Genetic differentiation between humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae ) from Atlantic and Pacific breeding grounds of South America

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 457-479 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Lúcia Cypriano-Souza ◽  
Márcia H. Engel ◽  
Susana Caballero ◽  
Carlos Olavarría ◽  
Lilián Flórez-González ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Genetic Differentiation ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Breeding Grounds

Possible Sexing Technique for Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae)

1980 ◽  
Vol 37 (12) ◽  
pp. 2362-2364 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. P. Jurasz ◽  
D. McSweeney ◽  
C. M. Jurasz
Keyword(s):  
Morphological Feature ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Pregnant Female ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Reasonable Accuracy ◽  
Southeast Alaska ◽  
Dorsal Fin ◽  
Breeding Grounds

By comparing photographs of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) photographed at the peak of their arch during a dive, we found some to be smooth and others to be scalloped middorsally caudal to the dorsal fin. Out of 410 photographs taken in southeast Alaska and Hawaii, 66% were found to be smooth and 34% scalloped. All females with calves were smooth. One pregnant female was smooth and only one female who was pregnant was slightly scalloped. One known male was scalloped and one "singer" on the Hawaiian breeding grounds was scalloped. We suggest that the smoothness or scalloping of this region is a morphological feature and can be used with reasonable accuracy to determine sex in humpback whales.Key words: humpback whales, morphology, sex

Site fidelity and residence times of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) on the Brazilian coast

2012 ◽  
Vol 92 (8) ◽  
pp. 1783-1791 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clarêncio G. Baracho-Neto ◽  
Elitieri Santos Neto ◽  
Marcos R. Rossi-Santos ◽  
Leonardo L. Wedekin ◽  
Mariana C. Neves ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Residence Time ◽  
Site Fidelity ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Brazilian Coast ◽  
Northern Coast ◽  
Occupancy Rate ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Minimum Number ◽  
Using Data

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) migrate between their feeding grounds, located in high latitudes, and their breeding grounds, located in low latitudes, exhibiting certain levels of site fidelity to their migratory destinations. The residence time, also known as occupancy rate, can be defined as the minimum number of days that those individuals remained in the same area. In this paper, site fidelity and residence time of humpback whales that breed off the northern coast of Bahia, Brazil were investigated. Data were collected between 2000 and 2009 on-board research cruises and whale watching vessels. This paper also studies possible differences between males and females with respect to site fidelity off the Brazilian coast, using data collected since 1989. A total of 841 whales were photo-identified. The vast majority of the whales (96%, N = 809) were seen only once in the studied area, while 4% (32 individuals) were seen twice. Most of the resights occurred within the same season (72%, N = 23), while 9 resights (28%) occurred in different years. None of the individuals were seen more than twice. The average site fidelity rate was 1% and the occupancy rate varied from one up to 21 days (mean = 5.3; SD = 5.4, N = 23).

Interchange of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) between northern Philippines and Ogasawara, Japan, has implications for conservation

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 378
Author(s):  
Shotaro Nakagun ◽  
Laetitia I. Smoll ◽  
Takayuki Sato ◽  
Cynthia A. A. Layusa ◽  
Jo Marie V. Acebes
Keyword(s):  
North Pacific ◽  
Site Fidelity ◽  
Western North Pacific ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Scientific Data ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
High Site ◽  
Pass Through

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the western North Pacific breed in the Philippines and Japan, where there is relatively little scientific data available, leading to uncertainty about their population status and structure. This study investigates links between humpback whale populations in northern Philippines and Ogasawara, Japan, through a comparison of the most recent fluke identification catalogues. The Philippines catalogue (1999–2016) included 234 individuals, and the Ogasawara catalogue (1987–2014), 1389 individuals. The number of matched individuals was 86 (including 14 known females and 40 known males), corresponding to 36.8% of the Philippines and 6.2% of the Ogasawara catalogues. The findings included four within-season matches, with travel times as short as 25 days. The results suggest that a considerable portion of whales utilising Philippine waters pass through and also utilise the Ogasawara region, but the majority of whales found off Ogasawara either stay in that location, move to different breeding grounds, or remain out of the sampling area. Nevertheless, in light of the high site fidelity of individuals in the Philippines and Ogasawara area, as well as constant evidence of breeding activities, these regions are of importance to the lesser known western North Pacific subpopulation. Humpback whales migrating to this part of the world are estimated to be in relatively low abundance, therefore continued conservation attention is needed.

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.

Photo-identification matches of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae ) from feeding areas in Russian Far East seas and breeding grounds in the North Pacific

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga V. Titova ◽  
Olga A. Filatova ◽  
Ivan D. Fedutin ◽  
Ekaterina N. Ovsyanikova ◽  
Haruna Okabe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Pacific ◽  
Russian Far East ◽  
Far East ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Photo Identification ◽  
The North ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
The North Pacific

scholarly journals A STOP FOR A SNACK: apparent humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) feeding behavior and association with gillnets during migration off south-eastern Brazil

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Salvatore Siciliano ◽  
Júlio Cardoso ◽  
Arlaine Francisco ◽  
Sérgio Carvalho Moreira
Keyword(s):  
Humpback Whale ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Brazilian Coast ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Eastern Brazil ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Migratory Period

Baleias-jubarte (Megaptera novaeangliae) migram anualmente desde as águas frias dos polos, onde alimentam-se de krill e pequenos peixes, em direção a regiões tropicais e subtropicais em busca de ambientes favoráveis para reprodução e cria de filhotes. Ainda pouco conhecidos são os casos de baleias-jubarte alimentando-se em áreas de reprodução. Nesse trabalho relatamos as primeiras observações em campo de uma baleia juvenil – yearling, em provável comportamento de forrageamento buscando por prováveis crustáceos ou cefalópodes em curtos mergulhos fundos. São relatadas outras observações semelhantes nas quais das baleias pareciam aproximar-se de redes de emalhe, provavelmente atraídas por peixes ali enredados e disponíveis. Considera-se que em alguns desses casos a aproximação das baleias em direção às redes tenha causado emalhamentos, que pelo menos em um caso o exemplar libertou-se das redes. Em outros casos as redes podem ter causados ferimentos e lesões nas baleias-jubarte. Recomenda-se um acompanhamento dessas interações pela costa brasileira a longo prazo para uma melhor avaliação dessas interações.Palavras-chave: Baleia-jubarte; Enredamento; Forrageamento; Brasil.ABSTRACTHumpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) migrate annually from the cold waters of the poles, where they feed on krill, towards subtropical and tropical regions in search of favorable environments for breeding and calving. Cases of humpback whales feeding on breeding grounds are still poorly known in the world. This study reports field observations of a juvenile whale - yearling, in Brazilian waters, with evidence of foraging behavior, in search of prey that seemed to be prawn or squid, during short dives. In addition, other similar observations are reported in southeastern Brazil in which the whales showed interest and approach gillnets, probably attracted by entangled fish. In some of these cases, it is considered that whale approaching towards the nets has caused entanglements, and in at least one case the specimen freed itself from nets. In other cases, nets may have caused humpback whale injuries. A follow-up of these interactions throughout the Brazilian coast is recommendedfor a better evaluation of these interactions with fishing nets, since they may represent a new form of behavior of these whales in their migratory period. 

scholarly journals Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) Song on a Subarctic Feeding Ground

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saskia C. Martin ◽  
Ana S. Aniceto ◽  
Heidi Ahonen ◽  
Geir Pedersen ◽  
Ulf Lindstrøm
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Transmission ◽  
Humpback Whale ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Low Latitude ◽  
Feeding Ground ◽  
The North ◽  
Singing Behavior ◽  
Breeding Grounds ◽  
Singing Activity

Male humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are known to produce long complex sequences of structured vocalizations called song. Singing behavior has traditionally been associated with low latitude breeding grounds but is increasingly reported outside these areas. This study provides the first report of humpback whale songs in the subarctic waters of Northern Norway using a long-term bottom-moored hydrophone. Data processed included the months January–June 2018 and December 2018–January 2019. Out of 189 days with recordings, humpback whale singing was heard on 79 days. Singing was first detected beginning of January 2018 with a peak in February and was heard until mid-April. No singing activity was found during the summer months and was heard again in December 2018, continuing over January 2019. A total of 131 song sessions, including 35 full sessions, were identified throughout the study period. The longest and shortest complete sessions lasted 815 and 13 min, respectively. The results confirm that singing can be heard over several months in winter and spring on a high latitude feeding ground. This provides additional evidence to the growing literature that singing is not an explicit behavior confined to low latitude breeding grounds. The peak of song occurrence in February appears to coincide with the reproductive cycle of humpback whales. Finally, this study indicates that song occurrence on a subarctic feeding ground likely aids the cultural transmission for the North Atlantic humpback whale population.

PHOTO-IDENTIFICATION OF HUMPBACK WHALES (MEGAPTERA NOVAEANGLIAE) IN NEW ZEALAND WATERS AND THEIR MIGRATORY CONNECTIONS TO BREEDING GROUNDS OF OCEANIA

2007 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 715-720 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rochelle Constantine ◽  
Kirsty Russell ◽  
Nadine Gibbs ◽  
Simon Childerhouse ◽  
C. Scott Baker
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Photo Identification ◽  
Breeding Grounds

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.

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