We ain't lion. Lion prides are some of the most unique social structures among terrestrial mammals. Listen to Emily show Clara the wonderful world of Africa's most iconic animal, the purpose of manes, and some female lions whose new look shocked scientists.

Palmer, Meredith S., Natalia Borrego, and Craig Packer. (2023) "Social Strategies of the African Lion." Social Strategies of Carnivorous Mammalian Predators: Hunting and Surviving as Families. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 7-45.

West, P. M., and Packer, C. (2002). Sexual selection, temperature, and the lion’s mane. Science 297, 1339–1343.

University of Minnesota (2024). Social Behaviour, Lion Research Center.

Emily P. Mitchell, Adrian Tordiffe, Peter Caldwell, A case for ovarian transdifferentiation in six adult captive masculinized lionesses (Panthera leo) in South Africa: Pathological evidence, Theriogenology Wild, Volume 1, 2022, 100012, ISSN 2773-093X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.therwi.2022.100012

Blanchard, D. Caroline. "Of lion manes and human beards: some unusual effects of the interaction between aggression and sociality." Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience 3 (2010): 945.

Sogbohossou, E. A., Bauer, H., Loveridge, A., Funston, P. J., De Snoo, G. R., Sinsin, B., & De Iongh, H. H. (2014). Social structure of lions (Panthera leo) is affected by management in Pendjari Biosphere Reserve, Benin. PLoS One, 9(1), e84674.

Gilfillan, G. D., McNutt, J. W., Vitale, J. D. T., Iongh, H. H., & Golabek, K. (2017). Rare observation of the existence and masculine behaviour of maned lionesses in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. African Journal of Ecology, 55(3), 383–385. https://doi.org/10.1111/aje.12360

In today's episode, we will look at the story of Alexandra Morton, a whale researcher whose career took an unexpected turn when the whales all left. Join Clara and Emily on a journey up to British Columbia and learn about what might be causing the collapse of the wild salmon stocks. We explore the life story of a woman who persevered and made tremendous strides in research.

References:

Bartlett, S. (Host). (2022-Present). The Salmon People [Audio or Video podcast]. Canada's National Observer. The Salmon People podcast | Canada's National Observer: Climate News

Morton, A. (2021). Not on my watch: How a renegade whale biologist took on governments and industry to save wild salmon. Random House Canada.

Celebrity Wiki. (2020). Alexandra Morton. CelebsAgeWiki. Alexandra Morton Biography, Age, Height, Husband, Net Worth, Family (celebsagewiki.com)

Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). (2018, October 26). Atlantic salmon... a remarkable life cycle. Government of Canada. Atlantic salmon... a remarkable life cycle (dfo-mpo.gc.ca)

Pacific Salmon Foundation (2024). Species & lifecycle. Species & Lifecycle | Pacific Salmon Foundation (psf.ca)

PacificWild (2024). Pacific salmon species spotlight. Pacific Salmon Species Spotlight - Pacific Wild

Dean, C. (2008, November 3). Saving wild salmon, in hopes of saving the orca. The New York Times. Saving Wild Salmon, in Hopes of Saving the Orca - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

Morton, A., Routledge, R., Peet, C., & Ladwig, A. (2004). Sea lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) infection rates on juvenile pink (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) and chum (Oncorhynchus keta) salmon in the nearshore marine environment of British Columbia, Canada. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 61 (2), 147-157.

Kibenge, M.J.T., Wang, Y., Gayeski, N., Morton, A., Beardslee, K., McMillan, B., & Kibenge, F. S. B. (2019). Piscine orthoreovirus sequences in escaped farmed Atlantic salmon in Washington and British Columbia. Virology Journal, 16(41). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12985-019-1148-2

Emily is talking about whales again. Listen in to learn about one of the most endangered species on earth, what is being done, and some controversies surrounding it. The North Atlantic Right Whale is a struggling species, this episode dives into the reasons for their status, and the most recent information on this year's calves.

Endangered North Atlantic right whale injured by Canadian tracking tag, scientists say: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/north-atlantic-right-whale-injured-by-canadian-tag-1.7006911

NOAA North Atlantic Right Whale: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/north-atlantic-right-whale

NOAA North Atlantic Right Whale Updates: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/endangered-species-conservation/north-atlantic-right-whale-updates#:~:text=On%20April%209%2C%202024%2C%20a,Cod%20Bay%20in%20March%202024.

Action Plan: https://wildlife-species.az.ec.gc.ca/species-risk-registry/virtual_sara/files//plans/Ap-Bnan-Narw-v01-2021Mar-Eng.pdf

Population comparison of right whale body condition reveals poor state of the North Atlantic right whale: https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v640/p1-16/

Fishermen allowed to fish close to shore in Gulf of St. Lawrence after right whale sighting: https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/fishermen-allowed-to-fish-close-to-shore-in-gulf-of-st-lawrence-after-right-whale-sighting-1.6897724