A deeper dive into literature published about pinnipeds and cetaceans using the five domain model

Authors

Aqsa Khan, St. Mary's University
Pedro Beltran, St. Mary's University

Files

Digital Publisher

Digital Commons at St. Mary's University

Publication Date

Spring 2024

Contributor

Hill, Heather (Faculty Mentor)

Keywords

Pinnipeds, Cetaceans, Five Domains Model, Animal Welfare

Description

Research was conducted on cetaceans (whales and dolphins) (Figure 1) and pinnipeds (seals and sea lions) (Figure 2), focusing on five domains: nutrition, environment, health, behavior, and mental state. The goal was to identify the most discussed domain in existing literature. Specifically examining researchers' opinions on assessing the well-being of these marine mammals. After analyzing articles, hypotheses were formed suggesting that environmental factors are prominent for cetaceans, while behavior is the prominent domain for pinnipeds. To test these hypotheses, peer-reviewed articles were coded, providing both qualitative insights and quantitative representations of each domain's prevalence. The research uncovered the focal domains discussed in current literature concerning cetaceans and pinnipeds, enhancing comprehension of welfare evaluations for marine mammals. This knowledge is important for future research and conservation efforts, showing which areas need focus to keep these animals well.

Format

pdf

Size

1 page

City

San Antonio, Texas

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.