Eva Ludes‐Wehrmeister

University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation

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Ursula Siebert

University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation

Stephanie Groß

University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation

Abbo van Neer

University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation

Tina Kesselring

University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation

Miguel L. Grilo

Escola Superior de Saúde Egas Moniz

Giulia Roncon

University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation

Anja Reckendorf

University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation

Kristina Lehnert

University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation

Ralph Tiedemann

University of Potsdam

Sophia Arlena Ulrich

University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation

Cooperative Institutions

University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation

University of Veterinary Medicine

University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna

University of Zulia

Aarhus University

Kiel University

University of Iceland

Arctic Research Centre

Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology

Marine Mammal Center

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Intestinal displacements in older harbour and grey seals

Diseases of Aquatic Organisms (2020)

Eva Ludes‐Wehrmeister P Wohlsein Ellen Prenger‐Berninghoff Christa Ewers Benno Woelfing

Intestinal displacements including volvulus, torsion and invagination have been reported in various terrestrial and marine mammals. We conducted pathological investigations on 157 seals that had either stranded on the coasts of the North or Baltic Sea between 1996 and 2015 (115 harbour seals, >19 mo old; 21 grey seals, >13 mo old) or died while in human care (18 harbour seals, >19 mo old; 3 grey seals, >13 mo old). Intestinal displacements were found in 23% of the examined free-living harbour seals, in 5% of the stranded grey seals and in 17% of the harbour seals in human care. Intestinal volvulus, found in 24 cases, was characterized by twisting of the intestine along the mesenteric axis (180-540°) resulting in vascular obstruction and haemorrhagic infarction. In harbour seals, the sex ratio of individuals suffering from volvulus tended to be biased towards females during April to June, suggesting an elevated risk for pregnant females around birth time. Invagination was detected in 11 cases, 5 of which suffered from additional volvulus. Pathological findings associated with intestinal volvulus and invagination were sero-haemorrhagic effusions in the abdominal cavity. Enteritis, parasitic infection with gastric nematodes and intestinal acanthocephalans and bacterial infection with predominantly Clostridium perfringens and Escherichia coli were observed in most of the affected animals. In total, 30 investigated harbour and grey seals suffered from intestinal displacements. Pregnant females seemed to be more vulnerable around birth time. Causes of intestinal displacements remain undetermined, but are likely multifactorial.

10.3354/dao03455

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Putting together the pieces of the puzzle – Part II - Assessing harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) carcasses potentially subjected to grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) predation

Research Square (Research Square) (2020)

Abbo van Neer Stephanie Groß Tina Kesselring Miguel L. Grilo Eva Ludes‐Wehrmeister

Abstract The authors have withdrawn this preprint from Research Square.

Phocoena

10.21203/rs.3.rs-16196/v2

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Putting together the pieces of the puzzle – Part II - Assessing harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) carcasses potentially subjected to grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) predation

Research Square (Research Square) (2020)

Abbo van Neer Stephanie Groß Tina Kesselring Miguel L. Grilo Eva Ludes‐Wehrmeister

Abstract The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.

Phocoena

10.21203/rs.3.rs-16196/v1

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Assessing harbour porpoise carcasses potentially subjected to grey seal predation

Scientific Reports (2020)

Abbo van Neer Stephanie Groß Tina Kesselring Miguel L. Grilo Eva Ludes‐Wehrmeister

Abstract As a follow-up on the data presented for seals, we herein report and discuss outcomes resulting from a retrospective evaluation of harbour porpoise stranding and necropsy data from Schleswig–Holstein, Germany (n = 4463) to enable an objective evaluation of potential ecological effects of grey seal predation on porpoises. Results are compared to a recent case of definite grey seal predation as well as to reports from other countries. Porpoise carcasses potentially subject to grey seal predation show severe lacerations, with large parts of skin and underlying tissue being detached from the body. Loss of blubber tissue is common. Based on the occurrence frequencies of encountered lesions, a list of parameters as well as a complementary decision tree are suggested to be used for future assessments. The results shown add to an increasingly standardised assessment protocol of suspected grey seal predation cases making respective results comparable between different areas and countries. The usage of a standardised protocol may increase the awareness of grey seal predation and the reporting of such cases. By this, differences in the predation and feeding patterns as well as the potential ecological relevance of this behaviour may be elucidated.

Phocoena

Blubber

Harbor seal

Cetacea

Grey Literature

10.1038/s41598-020-73258-y

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Citations (4)

NEW APPROACH TO STRESS RESEARCH IN PHOCIDS—POTENTIAL OF DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE AND CORTISOL/DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE RATIO AS MARKERS FOR STRESS IN HARBOR SEALS (PHOCA VITULINA) AND GRAY SEALS (HALICHOERUS GRYPUS)

Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine (2018)

Neele Hendrika Gundlach Marion Schmicke Eva Ludes‐Wehrmeister Sophia Arlena Ulrich Marcelo Gil Araujo

Cortisol is known to reflect the level of the stress response. However, measuring the cortisol concentration only once fails to provide sufficient information about the duration of the stress exposure. Moreover, handling is an acute stressor and increases cortisol secretion especially in wildlife species. Yet, in phocids reliable indicators are missing that reflect potential chronic effects of stress. The adrenal-derived steroid hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) has been described as biomarker for the assessment of the stress status but has not been applied to marine mammal stress research. Therefore, DHEA, the sulfated precursor DHEAS and the cortisol/DHEA ratio were determined in serum of different seals. One group consisted of harbor (Phoca vitulina) and gray seals (Halichoerus grypus) that were habituated to human handling. The other two groups included healthy and free-ranging seals suffering from a disease. Blood samples were taken from 11 habituated (six males, five females), 17 wild_healthy (13 males, four females), and nine wild_diseased seals (four males, five females). No differences in serum cortisol levels could be detected between wild_healthy and wild_diseased seals. On the contrary, wild_diseased seals showed the lowest DHEA concentration compared to the other two groups. Wild_diseased seals also revealed the highest cortisol/DHEA ratio compared to the habituated_zoo (2,074.7 ± 351.4 vs. 121.5 ± 26.8, P < 0.001) and wild_healthy seals (827.9 ± 214.3, P < 0.01). DHEA and the cortisol/DHEA ratio may reflect differences in the functionality of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and therefore represent valuable tools for the assessment of stress-related effects in seals.

Chronic Stress

Marine mammal

10.1638/2017-0191.1

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First record of Halocercus sp. (Pseudaliidae) lungworm infections in two stranded neonatal orcas (Orcinus orca)

Parasitology (2018)

Anja Reckendorf Eva Ludes‐Wehrmeister Peter Wohlsein Ralph Tiedemann Ursula Siebert

Abstract Orca ( Orcinus orca ) strandings are rare and post-mortem examinations on fresh individuals are scarce. Thus, little is known about their parasitological fauna, prevalence of infections, associated pathology and the impact on their health. During post-mortem examinations of two male neonatal orcas stranded in Germany and Norway, lungworm infections were found within the bronchi of both individuals. The nematodes were identified as Halocercus sp. (Pseudaliidae), which have been described in the respiratory tract of multiple odontocete species, but not yet in orcas. The life cycle and transmission pathways of some pseudaliid nematodes are incompletely understood. Lungworm infections in neonatal cetaceans are an unusual finding and thus seem to be an indicator for direct mother-to-calf transmission (transplacental or transmammary) of Halocercus sp. nematodes in orcas.

Lungworm

10.1017/s0031182018000586

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Citations (17)

Newly developed exit options for European otters from fish fykes

Conservation Science and Practice (2022)

Anja Reckendorf Thomas Oberlercher Britta Alps Hans‐Heinrich Krueger Eva Ludes‐Wehrmeister

Abstract Entrapment and subsequent drowning in fish fykes poses an anthropogenic mortality hazard to Eurasian otters ( Lutra lutra ). Different concepts on how to solve this problem have been debated in the past. To proactively prevent future fatal interactions and increase acceptance among fishers, this study tested two exit mechanisms for otters to safely escape from fyke nets, while still retaining full trap functionality for inland fisheries. Both exit options, a tearable latex lacing around flexible metal wires (100% success rate, n = 6) and a steel hoop‐spring construction (90%, n = 10) were successfully tested in 16 otter escape trials and 30 additional tests for fish (pike, eel, and common bream) retention (100%). The results indicate that the modifications of the fish traps were effective for otter conservation and commercial fisheries. Thus, both options can be recommended as equally good otter protection measures for fyke‐net fisheries of the tested type and similar sizes. However, these data were yielded under controlled conditions and it is possible that field results could differ. Hence, the presented results should be additionally verified under field conditions.

Lutra

10.1111/csp2.12873

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Assessing seal carcasses potentially subjected to grey seal predation

Scientific Reports (2021)

Abbo van Neer Stephanie Groß Tina Kesselring Miguel L. Grilo Eva Ludes‐Wehrmeister

Abstract In order to conduct an objective evaluation of potential ecological effects of grey seal predation on marine mammals, it is essential to establish a broad knowledge base helping in the thorough identification of such cases during post-mortem examination. The aim of this work is to report and discuss outcomes resulting from a retrospective evaluation of harbour ( Phoca vitulina ) and grey seal ( Halichoerus grypus ) stranding and necropsy data (n = 3274). In addition, the results are compared to a recent case of definite grey seal predation from Germany as well as reports from other countries. Carcasses potentially subjected to grey seal predation show severe lacerations with a circular pattern leaving a smooth, linear and cut-like wound margin. Large parts of skin and underlying tissue are detached from the body and loss of blubber is common. Occurrence frequencies of encountered lesions are presented and a list of parameters to be used for the assessment of similar cases as well as a complementary decision tree are suggested. With the proposed parameters, categories and tools, a baseline can be built in order to facilitate the standardised recognition of predation cases during post-mortem examinations of seals between groups working with populations across several geographic ranges.

Blubber

Harbor seal

Southern elephant seal

10.1038/s41598-020-80737-9

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Citations (8)

Phocine distemper virus (PDV) seroprevalence as predictor for future outbreaks in harbour seals

Veterinary Microbiology (2015)

Eva Ludes‐Wehrmeister Claudia Dupke Timm Harder Wolfgang Baumgärtner Ludwig Haas

Epizootic

Morbillivirus

Seroprevalence

Canine distemper

10.1016/j.vetmic.2015.11.017

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Citations (9)