8:15-9:00 am

Registration

9:00-9:10

Welcome, logistics, and introduction by Lisa White

9:10-10:00

Lost in transition: from teeth to baleen

Annalisa Berta, San Diego State University

The Earth’s largest animal, the blue whale, survives almost exclusively feeding on the smallest animals in the ocean. How does a behemoth survive on such small prey? The answer lies in the whale’s mouth, and specifically its baleen, rows of flexible hair-like plates, used by all living baleen whales (mysticetes) to filter their food. The earliest baleen whales evolved 33-36 million years ago and fed differently, hunting prey using powerful, sturdy jaws lined with teeth. One of the most extraordinary transformations in whale evolution is the transition from tooth-aided predation to filter feeding with baleen. This stepwise transition involved an intermediate feeding style in which some fossil mysticetes likely used both teeth and baleen to capture food. New discoveries of ancient species along with state-of-the-art CT scanning technology documenting tooth loss in fetal specimens is helping researchers understand this transition that heralded the evolution of modern baleen whales.

Annalisa Berta’s Powerpoint (58 mb)

10:10-11:00

A Neotropical Perspective: Evolutionary History of Dwarf and Pygmy Sperm Whales

Jorge Velez-Juarbe, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

The sperm whale is the largest living toothed whale and is characterized by a gigantic specialized structure that sits in its snout called the spermaceti organ. However, its two lesser-known relatives, the pygmy and dwarf sperm whales, are quite the opposite, having a proportionately smaller spermaceti organ as well as body size. This raises question regarding the reasons and timing of these differences. In this presentation we will explore the fossil record of sperm whales and look into new discoveries from the Neotropics that allow us to go back in time and look at the evolutionary history of this group and explore potential answers to these questions.

11:10-12:00

Evolution of echolocation in toothed whales

Rachel A. Racicot, W.M. Keck Science Center

The ability to echolocate (navigate using sound) is a key evolutionary adaptation that has arisen independently in multiple animal groups, most noticeably in the toothed whales, or odontocetes. Pinpointing when and how echolocation arose in this group is a crucial area of research that can tell us much about the evolution of fully aquatic sensory systems, and may hold vital clues that will help us understand and conserve these charismatic animals. This talk explores our current understanding of the anatomy and evolution of echolocation in odontocetes, in particular through the use of non-destructive imaging techniques such as computed tomography (‘CT’). Whale fossils that are shedding fresh light on the key interval in evolutionary history when echolocation likely evolved will also be discussed.

Rachel Racicot’s slides (47 mb)

12:10-1:15

Break for lunch (on your own)

1:20-2:10

The development of whale-borne camera tags to study whale biology

Jeremy Goldbogen, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University

This talk surveys the past 5 years of developing a 3D movement and camera tag for specific use on large whales. My colleagues and I present data from several large whale species from around the world engaging in a wide range of behaviors including foraging, socializing, and breaching. The addition of video footage to 3D movement data has fundamentally changed the way we think about how whales function in their natural environment.

2:20-3:10

So, you want to live in the water? A tale of why aquatic mammals are so big

William Gearty, Stanford University

It’s summertime and you’re sweating from the heat and humidity. You jump in the pool and feel a rush of relief as you suddenly feel cooler. The water might not be colder than the air, but it sure feels like it, and it does a great job of relieving you from the heat. We’re all familiar with this, but did you know it may also explain why whales are so big? This presentation will present a number of different possibilities for why aquatic mammals are so big. I will then discuss how I’ve narrowed down the options using the sizes of modern and fossil organisms and some basic physiological principles. Ultimately, I hope to convince you that, contrary to popular belief, living in water appears to impose stronger selective pressures on these organisms than does living on land.

3:15-3:45

Tales of Urban Whales: San Francisco Bay's Cetacean Restoration

Tim Markowitz and Bill Keener, UC Berkeley

Tim Markowitz and Bill Keener of Golden Gate Cetacean Research will present the results of the latest studies on the cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) of San Francisco Bay. The improved health of the Bay has given three species of marine mammals the chance to thrive: humpback whales, bottlenose dolphins and harbor porpoises. This is a good news story about a highly developed marine ecosystem, and how three species have adapted to life in urban waters. For the past three summers, an unexpected influx of humpback whales swam through the Golden Gate to begin feeding in the Bay. Prior to that, bottlenose dolphins expanded their range north from Southern California to become residents along the shores of San Francisco, and harbor porpoises returned to the Bay after an absence of 65 years. Their team has revealed the Golden Gate Bridge as a world-class wildlife observatory, giving us a unique window into the lives of cetaceans.

Tim and Bill’s slides (9.7MB)

3:45-4:00

Open questions