Chapter 21 - Age estimation
Title
Chapter 21 - Age estimation
Creator
George JC; Lubetkin SC; Zeh JE; Thewissen JGM; Wetzel D; Givens GH
Publisher
The Bowhead Whale
Date
2021
2021-01-01
Description
In the late 1980s, annual carbon isotope cycles in the baleen plates of bowhead whales formed the basis of the first effective means of estimating bowhead age. However, the baleen aging method could only be used for aging subadult whales less than about 20 years old, due to wearing of the plates. Since then, seven additional methods of estimating the age of bowheads have been developed. Each age estimation method has strengths and weaknesses depending on the life stage of the whale. No single method is fully applicable through the entire 200-year lifespan of a bowhead, although a combination of techniques can be quite effective and precise.
Subject
bowhead; stable isotopes; tympanic bulla; Age estimation; aspartic acid racemization; ovarian corpora counts; whaling artifacts
Rights
Article information provided for research and reference use only. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
Format
journalArticle
Search for Full-text
Users with a NEOMED Library login can search for full-text journal articles at the following url: https://libraryguides.neomed.edu/home
Pages
309-322
NEOMED College
NEOMED College of Medicine
NEOMED Department
Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology
Update Year & Number
January 2021 List
Citation
George JC; Lubetkin SC; Zeh JE; Thewissen JGM; Wetzel D; Givens GH, “Chapter 21 - Age estimation,” NEOMED Bibliography Database, accessed March 29, 2024, https://neomed.omeka.net/items/show/11547.