Deuterium oxide dilutions have long been the accepted means for collecting body condition measures on phocids. Blubber depth has become more frequently used as an indicator of health. This project represents the first in-depth examination of blubber depth measured via ultrasound as an indicator of body condition in a single species. We concurrently measured blubber depth via imaging ultrasound at 8 locations, fat and protein mass via deuterium oxide dilutions, morphometrics, and mass from wild, captive, and rehabilitating harbor seals (Phoca vitulina; n = 89). Seals ranged from premature to adult. By using body mass and blubber depth measurements we are able to predict fat and lean mass in an independent set of 187 animals (adjusted R2 = 0.77 and 0.96, respectively). Although most of the ultrasound sites produced strong correlates to fat mass, an additive model incorporating body mass, 1 lateral site (L2), and 1 dorsal site (D4) provided the tightest fit.
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1 April 2015
Ultrasound as a non-invasive alternative for deuterium oxide dilution measurements in harbor seals (Phoca vitulina)
Lori Polasek,
Shawna Karpovich,
Jill Prewitt,
Carrie Goertz,
Suzanne Conlon,
Daniel Hennen
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Journal of Mammalogy
Vol. 96 • No. 2
April 2015
Vol. 96 • No. 2
April 2015
blubber
body condition
deuterium
Harbor Seal
Phoca vitulina
ultrasound