Determination of Age in the Humpback Whale, Megaptera nodosa (Bonnaterre)

1959 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 125 ◽  
Author(s):  
RG Chittleborough
Keyword(s):  
East Coast ◽  
Age Distribution ◽  
Age Determination ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Similar Distribution ◽  
The West ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Sexually Mature ◽  
Rate Of Accumulation

The use of baleen, ear plugs, and ovaries in the determination of age in humpback whales is described. From the evidence of baleen, the majority of humpback whales reach puberty at 4 or 5 years of age. The rate of accumulation of laminations in ear plugs is two laminations per year. The mean rate of ovulation in sexually mature females is 1.1 per year. Age determination upon the same sample of mature females by these two methods gives very similar distribution of ages. The age distribution within separate sexes from samples of mature humpback whales examined on the west and east coasts of Australia in 1957 are compared. The results indicate that the population migrating along the west coast is at present composed of younger individuals than that on the east coast of Australia.

Novel probabilistic dynamic safety metric formulations for flight path determination

2012 ◽  
Vol 227 (1) ◽  
pp. 185-198
Author(s):  
Nesrin Sarigul-Klijn ◽  
Anthony White
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
East Coast ◽  
Flight Path ◽  
The Other ◽  
The West ◽  
Landing Sites ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
Safety Metrics

This article details a novel method for the determination of safe flight paths dynamically following an in-flight distress event. The method is based on probabilistic safety metrics which also include the touchdown and evacuation/rescue phases after landing. Two case studies simulating in-flight distress events, one from the west and the other from the east coast are presented using these formulations for a quantitative analysis. It is found that the nearest landing sites are not always the safest ones showing the benefits of the newly developed safety metrics. Finally, the path safety levels are plotted as a function of mission safety probability values using innovative polar plots that provide useful information to pilots.

Reproduction in the red-legged pademelon, Thylogale stigmatica Gould (Marsupialia : Macropodidae), and age estimation and development of pouch young

1994 ◽  
Vol 21 (5) ◽  
pp. 553 ◽  
Author(s):  
PM Johnson ◽  
K Vernes
Keyword(s):  
Age Estimation ◽  
Post Partum ◽  
General Pattern ◽  
Age Determination ◽  
Gestation Period ◽  
Growth Equation ◽  
In Captivity ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
The Mean

The reproduction of Thylogale stigmatica in captivity was studied and a predictive growth equation for age determination of the pouch young was developed. The general pattern of reproduction involved an oestrous cycle of 29-32 days, a gestation period of 28-30 days and a mean pouch life of 184 days. A post-partum oestrus and mating generally followed birth. Births were observed in all months in captivity, and from October to June in the wild. Mean age of weaning of young was 66 days following permanent pouch emergence, and the mean ages at maturity for females and males was 341 and 466 days, respectively.

scholarly journals The effect of mineral supplements on resorption in the digestive tract of cattle, with special reference to Bolus alba

1966 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-63
Author(s):  
K. Roine ◽  
T. Varvikko ◽  
L. Lappalainen ◽  
K. Östring
Keyword(s):  
Digestive Tract ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Inorganic Phosphorus ◽  
Mineral Supplements ◽  
Group I ◽  
Mineral Mixture ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Group Ii ◽  
Sexually Mature

Fourteen sexually mature heads of cattle were divided into two groups; Group I receiving mineral mixture A, containing 15 % of Bolus alba, while Group II were given mixture B, containing no Bolus alba, but 10 % more Ca. Otherwise, both groups received the same feeding. Samples of blood and faeces of the animals were taken monthly for the determination of phosphorus, respectively phosphorus and carotenes. The experiment lasted one stabling period. In Group I, the mean inorganic phosphorus values of the blood were 6.7 mg/100 ml. and in Group 11, 6.1 mg/100 ml. The mean phosphorus values of the faeces were 8.8 gr/kg dry matter in Group I and in Group II, 9.3 gr/kg dry matter. The mean carotene values in Group I were 98.3 mg/kg dry matter and in Group II, 96.3 mg/kg dry matter. However, none of these differencies is statistically significant. On the basis of the present investigation it can be concluded that Bolus alba exerts no detrimental influence on the resorption of phosphorus and carotenes in the digestive tract of cattle.

scholarly journals Utility of telomere length measurements for age determination of humpback whales

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morten Tange Olsen ◽  
Jooke Robbins ◽  
Martine Bérubé ◽  
Mary Beth Rew ◽  
Per J Palsbøll
Keyword(s):  
Telomere Length ◽  
Quantitative Pcr ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Age Determination ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Biological Variability ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Length Measurements ◽  
Free Ranging

This study examines the applicability of telomere length measurements by quantitative PCR as a tool for minimally invasive age determination of free-ranging cetaceans. We analysed telomere length in skin samples from 28 North Atlantic humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), ranging from 0 to 26 years of age. The results suggested a significant correlation between telomere length and age in humpback whales. However, telomere length was highly variable among individuals of similar age, suggesting that telomere length measured by quantitative PCR is an imprecise determinant of age in humpback whales. The observed variation in individual telomere length was found to be a function of both experimental and biological variability, with the latter perhaps reflecting patterns of inheritance, resource allocation trade-offs, and stochasticity of the marine environment.

scholarly journals Age determination of humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae through blubber fatty acid compositions of biopsy samples

2009 ◽  
Vol 392 ◽  
pp. 277-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
DP Herman ◽  
GM Ylitalo ◽  
J Robbins ◽  
JM Straley ◽  
CM Gabriele ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Age Determination ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Fatty Acid Compositions

Aspects of Reproduction in the Male Humpback Whale, Megaptera nodosa (Bonnaterre)

1955 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
RG Chittleborough
Keyword(s):  
Body Length ◽  
Low Fertility ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Testis Weight ◽  
Activity Increase ◽  
Penis Length ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Considerable Individual Variation ◽  
Sexually Mature ◽  
Average Body

At puberty, male humpback whales off the Western Australian coast have an average body length of 36 ft 9 in. From histological examination of the testes, the extreme range of lengths at puberty is from 33 ft 4 in. to 40 ft 10 in. The mean testis weight at puberty is 2000 g. Following puberty, males are of low fertility for a period (possibly 1 yr) during which testis weight, tubule diameter, and spermatogenetic activity increase, before the attainment of full sexual maturity. The mean length of the penis at puberty is 3.5 ft, but owing to considerable individual variation the penis length alone is not a reliable criterion of puberty. In sexually mature males the penis length ranges from 3.2 to 6.2 ft. The proportion of fully physically mature males amongst those examined was very low (1.4 per cent.). The mean body length of those defined in this paper as approaching physical maturity was 41.90 � 0.35 ft, and that of the fully physically mature males was 42.97 �1.59 ft. The largest male examined (46.42 ft) showed no sign of epiphysial fusion. Changes in mean testis weight, mean diameter of testis tubules, and number of sperms in testes and vas deferens fluid have been followed at various stages of the life cycle. The variations of these characters in mature individuals have been examined for evidence of a seasonal cycle in male humpback whales; increasing testis weight and more active spermatogenesis are exhibited during winter months off Western Australia.

2. On the Mean Monthly Rainfall of Scotland

1872 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 665-666
Author(s):  
Alexander Buchan
Keyword(s):  
West Coast ◽  
East Coast ◽  
Monthly Rainfall ◽  
The South ◽  
The West ◽  
South West ◽  
Westerly Winds ◽  
South Shore ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Firth Of Forth

So far as regards the annual amounts of the rainfall of Scotland, deduced from observations made at 296 different places, the chief point brought out is the enormous difference between the rainfall of the west and that of the east; the stations along the west coast showing such figures as 40, 45, and 54 inches, as compared with 24, 27, and 30 inches at stations on the east coast, not situated in the immediate neighbourhood of hills. When it is considered that the source of the rainfall is the prevailing south-westerly winds, it is evident that the comparative dryness of such districts as the south shore of the Firth of Forth is due to high land lying to the south-west, which drains the winds of a large portion of their moisture in their passage across them.

scholarly journals Gönpa Gang—The First Application of Dendrochronological Dating to Study the Traditional Architecture of Upper Mustang (Nepal)

Forests ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 95
Author(s):  
Barbara Gmińska-Nowak ◽  
Achyut Tiwari ◽  
Tomasz Ważny
Keyword(s):  
Age Determination ◽  
Masonry Walls ◽  
Traditional Architecture ◽  
Anatomical Features ◽  
False Rings ◽  
Dating Method ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Story Building ◽  
Tibetan Architecture

Gönpa Gang is an example of the traditional Buddhist architecture of Upper Mustang. It is also the first monument in Upper Mustang to be studied using the dendrochronological dating method. The gönpa is a two-story building of imposing size, made from simple elements of Tibetan architecture, namely masonry walls, timber posts, and beams. A total of 14 samples were collected from elements on both the ground and the first floor. The limited number of samples results from the cultural and religious character of the object under study. Only the elements consistent with the structure and the space arrangement, interpreted as original features, were examined. Microscopic observation and the analysis of the anatomical features of all 14 samples resulted in the identification of Himalayan pine (blue pine), Pinus wallichiana A.B. Jacks. Intra-annual density fluctuation, false rings, and missing rings were detected. From 14 samples collected in Gönpa Gang, 18 series were worked out. Thus, 15 series from 12 samples were synchronized and used for the development of the mean chronology, UMGG_m, with a total length of 160 rings. The chronology covers the period from 1524 to 1683. Examination of the Gang Gönpa wood resulted in the age determination of 13 elements. The results were compared with architectural stratification by Harrison and historical data from written sources. The timber used in the gönpa comes from the Southern Mustang area. The examined wood demonstrates a correlation with the timber used in the Upper Mustang historical buildings further north.

Effects of Methamphetamine on the Development and Its Determination in Aldrichina grahami (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 691-696 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiwen Wang ◽  
Changquan Zhang ◽  
Wei Chen ◽  
Lipin Ren ◽  
Jiang Ling ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Age Determination ◽  
Developmental Rate ◽  
Developmental Time ◽  
Postmortem Interval ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Forensic Investigations ◽  
Pmi Estimation

Abstract Age determination of necrophagous flies serves as an important tool for postmortem interval (PMI) estimation in forensic investigations. Drugs or toxins in cadavers may alter the developmental time of larvae, and lead to deviation in PMI estimation. Methamphetamine (MA), as one of the most abused psychostimulant drugs in Asia and North America, is often involved in forensic entomotoxicological cases. This study investigated the effects of MA (0, 45, 90, and 180 ng/mg) on the developmental rate, morphology, and survival of Aldrichina grahami (Aldrich, 1930). The results showed that 1) the developmental time to reach the pupal instar was statistically slower for the larvae reared on rabbit mince containing MA than for the control; 2) the mean length of the larvae exposed to MA concentrations was longer than those of the control; 3) the mean weight of the pupae exposed to the highest concentration of MA was significantly lighter than those of the control; 4) the GC–MS method can detect the content of MA in A. grahami immatures and empty puparia (EP).

Puberty, Physical Maturity, and Relative Growth of the Female Humpback Whale, Megaptera nodosa (Bonnaterre), on the Western Australian Coast

1955 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 315 ◽  
Author(s):  
RG Chittleborough
Keyword(s):  
Body Length ◽  
Sexual Maturity ◽  
Humpback Whale ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Relative Growth ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Sexually Mature ◽  
Western Australian

At puberty the mean body length of the female humpback whales on the Western Australian coast is 38.60 � 0.18 ft. It is demonstrated that this length gives a reliable means of calculating the proportion of sexually immature females in a series where the lengths are known. Sexual maturity (based upon the first pregnancy) may either follow immediately upon puberty or be delayed for a further year. At the approach of physical maturity (when epiphysial fusion begins) the mean body length is 45.08 � 0.29 ft. At this stage an average of 19 ovulations have occurred. On the available material, physical maturity is reached at a mean length of 44.34 � 0.72 ft, when close to 30 ovulations have occurred. Growth in body length of sexually mature females becomes very slow even before epiphysial fusion begins. The significance of the high number of ovulations before the attainment of physical maturity is discussed. The proportion of physically mature individuals amongst the females in recent catches off the Western Australian coast is extremely low (1.8 per cent. of 457 females examined). The lengths of male and female humpback whales at puberty, at the approach of physical maturity, and at physical maturity are compared.

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