scholarly journals Social Behaviour of Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Hervey Bay, Eastern Australia, a Preferential Female Stopover During the Southern Migration

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trish Franklin ◽  
Wally Franklin ◽  
Lyndon Brooks ◽  
Peter Harrison ◽  
Adam A. Pack ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Humpback Whale ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
The Social ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Competitive Behaviour ◽  
Males And Females

Agonistic competitive social behaviour in humpback whales [Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781)] has been extensively studied and reported in previous research. However, non-agonistic social behaviour in humpback whale pods has not been systematically studied. We investigated the social behaviour of 3,949 humpback whale pods over a period of 14 years during August, September, and October in Hervey Bay (Queensland, eastern Australia), a preferential female stopover early in the southern migration. Modelling and analyses of the data examined the factors influencing the occurrence and timing of non-agonistic social behaviour pods, agonistic competitive pods and newly associated pods. Non-agonistic social behaviour was observed more frequently during August when mature females, including early pregnant and resting females, co-occur and socially interact with immature males and females. Overall, relatively few mature males visit Hervey Bay. Agonistic competitive behaviour was observed with increasing frequency during September and October when mother-calf pods, with few escorts predominated. Mother-calf pods in Hervey Bay spent most of their time alone involved in maternal care. Agonistic competitive behaviour is related to the decreasing numbers of potentially oestrous females toward the end of the season. Non-agonistic social behaviour and agonistic competitive behaviour were more frequently observed in larger and newly associated pods. Overall, non-agonistic social behaviour pods were more prevalent than agonistic competitive social behaviour pods. The results of this study substantiate that non-agonistic social behaviour may be more prevalent than aggressive agonistic social behaviour in site-specific locations and habitats, depending upon the classes and timings of humpback whales using such habitats.

Geograpmc Variation in South Pacific Humpback Whale Songs

Behaviour ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 135 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Helweg ◽  
Peter Jenkins ◽  
Douglas Cat ◽  
Robert McCauley ◽  
Claire Garrigue
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Cultural Transmission ◽  
Regional Differences ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
South Pacific ◽  
Humpback Whale ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Song Sharing ◽  
Eastern Australia

AbstractEvery winter, (male) humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) produce long complex songs. Song content is dynamic and singers incorporate changes as they occur, thus song is shared through cultural transmission. We compared songs recorded in winter migratory termini in Tonga, New Caledonia, Eastern Australia, and on migration paths off Eastern Australia and New Zealand, in the winter of 1994. Seven themes were shared by all regions, with an additional two themes shared by all but Tonga. Differences in regional variants were most pronounced between Tongan and Eastern Australian song. New Caledonian and Kaikouran song were more similar to songs from Eastern Australia rather than Tonga. These regional differences were stable across the season. The results suggest some migratory exchange among widely separate wintering regions of Area V, consistent with tag recovery data, but the time and location at which song sharing occurs remains speculative.

Aggressive behavior between humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) wintering in Hawaiian waters

1984 ◽  
Vol 62 (10) ◽  
pp. 1922-1937 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Scott Baker ◽  
Louis M. Herman
Keyword(s):  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Pair Bonds ◽  
The Social ◽  
Newborn Calves ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Peak Abundance ◽  
Physical Displacement ◽  
Sexually Mature ◽  
Winter Breeding

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) wintering in Hawaiian waters engage in strenuous aggression toward con-specifics. The social context and sex of individuals involved suggest that aggression is the result of male–male competition for sexually mature females, including cows with newborn calves. Characteristic behaviors associated with aggression occur in a roughly hierarchical scaling of intensity and include broadside displays, underwater exhalations, head lunges (in which the throat is inflated and enlarged), physical displacement, and charge–strikes. Humpback whales do not form stable pair bonds during the winter breeding season; females are seen serially and simultaneously with multiple males and males are seen serially with multiple females. Repeated observations of individually identified whales indicate that escorting and singing are interchangeable reproductive roles of mature males. Incidents of aggression show a seasonal increase and decrease that parallel changes in abundance and average pod size. A seasonal peak in the frequency of aggression is probably related to an increase in population density and to changes in the reproductive physiology of mature males and females. It is suggested that singing may function, in part, to synchronize ovulation in females with the peak abundance of mature males on the wintering grounds.

Temporal pattern of humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) group structure around Abrolhos Archipelago breeding region, Bahia, Brazil

2007 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria E. Morete ◽  
Tatiana L. Bisi ◽  
Sergio Rosso
Keyword(s):  
Social Status ◽  
Temporal Pattern ◽  
Group Composition ◽  
Group Structure ◽  
Temporal Patterns ◽  
Humpback Whale ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Migration Patterns ◽  
The Social

To characterize temporal patterns of humpback group structure around Abrolhos Archipelago, Brazil, seven years (1998–2004) of data obtained from July through November were analysed. During one-hour scans, observers determined group composition within 9.3 km around a land-based station. A total of 930 scans, comprising 4288 groups were analysed. Seven group categories were identified and their frequencies were 14.6% of 1AD (lone whale), 25.2% of DYAD (two adult whales), 7.3% of TRIO (three adult whales), 5.2 of TRIO+ (more than three adults), 24.9% of MOC (mother and calf), 19.6% of MOCE (mother, calf and one escort), and 3.1% of MOCE+ (mother, calf and more than one escort). Proportions of whale-group categories did not change between morning and afternoon, nor among years. However, as the season progressed, groups with calves increased while groups without calves decreased. This progression may be explained by the segregated migration patterns of humpback whales and also by changes in the social status of individuals. The Abrolhos Reef provides protection from the prevailing winds, which may explain the higher proportion of groups with calves in the area.

Site-specific female-biased sex ratio of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) during a stopover early in the southern migration

2018 ◽  
Vol 96 (6) ◽  
pp. 533-544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trish Franklin ◽  
Wally Franklin ◽  
Lyndon Brooks ◽  
Peter Harrison
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Habitat Preferences ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Biased Sex Ratio ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Migration Modeling

Previous research on humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781)), in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres, has reported site-specific male-biased sex ratios in breeding grounds and along migratory corridors. However, one recent Southern Hemisphere study reported a female-biased sex ratio in a feeding area within a coastal migratory corridor, indicating that females may preferentially occupy some habitats. We investigated the classes and relative seasonal timing of humpback whales using Hervey Bay (Queensland, Australia) as a stopover early in the southern migration. Modeling and analyzes were undertaken using data from resighting histories of 361 individually identified whales between 1992 and 2009. The data consisted of 2131 sightings categorized by either sex, age, reproductive status, or maturational status. A female-biased sex ratio of 2.94:1 indicates that Hervey Bay is a preferential stopover for females. The data revealed that the bay is important for mature females who co-occur with immature males and females during August. During September and October, mothers with calves accompanied by a few escorts dominate the Bay. Immature males and females socialize with mature females during August and September. The data support the hypothesis that habitat preferences and differential migration of females and males provide a plausible explanation for site-specific sex-bias in breeding grounds, migratory stopovers, and along migratory corridors.

scholarly journals Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) observations in Laskeek Bay, western Hecate Strait, in spring and early summer, 1990–2018

2020 ◽  
Vol 133 (3) ◽  
pp. 263-269
Author(s):  
Anthony J. Gaston ◽  
Neil G. Pilgrim ◽  
Vivian Pattison
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Humpback Whale ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
The West ◽  
Peak Period ◽  
West Side

We describe observations of Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) made along the west side of central Hecate Strait, British Columbia, during the spring and summer of 1990–2018. From none in March, the frequency of sightings increased from early April to a peak in May, then fell in June with few in July. The frequency of sightings during the peak period (1 May–20 June) increased over the course of the study at a mean rate of 6% a year, similar to increases recorded elsewhere in British Columbian waters. The frequency of sightings was highest in years when the Oceanic Niño Index for January–March was low and peaked earlier in years when the Oceanic Niño Index was high. Both of these relationships suggest a connection between Humpback Whale sightings in western Hecate Strait and the larger oceanographic context, with sightings more frequent in years of lower water temperatures.

Social behaviour of feeding finback whales off Newfoundland: comparisons with the sympatric humpback whale

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 217-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hal Whitehead ◽  
Carole Carlson
Keyword(s):  
Short Duration ◽  
Newfoundland And Labrador ◽  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Humpback Whale ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Horizontal Size

Finback whales off Newfoundland and Labrador formed groups of between 1 and 10 animals, with smaller groups being found more frequently. The number of whales in a group was closely related to the horizontal size of the prey schools on which the whales were feeding. Associations between individual finbacks were generally of short duration. In these respects finback social behaviour was similar to that of the humpback whales that frequently fed on the same prey schools as the finbacks. However, finbacks moved faster than the humpbacks, stayed further apart from conspecifics, and, unlike the humpbacks, were never observed to perform energetic above-water displays. Differences in speed and manoeuvrability between the two species may explain why they rarely formed interspecific groupings.

Multiple visits of individual humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) between the Hawaiian and Japanese winter grounds

1999 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 504-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan R Salden ◽  
Louis M Herman ◽  
Manami Yamaguchi ◽  
Fumihiko Sato
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variability ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
Humpback Whale ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Winter Ground ◽  
The Third ◽  
Breeding Populations ◽  
Published Report

We document through photographic identifications three humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) winter ground interchanges between Hawai'i and Japan. Two of these whales, identified as male by their behavioral roles, made multiple interchanges across years; i.e., they were initially seen in Hawai'i, were later observed in Japan, and subsequently, returned to Hawai'i. The third whale was seen in only 2 different years, once in Japan and then in Hawai'i. Prior to this report, there has been only one published report of a Hawai'i-Japan interchange and only eight between Hawai'i and Mexico. None of these involved multiple interchanges. The current findings demonstrate that individual whales may be highly flexible in their annual choice of widely separated winter destinations and suggest that these wanderers may be mainly males. The occurrence of wanderers provides a mechanism for increasing genetic variability in the breeding populations and also suggests a mechanism for noted song similarities across different North Pacific winter grounds.

Testing the resource economic monopolization hypothesis and its consequences for the mating system ofAlpheus estuariensis(Decapoda, Caridea, Alpheidae)

2018 ◽  
Vol 99 (3) ◽  
pp. 639-647
Author(s):  
Danillo Barroso ◽  
Douglas Fernandes Rodrigues Alves ◽  
Gustavo L. Hirose
Keyword(s):  
Mating System ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Random Distribution ◽  
Great Abundance ◽  
North East ◽  
The Social ◽  
Average Abundance ◽  
Males And Females

The aim of the present study is to test the resource economic monopolization hypothesis and the hypothesis of monogamy using the shrimpAlpheus estuariensisas a model. The shrimps were collected in two areas in the Vaza-Barriz estuary, north-east Brazil, from August to November 2016. The average abundance of refuges was obtained through 30 random replicates. The shrimp presented a random distribution in both areas. Males and females found together showed a weak relation between their sizes, with males being larger than females. In addition, the cheliped of males grows proportionally more than that of females. The great abundance of refuges present in the environment, added to the aforementioned results, do not support the idea of refuge-guarding behaviour or monogamy. These results, which are in disagreement with those already found for some shrimps of the same family, genus, and even species, reinforce the idea that Alpheidae can be used as a model in the study of how environmental conditions are capable of shaping the social behaviour of a species.

Male mate choice and male-male competition coexist in the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)

2002 ◽  
Vol 80 (4) ◽  
pp. 745-755 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison S Craig ◽  
Louis M Herman ◽  
Adam A Pack
Keyword(s):  
Mate Choice ◽  
Reproductive Potential ◽  
Humpback Whale ◽  
Male Competition ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Reproductive Season ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Male Mate Choice ◽  
Calving Rate ◽  
Male Mate

Male humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) outnumber females on the winter grounds and compete physically for proximity to females. Analyses of identification photographs collected in Hawai'i from 1976 through 1995 and scan samples collected in 1998 showed that (i) reproductive potential (calving rate) for the following winter was greater for females without a calf than females with a calf, (ii) females without a calf were less likely to be found alone and more likely to be found in large pods than females with a calf, (iii) individual females were found in larger pods when without a calf than when with a calf, (iv) the probability of females with a calf being escorted by one or more males increased as the reproductive season progressed, and (v) head lunges occurred more commonly in all-adult pods than in pods containing a calf. We concluded that male humpback whales associate preferentially with females with high reproductive potential, that the attractiveness of individual females varies with their status (with a calf versus without a calf), that males become progressively less choosy over the course of the reproductive season as females without a calf become increasingly rare on the winter grounds, and that males expend more energy in competition over females without a calf than females with a calf.

Reproduction and recruitment of individually identified humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, observed in Massachusetts Bay, 1979–1985

1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (12) ◽  
pp. 2853-2863 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phillip J. Clapham ◽  
Charles A. Mayo
Keyword(s):  
Birth Rate ◽  
Crude Birth Rate ◽  
Humpback Whale ◽  
Mature Female ◽  
Reproductive Rate ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Massachusetts Bay ◽  
High Return ◽  
Calving Intervals

Humpback whale mother–calf pairs from a currently unexploited population were observed in Massachusetts Bay between 1979 and 1985. During this period, 44 individually identified mature females were observed, with a total of 72 calves. Of the 20 mothers observed with more than one calf during the study period, 12 had two calves and 8 had three calves. The observed calving intervals were 1 year (n = 1), 2 years (n = 16), 3 years (n = 10), and 4 years (n = 1). The crude birth rate varied from a low of 0.045 in 1981 to a high of 0.103 in 1983 (mean = 0.075). An alternative calculation of reproductive rate yielded a range of 0.30–0.43 calves per mature female per year. Mature females were observed significantly more frequently in years when they had a calf than in years when they did not. Females with calves associate with other whales less frequently than females without calves. Observations of calves feeding suggest that weaning may begin when calves are 5–6 months of age. Forty-five of the 49 calves born before 1985 separated from their mothers during the calf's second winter, while 37 of the 49 were observed to return to the study area in 1 or more years after separation from their mothers. One calf is known to have died. Two females born during the study period returned with calves of their own in later years. The high return rate of calves in years after separation strongly suggests that the composition of a humpback whale feeding stock is determined matrilineally.

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