Marine Mammal

A multimodal approach to treatment and management of rumination syndrome in a California sea lion (Zalophus californianus)

The management of chronic rumination syndrome in professionally cared-for animals requires a comprehensive and individualized approach. In this case study, a multimodal approach incorporating pharmacological treatment, feeding modifications, and behavioral management was applied to a California sea lion (Zalophus californianus)...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Abnormal/Problematic BehaviorAnimal Type: Marine Mammal

Citation: Ramos, A. M., McClain, A., Dunham, J. M. et al. 2025. A multimodal approach to treatment and management of rumination syndrome in a California sea lion (Zalophus californianus). Animals 15(20), 3039.

Findings and refinements from a decade of applying the Cetacean Welfare Assessment (“C-Well”) to multiple species on public display

Zoo animal welfare assessments can be applied to multi-species risk evaluations to species-specific, animal-based protocols. The latter are more difficult to develop and implement due to time-intensive data collection and difficulties with standardisation. The Cetacean Welfare Assessment (C-Well) was published...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Marine Mammal

Citation: Clegg, I., Schultz, R. 2025. Findings and refinements from a decade of applying the Cetacean Welfare Assessment (“C-Well”) to multiple species on public display. Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research 13(3), 173–185.

Tracking epidermal cortisol and oxytocin in managed bottlenose dolphins as potential non-invasive physiological welfare indicators

Growing concern over cetacean welfare has highlighted the need for rigorous, science-based assessment methods. Within this context, epidermal cortisol (ECC) and oxytocin (EOC) concentrations have emerged as potentially valuable physiological indicators. In this study, we first validated the analytical measurement...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological Measurement, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Marine Mammal

Citation: Agustí, C., Talló-Parra, O., Tejero-Caballo, E. et al. 2025. Tracking epidermal cortisol and oxytocin in managed bottlenose dolphins as potential non-invasive physiological welfare indicators. Animals 15(17), 2628.

Validation of indicators for the welfare assessment of captive Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis) (2025)

The Five Domains model (FDM) is a widely accepted framework for developing welfare assessment tools across various contexts, including wild animals under human care. However, only two protocols have been developed for captive cetaceans. This study aimed to create a...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Marine Mammal

Citation: Platto, S., Serres, A., Normando, S. C. et al. 2025. Validation of indicators for the welfare assessment of captive Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis). Animal Welfare 34, e31.

A minimally invasive marine mammal sex determination method using epidermal tissue recovered from suction-cup tags (2025)

For many baleen whales, minimal sexual dimorphism means that sex cannot necessarily be reliably determined through observation alone. Suction cup tags deployed for behavioral studies of free-ranging whales sometimes retain exfoliated epidermal tissue from the tagged animal that can potentially...

Year Published: 2025Topics: Biological Sampling & Physiological MeasurementAnimal Type: Marine Mammal

Citation: Novak, S. X., Linsky, J. M. J., Knapp, K. J. et al. 2025. A minimally invasive marine mammal sex determination method using epidermal tissue recovered from suction-cup tags. PLOS ONE 20(5), e0323658.

Anecdotal Observations of Socially Learned Vocalizations in Harbor Seals

Harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) are more solitary than many other pinnipeds. Yet, they are capable of vocal learning, a form of social learning. Most extant literature examines social animals when investigating social learning, despite sociality not being a prerequisite. Here,...

Year Published: 2024Topics: VocalizationAnimal Type: Marine Mammal

Citation: Duengen, D., Polotzek, M., O'Sullivan, E. et al. 2024. Anecdotal Observations of Socially Learned Vocalizations in Harbor Seals. Animal Behavior and Cognition 11(4), 393–403.

Health and welfare benefits of computerized cognitive enrichment in California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) at the US Navy Marine Mammal Program

Cognitive enrichment is becoming more prevalent in professional marine mammal facilities. Research with dolphins has suggested that such enrichment provides more welfare benefits than enrichment that does not incorporate cognitive challenge. However, there is little research supporting the use of...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Marine Mammal

Citation: Winship, K., McClain, A., Ramos, A. et al. 2024. Health and welfare benefits of computerized cognitive enrichment in California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) at the US Navy Marine Mammal Program. Animals 14(7), 1120.

Apneustic anesthesia ventilation improves pulmonary function in anesthetized bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)

Our study suggests AAV, which more closely resembles the conscious intermittent respiratory pattern phenotype of dolphins, improves ventilation and pulmonary function in the anesthetized dolphin. Future studies should evaluate the cardiopulmonary effects of neutral buoyancy and cardiopulmonary sparing drug protocols...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Anesthesia & SedationAnimal Type: Marine Mammal

Citation: Le-Bert, C. R., Bukoski, A., Downs, J. et al. 2024. Apneustic anesthesia ventilation improves pulmonary function in anesthetized bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Frontiers in Veterinary Science 11.

Dolphin-WET—Development of a Welfare Evaluation Tool for bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) under human care

Ensuring high standards of animal welfare is not only an ethical duty for zoos and aquariums, but it is also essential to achieve their conservation, education, and research goals. While for some species, animal welfare assessment frameworks are already in...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Marine Mammal

Citation: Baumgartner, K., Hüttner, T., Clegg, I. L. K. et al. 2024. Dolphin-WET—Development of a Welfare Evaluation Tool for bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) under human care. Animals 14(5), 701.

Benefit of cognitive environmental enrichments on social tolerance and play behavior in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)

Social tolerance is an essential feature of social life that can determine the good functioning of a group of animals. Play behaviors, like social play and playing with objects, are frequently associated with positive emotional and welfare states. As a...

Year Published: 2024Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Marine Mammal

Citation: Bigiani, S., Pilenga, C. 2024. Benefit of cognitive environmental enrichments on social tolerance and play behavior in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 27(2), 355–372.