Early prey intake of a short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus Gray, 1846, Cetacea: Delphinidae) in the Canary Islands.

This study reveals early prey eating by a short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus Gray, 1846, Cetacea: Delphinidae) in the Canary Islands. Stomach contents, trophic markers, skin isotopic ratios of nitrogen (δ15N:15N/14N) and carbon (δ13C:13C/12C), and fatty acid profiles of the blubber of a short-finned pilot whale of 213 cm size euthanized in free-ranging conditions were analyzed. A total of 15 species of oegopsid squids, mostly diel vertical mesopelagic migrant species of the families Enoploteuthidae, Ommastrephidae, and Histioteuthidae, as well as mother's milk, were identified in the stomach contents. Asperoteuthis acanthoderma (Lu, 1977, Cephalopoda: Chiroteuthidae) was found as first time in this area, suggesting the possibility of its presence on both sides of the subtropical Atlantic, extending its current known distribution. The δ15N value (11.55‰) was higher than expected based on the size range of squid ingested, but lower than that of adult pilot whales, suggesting that mother's milk intake has a significant effect on these values in calves. Similarly, the δ13C values (-17.99‰) were shifted to those of adult pilot whales rather than the ingested squids, also due to the ingestion of high-fat breast milk. The fatty acid (FA) composition of blubber showed a clear stratification. Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) were mainly present in the inner layer, while most relevant ≤C20 monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) were more abundant in the outer layer.

Oceanographic barriers, divergence, and admixture: Phylogeography and taxonomy of two putative subspecies of short-finned pilot whale.

Genomic phylogeography plays an important role in describing evolutionary processes and their geographic, ecological, or cultural drivers. These drivers are often poorly understood in marine environments, which have fewer obvious barriers to mixing than terrestrial environments. Taxonomic uncertainty of some taxa (e.g., cetaceans), due to the difficulty in obtaining morphological data, can hamper our understanding of these processes. One such taxon, the short-finned pilot whale, is recognized as a single global species but includes at least two distinct morphological forms described from stranding and drive hunting in Japan, the "Naisa" and "Shiho" forms. Using samples (n = 735) collected throughout their global range, we examine phylogeographic patterns of divergence by comparing mitogenomes and nuclear SNP loci. Our results suggest three types within the species: an Atlantic Ocean type, a western/central Pacific and Indian Ocean (Naisa) type, and an eastern Pacific Ocean and northern Japan (Shiho) type. mtDNA control region differentiation indicates these three types form two subspecies, separated by the East Pacific Barrier: Shiho short-finned pilot whale, in the eastern Pacific Ocean and northern Japan, and Naisa short-finned pilot whale, throughout the remainder of the species' distribution. Our data further indicate two diverging populations within the Naisa subspecies, in the Atlantic Ocean and western/central Pacific and Indian Oceans, separated by the Benguela Barrier off South Africa. This study reveals a process of divergence and speciation within a globally-distributed, mobile marine predator, and indicates the importance of the East Pacific Barrier to this evolutionary process.