS: Hyperoodon Ampullatus, North Atlantic Bottlenose Whale. Convention on the Conservation

of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, 2010. Web. 17 June 2017.Fisheries, NOAA. "Northern Bottlenose Whale (Hyperoodon Ampullatus)." NOAA Fisheries. N.p., 14 Jan. 2015. Web. 18 June 2017."Northern Bottlenose Whales, Hyperoodon ampullatus ~ MarineBio.org." MarineBio Conservation Society. Web. Accessed Saturday, June 17, 2017.

<http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=324>.Quakenbush, Lori. "Bowhead Whale." Bowhead Whale: Wildlife Notebook Series - Alaska Department of Fish and Game (2008): n. pag.

Http://www.adfg.alaska.gov. Alaska Department of Fish & Game, 2008. Web. 15 June 2017.The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Bottlenose Whale." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 10 May 2017. Web. 18 June 2017.Zeh, Judy, Gay Sheffield, Hans Thewissen, Robert Suydam, and J. Craig George. "Bowhead Whale Subsistence Harvest Research." Official Website Of

The North Slope Borough Northernmost Municipality in the United States of America. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 June 2017.Karley’s Citations

Robinson, John. "Giant Squid Eaten by Sperm Whale." Free Republic . N.p., 25 Sept. 2010. Web. 17 June 2017.Perrin, WF, Wursig, B, Thewissen JGM, eds. 2002. Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals. Academic Press.Fisheries, NOAA. "Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus)." NOAA Fisheries. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 15 Jan.

2015. Web. 17 June 2017.Harris, Martin. "Why the sperm whale has a huge head." Cosmos Magazine. N.p., 13 Oct. 2014. Web. 17 June 2017.Sopinka, Natalie. "Spermaceti." Phish Doc. N.p., 05 May 2016. Web. 17 June 2017."Scienceline: Sperm Whales." Scienceline. NYU Science, Health, and Environmental Reporting Program, 05 Mar. 2010. Web. 17 June 2017."Threats to Beluga Whales." Defenders of Wildlife. N.p., 19 Sept. 2016. Web. 17 June 2017."Beluga Whale." National Geographic. National Geographic Partners, LLC., 14 June 2017. Web. 17 June 2017.Bradford, Alina. "Facts About Beluga Whales." LiveScience. Purch, 19 July 2016. Web. 17 June 2017.

Fisheries, NOAA. "Beluga Whale (Delphinapterus leucas)." NOAA Fisheries. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 15 Jan. 2015. Web. 17 June 2017.

"Beluga." WWF. World Wildlife Fund, n.d. Web. 17 June 2017.

Citations (con’t)Naveen’s CitationsAlaska Whale Tours. "Alaska Minke Whales." Minke Whales in Alaska. Alaska Department of Fish and Game, n.d. Web. 17 June 2017.Blue Whale. 17 June 2017 <http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/cetaceans/about/blue_whale/>.Fisheries, NOAA. Minke Whale <em>(Balaenoptera acutorostrata)</em>. 15 January 2015. 16 June 2017 www.fisheries.noaa.gov%2Fpr%2Fspecies%2Fmammals%2Fwhales%2Fminke-whale.html

Brittany’s CitationsBraham HW (1984) Distribution and Migration of Gray Whales in Alaska. The Gray Whale: Eschrichtius Robustus:249–266.Facts About Orcas. WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation. Available at: http://us.whales.org/wdc-in-action/facts-about-orcas [Accessed June 18, 2017].Gray Whale (2017) National Geographic. Available at: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/g/gray-whale/ [Accessed June 18, 2017].Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus) (2015) NOAA Fisheries. Available at: http://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/whales/gray-whale.html [Accessed June 18, 2017].Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) (2015) NOAA Fisheries. Available at: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/whales/humpback-whale.html [Accessed June 18, 2017].Melina R (2011) Gray Whales Adapted to Survive Past Climate Changes. LiveScience. Available at: https://www.livescience.com/14931-gray-whales-adapt-habits-survive.html [Accessed June 18, 2017].National Marine Mammal Laboratory (2006) National Marine Laboratory . Available at: https://www.afsc.noaa.gov/nmml/education/cetaceans/gray.php [Accessed June 18, 2017].Nickels P Humpback Whale. National Geographic. Available at: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/h/humpback-whale/ [Accessed June 18, 2017].