Movements, habitat use and feeding success of cultural clans of South Pacific sperm whales

The feeding success of sperm whales off the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, was examined over 5 study years; 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, and 1991. A total of 160 days were spent following sperm whales at sea. The defaecation rates of sperm whales were used as an indication of feeding success. The recorded acoustic click rates of sperm whales were used as an indication of aggregative and foraging behaviour. Significant variation in feeding success occurred temporally over periods of days, months, and years. Feeding success also varied spatially with geographic area. Feeding success was inversely related to sea surface temperature (SST). The foraging and associative behaviour of sperm whales also varied with feeding success, SST, and by year. Variations in the feeding success and behaviour of Galápagos sperm whales can likely be attributed to changing oceanographic conditions in the waters surrounding the Galápagos archipelago.

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Group-specific dialects and geographical variation in coda repertoire in South Pacific sperm whales

Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology ◽

10.1007/s002650050343 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 40 (5) ◽

pp. 277-285 ◽

Cited By ~ 114

Author(s):

Linda Weilgart ◽

H. Whitehead

Keyword(s):

Geographical Variation ◽

South Pacific ◽

Sperm Whales

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Correcting Positional Errors in Shore-Based Theodolite Measurements of Animals at Sea

Journal of Marine Biology ◽

10.1155/2014/267917 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Ophélie Sagnol ◽

Femke Reitsma ◽

Christoph Richter ◽

Laurence H. Field

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Habitat Use ◽

Marine Mammal ◽

Positional Information ◽

Physeter Macrocephalus ◽

Sperm Whales ◽

Vertical Angle ◽

Position Accuracy ◽

Wide Range ◽

The Difference

Determining the position of animals at sea can be particularly difficult and yet, accurate range and position of animals at sea are essential to answer a wide range of biological questions. Shore-based theodolite techniques have been used in a number of studies to examine marine mammal movement patterns and habitat use, offering reliable position measurements. In this study we explored the accuracy of theodolite measurements by comparing positional information of the same objects using two independent techniques: a shore-based theodolite station and an onboard GPS over a range of 25 km from the shore-based station. The technique was developed to study the habitat use of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) off Kaikoura, New Zealand. We observed that the position accuracy fell rapidly with an increase in range from the shore-based station. Results showed that the horizontal angle was accurately determined, but this was not the case for the vertical angle. We calibrated the position of objects at sea with a regression-based correction to fit the difference in distance between simultaneously recorded theodolite fixes and GPS positions. This approach revealed the necessity to calibrate theodolite measurements with objects at sea of known position.

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Depredating sperm whales in the Gulf of Alaska: local habitat use and long distance movements across putative population boundaries

Endangered Species Research ◽

10.3354/esr00595 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 24 (2) ◽

pp. 125-135 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

JM Straley ◽

GS Schorr ◽

AM Thode ◽

J Calambokidis ◽

CR Lunsford ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Habitat Use ◽

Gulf Of Alaska ◽

Sperm Whales ◽

Long Distance ◽

Local Habitat

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Fine‐scale habitat use of foraging sperm whales is driven by seafloor topography and water column structure

Marine Mammal Science ◽

10.1111/mms.12881 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Marta Guerra ◽

Stephen M. Dawson ◽

Tamlyn R. Somerford ◽

Elizabeth Slooten ◽

William J. Rayment

Keyword(s):

Habitat Use ◽

Water Column ◽

Fine Scale ◽

Sperm Whales ◽

Seafloor Topography ◽

Column Structure

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Aerial behaviour in sperm whales

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z90-289 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 68 (10) ◽

pp. 2076-2082 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Susan Waters ◽

Hal Whitehead

Keyword(s):

Water Surface ◽

El Nino ◽

Physeter Macrocephalus ◽

Galápagos Islands ◽

Sperm Whales ◽

Late Afternoon ◽

Feeding Success ◽

Using Data ◽

Small Clusters ◽

Feeding Grounds

This paper examines the nature and context of breaching (leaping from the water) and lobtailing (thrashing of flukes onto the water surface) in sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) using data principally collected off the Galápagos Islands. Animals generally breached on their sides at an angle of 30–50° to the water surface and with about 50–100% of their body showing at peak emergence. Breaches and lobtails were often found to occur in long sessions or "bouts" lasting up to several hours and at times containing over 250 individual activities. The rates of observing these activities did not vary seasonally, but breaching was seen more often in 1985 than in 1987, an El Niño year when the whales appeared to have reduced feeding success. Both breaching and lobtailing rates were highest in the late afternoon, although both activities occurred at all times of day and night. Bouts of breaches and lobtails were longer when several groups of sperm whales were together, and during long bouts, groups or small clusters of whales frequently merged or split up. Except for two breaches, all aerial activity was observed from groups of female and immature whales rather than from mature or maturing males on breeding or feeding grounds.

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