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Poop samples are an effective, non-invasive tool for monitoring gray whale reproduction, stress and other physiological responses, a new study from Oregon State University shows.
Researchers from OSUâs Geospatial Ecology of Marine Megafauna Laboratory collected 158 fecal, commonly known as poop, samples from Eastern North Pacific gray whales off the coast of Oregon between 2016 and 2018 and used the samples to assess endocrine levels and establish hormone baselines for stress and reproduction in the animals.
The study is believed to be the first to use fecal samples as an endocrine assessment tool in Eastern North Pacific gray whales. Fecal samples can provide a wide range of important information about whale health in a noninvasive way, said Leigh Torres, an associate professor in OSUâs Marine Mammal Institute and director of the GEMM Lab.
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IMAGE: Oregon State University researchers are studying gray whales along the Oregon Coast. Images and data collected under NOAA/NMFS permit #21678. view more
Credit: Oregon State University Marine Mammal Institute
NEWPORT, Ore. - Poop samples are an effective, non-invasive tool for monitoring gray whale reproduction, stress and other physiological responses, a new study from Oregon State University shows.
Researchers from OSU s Geospatial Ecology of Marine Megafauna Laboratory collected 158 fecal, commonly known as poop, samples from Eastern North Pacific gray whales off the coast of Oregon between 2016 and 2018 and used the samples to assess endocrine levels and establish hormone baselines for stress and reproduction in the animals.