Regional differences between the metabolically labile trunk integument and the structural tailstock integument were also investigated.

Mean densities of both trunk and tailstock integument were similar across life history categories (trunk KU 57788 = 1,040.7 ± 14.1 kg/m3; tailstock = 1,077.1 ± 21.2 kg/m3) and were statistically similar to the density of seawater (1,026 kg/m3). The mean buoyant force of integument from the trunk (−1.01 ± 1.74 N) and tailstock (−0.30 ± 0.21 N) did not vary significantly across ontogeny. In contrast, pregnancy and emaciation did influence the integument’s buoyancy, which ranged between 9 N and −45 N in these categories. Although neutral during growth, the integument’s contribution to whole body buoyancy can be influenced by an individual’s reproductive and nutritional status. selleckchem “
“The intestine of 52 (28 males and 24 females) striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) from western Mediterranean waters was examined for helminths. Animals were found stranded along the Spanish coasts during the morbillivirus epizootic in 1990. In accordance with observations from other pelagic tetrapods,

including cetaceans from other geographical regions, the intestinal helminth community was depauperate. Four helminth species were found: three tetrabothriid cestodes, Tetrabothrius forsteri (prevalence: 96.2%; mean intensity [95% CI]: 47.4 [34.4–68.2]), Trigonocotyle globicephalae (9.6%; 1.8 [1.0–2.2]), and Strobilocephalus triangularis (23.1%; 5.3 [2.9–10.2]), and immature individuals of the acanthocephalan Bolbosoma vasculosum (51.9%; 2.7 [2.0–3.4]). Schluter’s variance test indicated a weak, but statistically significant association of occurrence of helminth species in dolphins, suggesting that some tetrabothriid species might use the same intermediate or paratenic

hosts. Neither the abundance of helminth species nor infracommunity descriptors were significantly affected by sex, host body length or age. The absence of predictable effects of body size and age on the recruitment rate of helminths could be related to the fact that the host selleck products sample was largely composed of adults. This study provides quantitative evidence about helminth community structure of striped dolphins, based on a large sample size. “
“Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) inhabit coastal regions because they feed on the aquatic vegetation that grows in shallow waters, which are the same areas where human activities are greatest. Noise produced from anthropogenic and natural sources has the potential to affect these animals by eliciting responses ranging from mild behavioral changes to extreme aversion. Sound levels were calculated from recordings made throughout behavioral observation periods. An information theoretic approach was used to investigate the relationship between behavior patterns and sound level. Results indicated that elevated sound levels affect manatee activity and are a function of behavioral state.