Fig 1.
Sampling sites used for the provision of muscle tissue samples from mysticetes.
(based on Polasek and Davis [43]). Picture credit: Yvette Hansen.
Table 1.
Muscular Mb levels according to age class for three species of mysticetes.
Fig 2.
The development trajectory of muscular Mb levels in three species of mysticetes.
Differences between age classes and between species were significant (GLM; for age class ANOVA F2 = 25.532, p = 0.000, for species ANOVA F 2 = 5.671, p = 0.018). Error bars indicate +/- 1 S.E.
Table 2.
Differences in myoglobin levels between epaxial and hypaxial muscles in mysticete whales at different age stages.
Table 3.
Differences in myoglobin levels between inner and outer portions of the major swimming muscles.
Fig 3.
Early ontogeny of Mb levels in three species of mysticetes.
Calf age classes based on growth curves described by a [44], b [45] and c [46], along with additional information from the field site of the necropsy. Estimated ages: Neonates < 2 weeks, young calves between 2 weeks to 3 months and stranded in breeding areas, migrating calves between 3 to 5 months and stranded in migratory corridors. Levels of Mb in the neonate minke whale lay beyond the upper limits of the 95% confidence interval for mean Mb levels in neonate humpback and gray whale calves (4.2 mg Mb g-1 vs. 0.0<1.5<3.0 mg Mb g-1). Levels of Mb rose faster in humpback vs. gray whale calves between the neonate, young and migratory age classes (for humpback whales β = 0.98 and for gray whales β = 0.41). Error bars indicate S.D.
Table 4.
Early life history traits for three species of mysticete calves.