Past Lab Members

Postdoctoral Fellows

Julia Riley - personal link - (2020-2021) Social behaviour of lizards
Dara Orbach - personal link - (2016-2017) Behaviour and mating strategies of cetaceans
David Lusseau - personal link - (2006-2007) Dynamics and evolution of interactions in complex adaptive systems,. focussing on social interactions in animal populations
Merel Dalebout - personal link -(2003-2005) Genetics diversity and population structure of nothern bottlenose whales in the Sable Gully and Labrador Sea
Robin W. Baird - personal link - (1996-2000) Killer whales in British Columbia, Washington State, and off Iceland

Ph.D. Students

Elizabeth Zwamborn - personal link - (2024) Choreography on the sea: decision making, synchrony, and formations in long-finned pilot whales
Félicia Vachon - personal link - (2022) On cultural inheritance: evolution, behaviour, and social structure of Eastern Caribbean sperm whales
Taylor Hersh - personal link - (2021) Dialects over space and time: cultural identity and evolution in sperm whale codas
Laura J. Feyrer - personal link - (2021) Northern bottlenose whales in Canada: A history of exploitation, conservation, and recovery
Joana Augusto - personal link - (2017) Social structure of the pilot whales (Globicephala melas) off Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada
Mauricio Cantor - personal link - (2016) On the interplay between society and culture: causes, consequences and stability of sperm whale clans
Shane Gero - personal link - (2012) On the dynamics of social relationships and vocal communication between individuals and social units of sperm whales
Sarah Wong - personal link - (2012) A pelagic paradox: The ecology of a top predator in an oceanic desert
Hilary Moors - personal link - (2012) Vocal communication and foraging ecology of northern bottlenose whales (Hyperoodon ampullatus) on the Scotian Shelf, Nova Scotia
Catalina Gomez - personal link - (2012) River dolphins as indicators of ecosystem degradation in large tropical rivers
Tyler Schulz (2007) The Production and Exchange of Sperm Whale Coda Vocalizations
Robert Michaud - personal link - The social organization of the St. Lawrence Beluga
Lars Bejder - personal link - (2005) Linking short and long-term effects of nature-based tourism on cetaceans
Luke Rendell - personal link - (- 2003) Cultural variation and usage of coda vocalisations by sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalus
Sascha Hooker - personal link - (1999) Resource and habitat use of northern bottlenose whales in the Gully: ecology, diving and ranging behaviour
Shannon Gowans - personal link - (1999) Social organization and population structure of northern bottlenose whales in the Gully
Jenny Christal - (1998) - An analysis of sperm whale social structure: patterns of association and genetic relatedness
Nathalie Jaquet - personal link - (1996) Distribution and spatial organisation of groups of sperm whales in relation to biological and environmental factors in the south Pacific
Mary Dillon (1996) Genetic structure of sperm whale populations assessed by mitochondrial DNA sequence variation
Kenny Richard (1995) A molecular genetic analysis of kinship in free-living groups of sperm whales
Carol Carlson (1992) Variation in the behavior of humpback whales: a study of individuals

M.Sc. Students

Wilfried Beslin (2018) Automated sperm whale size estimation using the acoustic click properties
Christine Konrad (2017) Kinship in sperm whale society: Effects on association, alloparental care and vocalizations
Ana Eguiguren (2017) Habitat of Galápagos sperm whales: A cultural perspective and implications for conservation
Elizabeth Zwamborn (2016) Repeated call sequences in long-finned pilot whales: social setting, modification, and behavioural context
Marina Milligan (2013) Fine-scale distribution, habitat use, and movements of sperm whales
Kristin O’Brien (2013) Population status and social structure of northern bottlenose whales (Hyperoodon ampullatus) on the Scotian Shelf
Leah Nemiroff (2009) Structural variation and communicative functions of long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas) pulsed calls and complex whistles
Marie Auger-Methé (2008) Photo-identification of narwhals
Shane Gero (2005) Fundamentals of sperm whale societies: care for calves
Meaghan Jankowski (2005) Long-finned pilot whale movement and social structure: residency, population mixing, and indentification of social units
Marianne Marcoux (2005) Vocalizations, diet and fitness among acoustic clans of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus)
Amanda Coakes (2003) Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) off the coast of northern Chile: Movements, female and immature social structure and male mating strategies.
Tonya Wimmer (2003) Distribution of cetaceans on the continental shelf break off Nova Scotia and in adjacent waters with a focus on northern bottlenose whales, Hyperoodon ampullatus
Andrea Ottensmeyer (2001) The Social Organization of Long-Finned Pilot Whales, Globicephala melas, of northern Cape Breton, Canada
Jakobina Arch (2000) Group function of northern bottlenose whales (Hyperoodon ampullatus) in the Gully: evidence from group structure and disturbance reactions
Susan Dufault (1994) A photoidentification study of the geographic stock structure of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) in the south Pacific
Sean Smith (1992) Sperm whales and mesopelagic cephalopods in the waters of the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Benjamin Kahn (1991) The population biology and social organisation of sperm whales (Physeter macrocepahlus) off the Seychelles: indications of recent exploitation
Susan Waters (1989) Population parameters of sperm whales off the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Annick Faucher (1988) The vocal repertoire of the St Lawrence estuary population of beluga whale (Delphinapteras leucas) and its behavioural, social and environmental contexts

Undergraduate Honours Students

Davjit Sidhu (2024) Sperm whale residency across temporal scales off the Galápagos Islands from 2013 - 2022
Andréanne Paul-Chowdhury (2023) Variation in fluke marking abundance and type across four decades among the Galapagos sperm what (Physeter macrocephalus) clans
Kathleen McVittie (2023) Fine-scale spatial distribution of northern bottlenose whale (Hyperoodon ampullatus) calves off the Scotian Shelf between 1988 and 2021
Emily Martens-Oberwelland (2022) Population trends of humpback whales off Brier Island, NS, from 1985-2020
Megan Shin (2021) Estimates of the current global population size and historical trajectory for sperm whales
Abbey Lewis (2021) Sperm whale social unit distribution around Dominica
Courtney Baumgartner (2021) Investigating motherese in Eastern Caribbean sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) through coda communication
Nicole Ure (2019) Mark density of Cape Breton long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) using drone photography
Jasmine Yeung (2019) Using photography to determine sexual dimorphism and sex ratios of northern bottlenose whales
Amy McAllister (2019) Social click patterns in northern bottlenose whales
Karolyn Long (2018) Leadership patterns in northern bottlenose whales
Liza Tsitrin (2018) Acoustic signal properties of long fin pilot whales
Madison Stewart (2018) Connectivity between two populations of northern bottlenose whales
Sarah Dier-McComb (2017) Long-finned pilot whales of Cape Breton
Emma Clarke (2017) Minimum population estimate, click types, and distribution of Sowerby’s beaked whales (Mesoplodon bidens) along the eastern Canadian continental shelf
Felicia Vachon (2017) Factors affecting genetic diversity across cetacean species
Joanna Wong (2016) Using laser photogrammetry to measure long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) in the field
Joana Costa (2015) Assessing the long-term changes in the distribution of long-finned pilot whales in Cape Breton
Hannah Mark (2015) A comparison of length distributions of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) on social, spatial, and temporal scales using click inter-pulse intervals
Jessica Wingfield (2013) Effects of whale-watching, environmental variables, and group and calf abundance on long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas) behaviour
Katie Kowarski (2013) Do potheads care? The effects of remote biopsy sampling on long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas)
Lisa Hoogenboom (2012) Comparing the prevalence of markings on the flukes of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans
Stacey Henderson (2012) Are mortalities by infectious diseases or cancer in stranded St Lawrence beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) associated with PCB and PBDE contaminants?
Erin Fischer (2011) Movement patterns of sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) social groups in the Gulf of California
Lara Puetz (2010) Acoustic monitoring of the North Atlantic sperm whale population, Physeter macrocephalus, on the Eastern Scotian Slope, south of Nova Scotia
Alanna Gauthier (2010) Who cares: using photo-identification to determine if long-finned pilot whales display alloparental care
Jessica Mitchell (2008) Prevalence and characteristics of melon markings on northern bottlenose whales (Hyperoodon ampullatus) in the Gully and the effects of the Marine Protected Area on marks of anthropogenic origin
Caitlin Arbuckle Gerber (2008) A comparison of rafting epifauna of Sargassum and anthropogenic material in the Sargasso Sea and Gulf Stream
Cassandra Williams (2008) Acoustical analysis of delphinid presence in the Sable Gully Marine Protected Area with respect to seasonal, diurnal and acoustic anthropogenic factors
Lucie Wade (2007) Conflict of interest in research concerning the impacts of anthropogenic noise on marine mammals: does the perception of bias reflect biased conclusions
Vicky Yaroshewski (2007) The diet of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) in the Sargasso Sea and the Caribbean
Erika Smith (2007) The Effects of Whalewatching in Pleasant Bay, Cape Breton: Long- term Benefits to Whalewatchers and Immediate Behavioural Changes in Long-Finned Pilot Whales (Globicephala melas)
Sara Pullen (2006) Evaluation of long-finned pilot whale calls: evidence of group-specific dialects?
Oliver Barker (2006) Wolf predation and movement patterns in the Algonquin and Magnetawan regions of Ontario
Courtney MacMullin (2005) Determining marine mammal biodiversity hotspots.
Ryan MacDonald (2005) Distribution and fisheries interactions of northern bottlenose whales (Hyperoodon ampullatus) in Davis Strait/Baffin Bay
Julie Gorman (2005) Residency and Association Patterns of Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) off Brier Island, Nova Scotia
Marie Auger-Methe (2005) The use of natural markings in long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas) studies
Derek Herfst (2004) Distribution of bottlenose whales, Hyperoodon ampullatus, along the coast of Labrador, Canada
Joseph Lake (2003) Site fidelity of minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in the St. Margaret's Bay area, Nova Scotia, Canada
Katherine McAuliffe (2003) Coordination and synchronicity between bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops sp.) mothers and calves
Shane Gero (2003) Bond Strength and its Relationship with Behaviour in the Fission-Fusion Social Structure of Free-Ranging Bottlenose Dolphins, Tursiops sp.
Jana Bock (2003) Background noise in the Sable Gully
Sylvie Rimella (2002) Differences in scarring among bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) in relation to age and sex
Cory MacNeil (2002) Investigations into the vocal repertoires of long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) off the Northern coast of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia
Nicole Bear-Welch (2002) Observational study of cetacean distribution and abundance around Brier Island, Nova Scotia from 1998-2000
Tonya Wimmer (2000) Distribution of cetaceans in St. Lawrence Bay, Nova Scotia from 1992-1999
Penny McCall Howard (1999) Sperm whales Physter macrocephalus in the Gully, Nova Scotia: population, distribution and responses to seismic surveying.
Andrea Ottensmeyer (1999) Pilot whale parties: a study of interactions between individual long-finned pilot whales, Globicephala melas, using photo-identification techniques
Barbara Muller (1998) Floating marine pollution in the Gully region on the Scotian Shelf: revisited
Sa'ad Al-Omari (1997) A quantitative description of the surface behaviour of northern bottlenose whales (Hyperoodon ampullatus) in the Gully, Nova Scotia, with a description of their reactions to tagging and biopsy procedures
Brad Carter (1997) Length distribution of northern bottlenose whales (Hyperoodon ampullatus) in the Gully with a comparison between this population and another residing in the Labrador Sea.
Stephanie Smith (1997) The distribution of dolphins in the Galapagos Islands
Carrie Beck (1996) The distribution, habitat partitioning and movements of baleen whales in the Gully, a submarine canyon on the Scotian Shelf
Peter Simard (1995) A survey of the physical and biological oceanographic features of "The Gully" in relation to the distribution of northern bottlenose whales (Hyperoodon ampullatus)
Shannon Gowans (1993) Distribution and habitat partitioning by small odontocetes in the Gully, a submarine canyon on the Scotian Shelf
Susan Dufault (1992) Assessing the stock identity of sperm whales in the eastern tropical Pacific
Danielle Paquet (1991) A study of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, off Briar Island, Nova Scotia
Mark Walton (1991) A new equation for acoustically determining the lengths of sperm whales (Physeter catodon)
Sebastian Brennan (1990) Aspects of the behaviour and distribution of the sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus, off the coast of Nova Scotia
Patricia Hope (1989) Sperm whales off the Galapagos Islands: a 19th century American logbook study
David Grover (1989) Northern bottlenose whales, Hyperoodon ampullatus, and sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalus, in the Gully, east of Sable Island, Nova Scotia: distributions and possible competitive interactions
Lynn Risk (1987) The photoidentification and social organisation of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, off Wassaw Sound, Georgia, USA, March - September, 1987
Julia Mullins (1987) General and acoustic behaviour of sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus,off the coast of Nova Scotia