Cryptic vocal behavior of foraging humpback whales on feeding grounds in West Greenland

2021 ◽  
Vol 150 (4) ◽  
pp. 2879-2887
Author(s):  
Simone K. A. Videsen ◽  
Malene Simon ◽  
Mark Johnson ◽  
Peter Teglberg Madsen ◽  
Fredrik Christiansen
Keyword(s):  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Vocal Behavior ◽  
West Greenland ◽  
Feeding Grounds

scholarly journals Movement patterns of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) reoccupying a Brazilian breeding ground

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Isabel Carvalho Gonçalves ◽  
Renata Santoro de Sousa-Lima ◽  
Niel Nascimento Teixeira ◽  
Gustavo Henrique Carvalho ◽  
Daniel Danilewicz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Group Composition ◽  
Movement Patterns ◽  
Study Groups ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Behavioral State ◽  
Energy Conserving ◽  
Wintering Area ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Feeding Grounds

Abstract: The population of humpback whales from breeding stock A is increasing, and little is known about the routes used by humpbacks that move north of the main calving area of Brazil, the Abrolhos Bank. The aim of this study was to describe the movements of humpback whales in a reoccupation wintering area (Serra Grande, Bahia state, Brazil) based on land-based surveys to test if movement patterns change during the season and between years, due to group composition, behavioral state, and distance to the coast. The mean leg speed of the groups sighted was 6.88 (±2.92) km/h, and leg speed was positively correlated with distance to the coast. There was an increase in leg speed and distance to the coast with increasing number of escorts in the groups with calves. The mean linearity value for group trajectory was 0.81 (±0.19) and the mean reorientation rate was 25.72 (±19.09) º/min. We observed a predominance of trajectories heading south throughout the study. Groups exhibiting more erratic movements early in the season, and groups moving south showed more linear trajectories than groups moving north, indicating the beginning of their migration back to the feeding grounds. Energy conserving strategies and social context affect the movements of humpback whales in Serra Grande, resulting in the observed patterns of the reoccupation of available and suitable habitat north of Abrolhos. Thereby, special attention should be given managing activities with the potential to disturb or displace whales using the region to calve and breed.

Sex differences in site fidelity and migration of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) to the Hawaiian Islands

1997 ◽  
Vol 75 (11) ◽  
pp. 1923-1933 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison S. Craig ◽  
Louis M. Herman
Keyword(s):  
Site Fidelity ◽  
Hawaiian Islands ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Low Latitude ◽  
Wintering Area ◽  
The Mean ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Feeding Grounds

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) perform extensive seasonal migrations between high-latitude summer feeding grounds and low-latitude winter reproductive grounds. To investigate gender-related site fidelity to the Hawaiian Islands, an important wintering area for North Pacific humpback whales, photographically based resight histories of 224 females and 416 males observed in Hawai'i from 1976 through 1991 were compiled. Results indicated that the mean number of years in which they were seen was higher for males than for females, that the probability of an individual being resighted across years was higher for males than for females, and that more males than females were seen in consecutive years. Potential sources of bias favoring the photographic capture of males were considered, but none were judged to be significant contributors to the results obtained. It was proposed instead that not all females undertake or complete the migration to the winter grounds each year. Because of the high energy costs of migration and reproduction, some females may overwinter in high latitudes, while others may become pregnant en route to the area traditionally associated with breeding and return to the feeding grounds before arriving at the terminal winter destination.

The diets of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) on the shelf and oceanic feeding grounds in the western North Pacific inferred from stable isotope analysis

2012 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. E253-E265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga A. Filatova ◽  
Briana H. Witteveen ◽  
Anton A. Goncharov ◽  
Alexei V. Tiunov ◽  
Maria I. Goncharova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
Western North Pacific ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Feeding Grounds

scholarly journals From a calf’s perspective: humpback whale nursing behavior on two US feeding grounds

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e8538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer E. Tackaberry ◽  
David E. Cade ◽  
Jeremy A. Goldbogen ◽  
David N. Wiley ◽  
Ari S. Friedlaender ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Humpback Whale ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Accelerometer Data ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Mixed Effect Models ◽  
Data Loggers ◽  
Overall Dynamic Body Acceleration ◽  
Close Temporal Proximity ◽  
Feeding Grounds

Nursing influences growth rate and overall health of mammals; however, the behavior is difficult to study in wild cetaceans because it occurs below the surface and can thus be misidentified from surface observations. Nursing has been observed in humpback whales on the breeding and calving grounds, but the behavior remains unstudied on the feeding grounds. We instrumented three dependent calves (four total deployments) with combined video and 3D-accelerometer data loggers (CATS) on two United States feeding grounds to document nursing events. Two associated mothers were also tagged to determine if behavior diagnostic of nursing was evident in the mother’s movement. Animal-borne video was manually analyzed and the average duration of successful nursing events was 23 s (±7 sd, n = 11). Nursing occurred at depths between 4.1–64.4 m (along the seafloor) and in close temporal proximity to foraging events by the mothers, but could not be predicted solely by relative positions of mother and calf. When combining all calf deployments, successful nursing was documented eleven times; totaling only 0.3% of 21.0 hours of video. During nursing events, calves had higher overall dynamic body acceleration (ODBA) and increased fluke-stroke rate (FSR) compared to non-nursing segments (Mixed effect models, ODBA: F1,107 = 13.57756, p = 0.0004, FSR: F1,107 = 32.31018, p < 0.0001). In contrast, mothers had lower ODBA and reduced FSR during nursing events compared to non-nursing segments. These data provide the first characterization of accelerometer data of humpback whale nursing confirmed by animal-borne video tags and the first analysis of nursing events on feeding grounds. This is an important step in understanding the energetic consequences of lactation while foraging.

scholarly journals Aerial photogrammetry and tag-derived tissue density reveal patterns of lipid-store body condition of humpback whales on their feeding grounds

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1943) ◽  
pp. 20202307
Author(s):  
Kagari Aoki ◽  
Saana Isojunno ◽  
Charlotte Bellot ◽  
Takashi Iwata ◽  
Joanna Kershaw ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
The Body ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Body Density ◽  
Aerial Photogrammetry ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
Negatively Buoyant ◽  
Feeding Grounds

Monitoring the body condition of free-ranging marine mammals at different life-history stages is essential to understand their ecology as they must accumulate sufficient energy reserves for survival and reproduction. However, assessing body condition in free-ranging marine mammals is challenging. We cross-validated two independent approaches to estimate the body condition of humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) at two feeding grounds in Canada and Norway: animal-borne tags ( n = 59) and aerial photogrammetry ( n = 55). Whales that had a large length-standardized projected area in overhead images (i.e. whales looked fatter) had lower estimated tissue body density (TBD) (greater lipid stores) from tag data. Linking both measurements in a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate the true underlying (hidden) tissue body density (uTBD), we found uTBD was lower (−3.5 kg m −3 ) in pregnant females compared to adult males and resting females, while in lactating females it was higher (+6.0 kg m −3 ). Whales were more negatively buoyant (+5.0 kg m −3 ) in Norway than Canada during the early feeding season, possibly owing to a longer migration from breeding areas. While uTBD decreased over the feeding season across life-history traits, whale tissues remained negatively buoyant (1035.3 ± 3.8 kg m −3 ) in the late feeding season. This study adds confidence to the effectiveness of these independent methods to estimate the body condition of free-ranging whales.

Vocal behavior of North Atlantic humpback whales during reunion events on Stellwagen Bank.

2010 ◽  
Vol 127 (3) ◽  
pp. 1894-1894 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaitlin Palmer ◽  
Susan E. Parks ◽  
David Wiley ◽  
Mason Weinrich ◽  
Jennifer Tackaberry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Vocal Behavior

First evidence of interchange of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) between the Magellan Strait and Antarctic Peninsula feeding grounds

Polar Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 613-619
Author(s):  
Jorge Acevedo ◽  
Juan Capella ◽  
Ted Cheeseman ◽  
Cole C. Monnahan ◽  
Ken Southerland ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Magellan Strait ◽  
Feeding Grounds

Local and migratory movements of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) satellite-tracked in the North Atlantic Ocean

2014 ◽  
Vol 92 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.S. Kennedy ◽  
A.N. Zerbini ◽  
O.V. Vásquez ◽  
N. Gandilhon ◽  
P.J. Clapham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dominican Republic ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
North Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
The North ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Multiple Feeding ◽  
Feeding Grounds

North Atlantic humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781)) migrate from high-latitude summer feeding grounds to low-latitude winter breeding grounds along the Antillean Island chain. In the winters and springs of 2008 through 2012, satellite tags were deployed on humpback whales on Silver Bank (Dominican Republic) and in Guadeloupe (French West Indies) breeding areas. Whales were monitored, on average, for 26 days (range = 4–90 days). Some animals remained near their tagging location for multiple days before beginning their northerly migration, yet some visited habitats along the northwestern coast of the Dominican Republic, northern Haiti, the Turks and Caicos islands, and off Anguilla. Individuals monitored during migration headed towards feeding grounds in the Gulf of Maine (USA), Canada, and the eastern North Atlantic (Iceland or Norway). One individual traveled near Bermuda during the migration. This study provides the first detailed description of routes used by North Atlantic humpback whales towards multiple feeding destinations. Additionally, it corroborates previous research showing that individuals from multiple feeding grounds migrate to the Antilles for the breeding season. This study indicates that North Atlantic humpbacks use an area broader than the existing boundaries of marine mammal sanctuaries, which should provide justification for their expansion.

Ventilation and dive patterns of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, on their Alaskan feeding grounds

1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Ford Dolphin
Keyword(s):  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Prey Patch ◽  
Feeding Grounds ◽  
Echo Sounder

Noncalf humpback whales in Frederick Sound, Alaska, were tracked for periods of up to 12.5 h during July through September 1982, 1983, and 1984. Ventilation and dive patterns in presumably undisturbed humpback whales were characterized for six behaviors. Humpbacks appeared to restrict their dives to 150 m and rarely exceeded depths of 120 m, as determined by echo sounder tracings. Duration of dives and surfacings, number of blows per surfacing, and mean blow interval were positively correlated with the depth to which whales dived. Ventilation and dive variable values were significantly elevated in 1983 relative to 1982 and 1984. This was likely due to an increase in the depth of available prey during the 1983 season. The depth to which a feeding whale dove could be related to the depth of the target prey patch with greater than 84% accuracy based upon ventilation and dive variables.

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