Alecburslem @alecburslem.bsky.social · 28/07/2026This paper started out as Noémie's MSc project supervised by me and Patrick Miller back at St Andrews. So proud of all her amazing work developing a really elegant approach to the problem and getting the paper published alongside her PhD at Neuchâtel: still studying sleep, now in wild chimpanzees. 011
Alecburslem @alecburslem.bsky.social · 28/07/2026New paper! Lead author @noemiefreymond.bsky.social used a hybrid approach combining tag data & physical modelling to show that the timing & hydrodynamic effects of bubble releases by sperm whales during drift dives indicate deliberate & active buoyancy regulation, even during sleep. 175
Reposted by AlecburslemAcoustical Society of America @asa-news.bsky.social · 07/04/2026ASA is supporting a Marine Bioacoustics Summer Course for high school juniors & seniors in San Diego County! Scripps Institution of Oceanography July 13–17, 2026 Hands-on learning about marine mammals, sound & conservation Apply: smmiles.org/upcoming-programs Deadline: April 30, 2026 001
Alecburslem @alecburslem.bsky.social · 24/03/2026Using the overhead vantage point offered by drones, we were able to capture headbutting on video, as well as other examples of head-led contact of varying force, raising intriguing questions about the function of such behaviour and its consequences for group cohesion and social dynamics. 1112
Alecburslem @alecburslem.bsky.social · 24/03/2026Several reports from whaling vessels, dating back to the 19th century, describe sperm whales using their heads to push, hit (and even sink) boats and ships but we didn't know if they also did this to each other. 120
Alecburslem @alecburslem.bsky.social · 24/03/2026New publication! 'Headbutting Behavior Between Sperm Whales Documented Using Unoccupied Aerial Vehicles' Out in @marinemammalogy.bsky.social in collaboration with @lrendell.bsky.social, @azwhlab.bsky.social and @asociaciontursiops.bsky.social. doi.org/10.1111/mms....doi.orgHeadbutting Behavior Between Sperm Whales Documented Using Unoccupied Aerial VehiclesClick on the article title to read more. 2279
Alecburslem @alecburslem.bsky.social · 23/02/2026Cheers to @saana-i.bsky.social @azwhlab.bsky.social and Patrick Miller for all their hard work! 000
Alecburslem @alecburslem.bsky.social · 23/02/2026Here, we use a combined tag and drone photogrammetry dataset to successfully validate the use of dominant stroke cycle frequency to predict individual body size in sperm whales, and provide simple equations for converting dominant frequency to body length, volume and mass. 100
Alecburslem @alecburslem.bsky.social · 23/02/2026However, it is less clear whether this relationship is strong enough to be used to predict individual length from tag data within a single species, and opportunities for direct cross-validation are rare. 100
Alecburslem @alecburslem.bsky.social · 23/02/2026Dominant stroke frequency (how frequently the animals beat their tails during steady swimming) can be calculated from tag accelerometry data and is known to scale with body size across species. 100
Alecburslem @alecburslem.bsky.social · 23/02/2026We can measure the size of a whale using drones, but many tag records come from days when conditions aren’t good to fly a drone, teams that don’t have them, or simply from before drone photogrammetry was available. Some tags may also stay on long enough for the tagged animal to grow appreciably. 100
Alecburslem @alecburslem.bsky.social · 23/02/2026Body size is a fundamental feature of an individual animal’s physiological and life history state. For example, in marine mammals body size predicts life history state, fecundity, metabolic rate, heat flux, and diving capacity. 100
Alecburslem @alecburslem.bsky.social · 23/02/2026New publication! @marinemammalogy.bsky.social doi.org/10.1111/mms....doi.orgPredicting Individual Body Length, Volume, and Mass From Dominant Stroke Cycle Frequency in Sperm Whales: Empirical Cross‐Validation and Prediction FunctionsClick on the article title to read more. 141
Reposted by AlecburslemBenito Wainwright @benitoexplains.bsky.social · 29/11/2025Very happy to see our opinion article out in @cp-trendsecolevo.bsky.social today. 🥳 We ask whether sexual signals can influence the evolutionary trajectory of naturally selected adaptations, such as protective colouration, for better or for worse 🧐 1/n doi.org/10.1016/j.tr... 14418
Alecburslem @alecburslem.bsky.social · 27/11/2025Also to @lrendell.bsky.social and Roxanne Beltran @ucsantacruz.bsky.social for a really fun and productive discussion of this work as part of my PhD viva. 020
Alecburslem @alecburslem.bsky.social · 27/11/2025Huge thanks to my coauthors Prof. Patrick Miller & @saana-i.bsky.social at @seamammalresearch.bsky.social & Drs. Monica Silva and Rui Prieto at @azwhlab.bsky.social @okeanos-uac.bsky.social. Thanks also to Dr. Lyn Irvine for sharing data & @kztwyman.bsky.social for draft feedback. 110
Alecburslem @alecburslem.bsky.social · 27/11/2025Additional simultaneous tag and drone data will help maximise methods predictive power and allow it to be extended to additional species. Fortunately, these are exactly the data expected to result naturally from the current trend towards using drones for tag deployment. 261
Alecburslem @alecburslem.bsky.social · 27/11/2025In so doing, our method quantifies how density- and morphometry-based proxies of body condition are linked via true underlying lipid store. This allows us to estimate sperm whales fat stores from tags or drone data alone, helping us to track whales’ health accurately with minimal disturbance. 130
Alecburslem @alecburslem.bsky.social · 27/11/2025In our paper, we present a new method which combines simultaneous observations of body volume (from drones) and composition (from tag-based densitometry) to calculate absolute, whole body body lipid store in free-ranging sperm whales. 130
Alecburslem @alecburslem.bsky.social · 27/11/2025New paper out today in @ecol-evol.bsky.social doi.org/10.1002/ece3.... The total size of the body’s fat stores is a crucial factor in understanding animal health, life history and conservation biology, but no established method exists to measure it in large marine animals without capturing them. 2338
Reposted by AlecburslemKalyani Twyman @kztwyman.bsky.social · 18/11/2025Happy to share that our paper ‘a formal theory of group-level adaptation for obligate eusociality’ (with @andygardner.bsky.social) is now out in @jevbio.bsky.social advances. doi.org/10.1093/jeb/... #OpenAccess #Eusociality #GroupAdaptation #FormalDarwinism 2299
Reposted by AlecburslemLars Bejder @lbejder1971.bsky.social · 19/08/2025Impressive work by Cam Nemeth (not on BlueSky). We hypothesized that the significant lift force produced by the humpback whale’s large pectoral flippers result in them being the only species executing tight, high-speed, sustained turns characteristic of bubble-net feeding doi.org/10.1242/jeb....doi.orgThe key to bubble-net feeding: how humpback whale morphology functionally differs from other baleen whalesSummary: Humpback whale turning performance during solitary bubble-net feeding exceeds the observed capabilities of other baleen whales. 052
Alecburslem @alecburslem.bsky.social · 28/07/2025It's official! I'm now the newest postgraduate research fellow at the marine mammal research program at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa. Bio and blog post with more details here: www.mmrphawaii.org/alec-burslem www.mmrphawaii.org/post/shippin...mmrphawaii.orgShippin' out from ScotlandWritten by MMRP PostDoc Alec BurslemFor a while it looked like I was going to be a chef. It was 2009, and after a couple of disappointing A-level results in biology and chemistry had shaken my confide... 0103
Reposted by AlecburslemKalyani Twyman @kztwyman.bsky.social · 26/06/2025Now all typeset and pretty! A little summary: 1115
Reposted by AlecburslemLuke Rendell @lrendell.bsky.social · 16/05/2025Alec Burslem @alecburslem.bsky.social presented his new non invasive method for measuring body composition in sperm whales - low impact and generalisable 👏👏👏 @seamammalresearch.bsky.social #ECSconference2025 🐋🦑🧪 0275
Alecburslem @alecburslem.bsky.social · 19/04/2025Had a great time this week presenting at the Scottish oceans institute seminar series, giving an overview of my PhD work on sperm whale behavior and physiology. Recording here: universityofstandrews907-my.sharepoint.com/:v:/g/person... @seamammalresearch.bsky.social @uniofstandrews.bsky.socialuniversityofstandrews907-my.sharepoint.comSign in to your account 072
Alecburslem @alecburslem.bsky.social · 06/02/2025A wee bit of r&r with @kztwyman.bsky.social in the high Atlas 020
Alecburslem @alecburslem.bsky.social · 12/12/2024That's me officially all done on my PhD! I'm now full time on the 3S4 project, investigating the drivers of fine scale baseline behavior and sonar response of killer whales in the Norwegian Arctic. Stay tuned! 070
Reposted by AlecburslemBryce Stewart @bd-stew.bsky.social · 03/12/2024📢 Exciting #PhD alert! Study Atlantic bluefin #tuna in Southwest UK waters using #drones, remote sensing, #ocean profiling & eDNA while working with #anglers🐟 www.plymouth.ac.uk/study/resear... Supervised by @lilianlieber.bsky.social @marinemicrobes.bsky.social @peterimiller.bsky.social & me! 33925
Reposted by AlecburslemLucy Wright @lucy-wright.bsky.social · 29/11/2024JOB VACANCIES! We're seeking 3 Conservation Scientists to join our friendly team of #seabirders at the RSPB. We're an inclusive team where everyone is welcome. DEADLINE: Friday 3rd January. #conservationjobs #ornithology #seabirds #science Details: app.vacancy-filler.co.uk/salescrm/Car... 19394
Alecburslem @alecburslem.bsky.social · 25/11/2024Hi everyone! Good to see lots of familiar faces here. For everyone else: Research profile: research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk/en/persons/a... PhD abstract: doi.org/10.17630/sta... If that seems like your kind of thing, consider giving me a followdoi.orgThe role of lipid-store body condition in the behaviour and conservation of sperm whales 031