Florencia Vilches

University of California, Santa Cruz | UCSC · Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology

Whales contribute to marine ecosystem functioning, and they may play a role in mitigating climate change and supporting the Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) population, a keystone prey species that sustains the entire Southern Ocean (SO) ecosystem. By analyzing a five-decade (1971–2017) data series of individual southern right whales (SRWs; Euba...

Metals accumulated in the tissues of organisms inhabiting marine ecosystems generally reflect their bioavailable levels within that environment. The aim of this work was to study the presence and concentration of metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn) and its bioaccumulation in liver-ink sac (n = 12) and muscle (n = 12) tissues of loliginid squids,...

Whale-watching vessels can be used as platforms to collect scientific data on the natural history of cetaceans. Vessels with underwater viewing decks are exceptional and offer a unique view of the whales. We assessed the underwater viewing platform of the semi-submersible vessel Yellow Submarine that operates off Puerto Pirámides, Península Valdés,...

Ziphiidae or beaked whales, are all classified as ‘Data Deficient’ by the IUCN. Out of the 21st members constituting the family, Cuvier’s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris) has the most cosmopolitan distribution. It has been widely recorded from tropical to warm temperate, and occasionally even in sub-polar and polar waters. A major problem when st...

A photographic catalog of 3,200 individually identified southern right whales has been built up on their calving ground at Península Valdés, Argentina, through annual aerial surveys since 1971. This long-term database is a unique resource for biological research, conservation and education, which sensitively records the population's dynamics. Howev...