A new blue whale song-type described for the Arabian Sea and Western Indian Ocean

Blue whales Balaenoptera musculus in the Indian Ocean (IO) are currently thought to represent 2 or 3 subspecies (B. m. intermedia, B. m. brevicauda, B. m. indica), and believed to be structured into 4 populations, each with a diagnostic song-type. Here we describe a previously unreported song-type that implies the probable existence of a population that has been undetected or conflated with another population. The novel song-type was recorded off Oman in the northern IO/Arabian Sea, off the western Chagos Archipelago in the equatorial central IO, and off Madagascar in the southwestern IO. As this is the only blue whale song that has been identified in the western Arabian Sea, we label it the ‘Northwest Indian Ocean’ song-type to distinguish it from other regional song-types. Spatiotemporal variation suggested a distribution west of 70°E, with potential affinity for the northern IO/Arabian Sea, and only minor presence in the southwestern IO. Timing of presence off Oman suggested that intensive illegal Soviet whaling that took 1294 blue whales in the 1960s likely targeted this population, as opposed to the more widely distributed ‘Sri Lanka’ acoustic population as previously assumed. Based upon geographic distribution and potential aseasonal reproduction found in the Soviet catch data, we suggest that if there is a northern IO subspecies (B. m. indica), it is likely this population. Moreover, the potentially restricted range, intensive historic whaling, and the fact that the song-type has been previously undetected, suggests a small population that is in critical need of status assessment and conservation action.

The role of platelets in the coagulopathy of heatstroke a study of platelet aggregation in heatstroke patients during the Makkah pilgrimage (Haj) to

Platelet aggregation was undertaken in platelet rich plasma in 34 heat-stroke patients during the Muslim pilgrimage (Haj) to Makkah; 18 were males and 16 were females; their ages ranged from 36 to 80 years (mean SD = 58 10). Platelet aggregability, on arrival at the Heatstroke Centres, was markedly inhibited in response to adrenaline, collagen, arachidonic acid and ristocetin but not to ADP. Responses to decreasing ADP doses (20.0, 2.0, 1.0 and 0.5 micromol/l) showed hyperaggregability in 12 patients, inhibited responses in 16 and normal responses in 6 patients. Aggregation responses were not significantly different when comparing patients with bleeding manifestations ( n = 10), with those without bleeding ( n = 24). Haemostatic parameters including plasma fibrinogen, ATIII and platelet count, were markedly reduced in the two patient groups who showed hyperaggrebable and depressed aggregation responses, but not in those with normal responses. These results lead us to conclude that: (1) platelet activation is a frequent feature of heatstroke; (2) in heatstroke altered aggregation responses, whether hyperaggregable or depressed, occur simultaneously with a consumption coagulopathy.