Hormone metabolites found in poop give researchers new insight into whale stress
Poop samples are an effective, non-invasive tool for monitoring gray whale reproduction, stress and other physiological responses, a new study from Oregon State University shows. Researchers from OSUâs Geospatial Ecology of Marine Megafauna Laboratory collected 158 fecal, commonly known as poop, samples from Eastern North Pacific gray whales off the coast of Oregon between 2016 and 2018 and used the samples to assess endocrine levels and establish hormone baselines for stress and reproduction in the animals. The study is believed to be the first to use fecal samples as an endocrine asses...
Source: triplicate.com
