Peter C. Gill

Blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) are the largest living animal and, like other baleen whales, became endangered due to whaling. Here, we used population genomics to infer the number, distribution and other characteristics of subspecies and populations. We used the largest DNA dataset in blue whales, both in terms of genomic markers (16,661 SNPs...

Understanding the behavioural context of wildlife movement patterns is imperative to the conservation of migratory species like cetaceans. The traditional model of baleen whale migration entails uninterrupted journeys performed throughout extended periods of fasting, during which individuals sustain the enormous costs of travelling from the poles t...

Passive acoustic recorders set around Australia since 2004 have been used to study blue whales. Calls from New Zealand pygmy blue whales occur predominantly eastward of Bass Strait (145.8° E), calls from Eastern Indian Ocean pygmy blue whales (EIO PB) west of Bass Strait, while Antarctic blue whale calls occur along the entire southern Australian c...

Species conservation depends on robust population assessment. Data on population abundance, distribution, and connectivity are critical for effective management, especially as baseline information for newly documented populations. We describe a pygmy blue whale Balaen - optera musculus brevicauda population in New Zealand waters with year-round pre...

The importance of the Subtropical Convergence Zone south of Australia as a feeding area to the pygmy blue whale of the eastern Indian Ocean was investigated to better understand migration patterns and habitat use. A combination of satellite tagging studies during 2003–2005 and acoustic and visual surveys during the austral summer of 2013 confirmed...

Genetic datasets of tens of markers have been superseded through next-generation sequencing technology with genome-wide datasets of thousands of markers. Genomic datasets improve our power to detect low population structure and identify adaptive divergence. The increased population-level knowledge can inform the conservation management of endangere...

A blue whale foraging ground was recently documented in the South Taranaki Bight (STB) region of New Zealand (NZ), yet blue whales remain listed as ‘Migrant’ under the NZ threat classification system due to minimal knowledge of their ecology and population. We collected relevant data to fill pressing knowledge gaps, leading us to hypothesize that b...

Unusually low genetic diversity can be a warning of an urgent need to mitigate causative anthropogenic activities. However, current low levels of genetic diversity in a population could also be due to natural historical events, including recent evolutionary divergence, or long-term persistence at a small population size. Here, we determine whether...

We recorded a diverse cetacean assemblage from systematic aerial surveys in productive upwelling waters off southern Australia in 2002–2013. Surveys recorded 133 sightings of 15 identified cetacean species consisting of 7 mysticete (baleen) whale species, 8 odontocete (toothed) species, and 384 sightings of unidentified dolphins. This is the first...

In 2013, a hypothesis was put forward that blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) use the South Taranaki Bight (STB) in New Zealand as a foraging ground for krill, specifically the euphausiid Nyctiphanes australis. This hypothesis was based on a desktop analysis of previously collected data and published papers. Between 21 January and 4 February 2014...

Understanding the degree of genetic exchange between subspecies and populations is vital for the appropriate management of endangered species. Blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) have two recognized Southern Hemisphere subspecies that show differences in geographic distribution, morphology, vocalizations and genetics. During the austral summer feed...

Blue whales Balaenoptera musculus aggregate to feed in a regional upwelling system during November–May between the Great Australian Bight (GAB) and Bass Strait. We analysed sightings from aerial surveys over 6 upwelling seasons (2001–02 to 2006–07) to assess within-season patterns of blue whale habitat selection, distribution, and relative abundanc...

The worldwide distribution of blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) has not prevented this species from becoming endangered due to twentieth century whaling. In Australia there are two known feeding aggregations of blue whales, which most likely are the pygmy subspecies (B. m. brevicauda). It is unknown whether individuals from these feeding aggregat...

The iron-limited Southern Ocean plays an important role in regulating atmospheric CO(2) levels. Marine mammal respiration has been proposed to decrease the efficiency of the Southern Ocean biological pump by returning photosynthetically fixed carbon to the atmosphere. Here, we show that by consuming prey at depth and defecating iron-rich liquid fae...

To determine the possible importance of ENSO events along the coast of South Australia, an exploratory analysis is made of meteorological and oceanographic data and output from a global ocean model. Long time series of coastal sea level and wind stress are used to show that while upwelling favorable winds have been more persistent since 1982, ENSO...

Blue whale locations in the Southern Hemisphere and northern Indian Ocean were obtained from catches (303 239), sightings (4383 records of ≥8058 whales), strandings (103), Discovery marks (2191) and recoveries (95), and acoustic recordings. Sighting surveys included 7 480 450 km of effort plus 14 676 days with unmeasured effort. Groups usually cons...

Blue whale locations in the Southern Hemisphere and northern Indian Ocean were obtained from catches (303,239), sightings (4,383 records of ≥8,058 whales), strandings (103), Discovery marks (2,191) and recoveries (95), and acoustic recordings. 2. Sighting surveys included 7,480,450 km of effort plus 14,676 days with unmeasured effort. 3. Groups usu...

Accurate identification of species that are consumed by vertebrate predators is necessary for understanding marine food webs. Morphological methods for identifying prey components after consumption often fail to make accurate identifications of invertebrates because prey morphology becomes damaged during capture, ingestion and digestion. Another di...

A localised aggregation of blue whales. which may be pygmy blue whales (B. m. brevicauda), occurs in southern Australian coastal waters (between I39°45'E-143°E) during summer and autumn (December-May), where they feed on coastal krill (Nyctiphanes australis). a species which often forms surface swarms. While the abundance of blue whales using this...

Discovery' marks and their recoveries from humpback whales in the southwest Pacific provide no evidence of migratory interchan ge between wintering grounds in New Caledonia and migratory corridors off east Australia (Moreton Island) and New Zealand, or wint ering grounds in Tonga. To provide further insight into the migratory connections among thes...

A line-transect marine science survey of the waters off East Antarctica (80-150$[$deg$]$E; CCAMLR Division 58.4.1; IWC Areas IV and V) was conducted during the Austral summer of 1995/1996. A total of 350 h search effort resulted in 342 sightings (746 animals) of 12 identified species and eight categories of unidentified cetaceans. Humpback whales (...

Cetacean observations were made from a platform of opportunity (a winter sea ice and oceanography research voyage) in Antarctic sea ice south of Tasmania. Minke whales and killer whales were sighted well within the sea ice. Minkes were found between 180–350 km south of the ice edge, while killer whales were nearly 450 km south of the ice edge. Mink...

 A group of killer whales was sighted in open leads well inside Antarctic sea ice during August 1995. This was the first winter sighting of killer whales in Antarctic waters since 1955, and contradicts the view that all killer whales migrate north prior to the winter. A small calf was observed, providing the first evidence of a cetacean species bre...

During a yacht-based survey in the austral winter of 1992, low numbers of humpback whales were observed around the main island of New Caledonia. Humpback song was recorded there, the first in New Caledonian waters. No humpback whales were detected at Chesterfield Reefs in the eastern Coral Sea, despite their possible status as a breeding area. -fro...

Recent sightings confirm that humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae migrate to New Caledonia. Totals of 37 and 73 incidental sightings were made during the winter and spring of 1991 and 1992 respectively. Sightings were distributed widely all around New Caledonia, but concentrated in the south, mainly around Noumea, Ile des Pins and the Southeast...

Rates of oxygen consumption and means of augmenting the resultant heat production were studied in the little penguin, Eudyptula minor. Metabolic rates were lower than those predicted for a 1-kg bird, but shivering and an energy response to feeding were both present. The latter effect was independent of ambient temperatures between 2 deg and 22 deg...

1. Rates of oxygen consumption [(V)\dot]\textO2 \dot V_{{\text{O}}_2 } during surface and subsurface swimming were measured in the little penguinEudyptula minor. Comparisons were made with a duck of similar body mass,Anas superciliosa. 2. For both species, swimming on the water surface showed a marked curvilinear increase in [(V)\dot]\textO2 \do...