Comparable length at weaning in cetaceans

Weaning represents the transition of mammalian life from maternal dependence to independence in both energetics and behavior. The length at weaning (Lw) is determined by the maternal investment during gestation and lactation. It affects calf survival and impacts on the long-term persistence of species, but the measurement is not readily obtainable for many cetaceans. A general linear model and residual correlation were used to explore the correlations between the published Lw and five other life history traits of cetaceans, including female asymptotic length (Lx), length at birth (Lb), lactation period (LP), gestation period (GP), and calving interval (CI). Lx was a significant confounding parameter on the other five traits. By eliminating the confounding Lx, ANCOVA revealed that baleen whales (Mysticeti) and toothed cetaceans (Odontoceti) had comparable Lw. By residual correlation, which factors the confounding Lx, Lw was significantly correlated with Lb but not with GP, LP, and CI. After Lb was further eliminated, convergent Lw in cetaceans could still be observed. Therefore, we proposed a generic expression Lw = 1.239Lx 0.877, which allows us to further estimate Lw of undocumented cetacean species. © 2009 by the Society for Marine Mammalogy.