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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Royal Society Open Science

Baleen reveals sex-specific foraging, reproduction and pregnancy endocrinology in sei whales

  • Daniela Magalhaes Drummond de Mello1,2
  • Alejandro A. Fernandez Ajó3
  • Lilian Reiss4,5
  • Kathleen Hunt6
  • Matthew C. Rogers7
  • Danielle Dillon8
  • Faith M. Walker9
  • Anna Riley9
  • Daniel E. Sanchez9
  • Christoph Mayr4
  • Vreni Häussermann10
  • Keri-Lee Pashuk11
3 more authors
  • Matthew R. Coyle2
  • Fernando Ribeiro Gomes1
  • C. Loren Buck12
12 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Physiology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo 1 , São Paulo, Brazil
  2. 2Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University 2 , Flagstaff, AZ, USA
  3. 3Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation, Hatfield Marine Science Center Oregon State University 4 , Newport, OR, USA
  4. 4Institute of Geography, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg 5 , Erlangen, Germany
  5. 5CNRS-Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle 6 , Paris, France
  6. 6Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University 7 , Corvallis, OR, USA
  7. 7National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 8 , Juneau, AK, USA
  8. 8Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, New England Aquarium 9 , Boston, MA, USA
  9. 9School of Forestry and the Pathogen and Microbiome Institute, Northern Arizona University 3 , Flagstaff, AZ, USA
  10. 10Facultad de Recursos Naturales, Universidad Católica de Valparaíso 10 , Valparaíso, Chile
  11. 11Patagonia Projects 11 , Puerto Éden, Chile
  12. 12Department of Community, Environment and Policy, The University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health 12 , Tucson, AZ, USA
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Abstract

The largest baleen whale mortality event on record, when more than 340 sei whales (Balaenoptera borealis) stranded in Chilean Patagonia during the extreme 2015 El Niño, provided a unique opportunity to reconstruct multi-year individual life histories from baleen plates. Baleens of seven females and four males were sampled to examine sex-specific foraging strategies, reproductive cycles and endocrine patterns through integrated molecular, isotopic and hormonal analyses. Sex was identified using a refined DNA amplification protocol. Patterns of δ13C and δ15N revealed significant annual oscillations, enabling estimates of baleen growth rates (15.7–20.5 cm yr−1) and retrospective timelines of up to 3.5 years. Males exhibited broader isotopic niche widths, suggesting sex-related foraging differences. Progesterone was detected in all samples, with sustained elevations in females indicating pregnancies of 7.7–10.7 months. One female exhibited two complete pregnancies recorded in baleen, enabling estimation of a 1.3-year intercalving interval. Concurrent elevations of cortisol and corticosterone were observed during pregnancy. Conceptions and births were distributed across multiple seasons, with no clear evidence of seasonal concentration. Together, these findings provide the first baleen-based reconstruction of sei whale reproductive history and endocrine variation, establishing critical baselines for assessing population resilience and informing conservation under rapid environmental change.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{mello2026baleen,
  title = {{Baleen reveals sex-specific foraging, reproduction and pregnancy endocrinology in sei whales}},
  author = {Daniela Magalhaes Drummond de Mello and Alejandro A. Fernandez Ajó and Lilian Reiss and Kathleen Hunt and Matthew C. Rogers and Danielle Dillon and Faith M. Walker and Anna Riley and Daniel E. Sanchez and Christoph Mayr and Vreni Häussermann and Keri-Lee Pashuk and Matthew R. Coyle and Fernando Ribeiro Gomes and C. Loren Buck},
  journal = {Royal Society Open Science},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1098/rsos.261471},
  url = {https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article/13/10/261471/483952/Baleen-reveals-sex-specific-foraging-reproduction},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Baleen reveals sex-specific foraging, reproduction and pregnancy endocrinology in sei whales
AU  - Daniela Magalhaes Drummond de Mello
AU  - Alejandro A. Fernandez Ajó
AU  - Lilian Reiss
AU  - Kathleen Hunt
AU  - Matthew C. Rogers
AU  - Danielle Dillon
AU  - Faith M. Walker
AU  - Anna Riley
AU  - Daniel E. Sanchez
AU  - Christoph Mayr
AU  - Vreni Häussermann
AU  - Keri-Lee Pashuk
AU  - Matthew R. Coyle
AU  - Fernando Ribeiro Gomes
AU  - C. Loren Buck
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/07
JO  - Royal Society Open Science
DO  - 10.1098/rsos.261471
UR  - https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article/13/10/261471/483952/Baleen-reveals-sex-specific-foraging-reproduction
AB  - The largest baleen whale mortality event on record, when more than 340 sei whales (Balaenoptera borealis) stranded in Chilean Patagonia during the extreme 2015 El Niño, provided a unique opportunity to reconstruct multi-year individual life histories from baleen plates. Baleens of seven females and four males were sampled to examine sex-specific foraging strategies, reproductive cycles and endocrine patterns through integrated molecular, isotopic and hormonal analyses. Sex was identified using a refined DNA amplification protocol. Patterns of δ13C and δ15N revealed significant annual oscillations, enabling estimates of baleen growth rates (15.7–20.5 cm yr−1) and retrospective timelines of up to 3.5 years. Males exhibited broader isotopic niche widths, suggesting sex-related foraging differences. Progesterone was detected in all samples, with sustained elevations in females indicating pregnancies of 7.7–10.7 months. One female exhibited two complete pregnancies recorded in baleen, enabling estimation of a 1.3-year intercalving interval. Concurrent elevations of cortisol and corticosterone were observed during pregnancy. Conceptions and births were distributed across multiple seasons, with no clear evidence of seasonal concentration. Together, these findings provide the first baleen-based reconstruction of sei whale reproductive history and endocrine variation, establishing critical baselines for assessing population resilience and informing conservation under rapid environmental change.
SN  - 2054-5703
ER  -