Table 2 Summary of tag attachment durations for 10 tag attachment configurations for humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) and blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus), grouped for statistical analysis as suction cup, suction cup with dart, two darts with petals, four darts (without petals), and four darts (with petals)
From: Testing tag attachments to increase the attachment duration of archival tags on baleen whales
Tag configurations | Humpback whales | Blue whales | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
N | Median duration (h) | Duration range (h) | Reaction binsa | Placement scoresb | N | Median duration (h) | Duration range (h) | Reaction bins | Placement scores | |
Suction cup (rigid) | 11 | 3.40 | 0.32–6.82 | 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5 | – | 10 | 10.86 | 0.33–24.25 | 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 4 | – |
Suction cup (semirigid) with short stainless steel dart | 4 | 0.38 | 0.00–2.54 | 1, 2, 2 | – | |||||
Darts—two with petals | ||||||||||
Titanium—two short 3-petals darts | 2 | 4.73 | 1.47–8.00 | 2, 5 | 1, 1 | |||||
Titanium—two long 6-petal darts | 1 | – | 6.92 | 5 | 2 | |||||
Darts—four without petals | ||||||||||
Stainless steel—four conical darts | 1 | – | 0.00 | 3 | – | 1 | – | 0.25 | 2 | 2 |
Stainless steel—four triangular barbs | 2 | 0.95 | 0.65–1.25 | 2 | 2, 2 | 1 | – | 0.03 | 2 | 3 |
Darts—four with petals | ||||||||||
Titanium—two long 6-petal/two short 3-petal darts | 1 | – | 64.52 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 115.21 | 75.38–308.95 | 2, 2, 2 | 1, 2, 3 |
Titanium—four long 6-petal darts | 4 | 10.04 | 0.02–49.92 | 4, 4, 4, 5 | 1, 2, 3 | 1 | – | 393.60 | 2 | 2 |
Stainless steel—four long 3-petal darts | 2 | 40.93 | 40.23–41.63 | 1, 3 | 1, 2 | 1 | – | 51.58 | 4 | 1 |
Stainless steel—four long 6-petal darts | 3 | 10.26 | 2.63–46.24 | 2, 5, 5 | 1, 2, 3 | 3 | 259.21 | 38.13–392.40 | 2, 2, 4 | 1, 2, 2 |