Feeding of humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 285-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joelle De Weerdt ◽  
Eric A. Ramos
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Coast ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
The Pacific

Diversity and distribution of mitochondrial DNA lineages among humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, in the Mexican Pacific Ocean

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (9) ◽  
pp. 1735-1743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Medrano-González ◽  
Anelio Aguayo-Lobo ◽  
Jorge Urbán-Ramírez ◽  
Charles Scott Baker
Keyword(s):  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
Control Region ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
Pacific Coast ◽  
Consensus Sequence ◽  
Phylogenetic Reconstruction ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Sequence Length ◽  
Mexican Pacific

We investigated the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) diversity of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, wintering off the Mexican Pacific coast and the Revillagigedo Islands. We amplified and sequenced a variable fragment of the mtDNA control region from skin samples of 65 whales and compared these with published sequences from whales in other regional habitats. Among the Mexican humpback whales, we distinguished eight haplotypes differing by 0.31–3.75% along a consensus sequence length of 320 base pairs. A diagnostic restriction site outside the consensus sequence identified a ninth common haplotype. A phylogenetic reconstruction of the control region sequences revealed two main groupings: an AE group, which is common throughout the North Pacific, and a CF group, which is closely related to haplotypes from the southern hemisphere. We found a significant degree of geographic subdivision in the wintering grounds of the eastern North Pacific. Within Mexico, whales off the Revillagigedo Islands are weakly but significantly differentiated from those of the Mexican Pacific coast. Our data also suggest that mtDNA haplotypes are clinally distributed along the American Pacific coast and we hypothesize that the present distribution of these lineages among humpback whales in the eastern North Pacific is probably associated with weather changes after the last glaciation.

Sex identification of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, on the wintering grounds of the Mexican Pacific Ocean

1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (10) ◽  
pp. 1771-1774 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Medrano ◽  
M. Salinas ◽  
I. Salas ◽  
P. Ladrón de Guevara ◽  
A. Aguayo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Skin Biopsy ◽  
Agonistic Behavior ◽  
Pacific Coast ◽  
Sex Identification ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Sampling Effort ◽  
Mexican Pacific ◽  
Competitive Activity ◽  
Surface Active

The sex of 43 humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) from different social groupings in the Mexican Pacific was identified by a molecular analysis of skin biopsy samples. Of the 18 whales sampled from surface-active groups, 17 were males. Three singers were sampled and identified as males. In two cases, whales interrupting and joining a singer without exhibiting agonistic behavior were identified as females. A higher proportion of males was found in the samples collected at the Revillagigedo Islands, reflecting a greater sampling effort on surface-active groups. Preliminary data showed that along the Mexican Pacific coast, the migratory arrival of males corresponds closely to the timing of competitive activity.

scholarly journals Impacts of Whale Watching on the Behavior of Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the Coast of Panama

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arielle M. Amrein ◽  
Hector M. Guzman ◽  
Katie C. Surrey ◽  
Beth Polidoro ◽  
Leah R. Gerber
Keyword(s):  
Animal Behavior ◽  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Educational Opportunities ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Whale Watching ◽  
Management Planning ◽  
Conservation Policies ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The Impact

Ecotourism focused on whales and dolphins has become a popular activity and an important source of revenue for many countries. Whale watching is vital to supporting conservation efforts and provides numerous benefits to local communities including educational opportunities and job creation. However, the sustainability of whale-based ecotourism depends on the behavior and health of whale populations and it is crucial that ecotourism industries consider the impact of their activities on whale behavior. To address this statement, we collected behavioral data (e.g., change in swimming direction, frequency of breaching, slap behaviors, diving, and spy hops) from humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the marine protected area of Las Perlas Archipelago off the Pacific coast of Panama. The goal was to determine if tourist vessel presence had an influence on whale behaviors. We conducted this study during the humpback whale breeding season from August through September 2019. Based on 47 behavioral observations, we found that higher boat density corresponded with humpback whales’ frequency of direction changes, which based on previous literature is believed to be a sign of disturbance. Alternatively, no changes in behavior were observed with varying boat density. This result is important given Panamanian regulations first implemented in 2007 by Resolution AMD/ARAP No. 01, 2007 prohibit whale-based tourism from disturbing whales, which is explicitly measured by changes in whale behavior. Because there is no systematic monitoring of whale watching activity to enforce the regulations, there is currently little compliance from tour operators and tourists. The integration of animal behavior research into management planning should result in more effective regulation and compliance of such conservation policies.

scholarly journals Fluctuations in Hawaii’s humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae population inferred from male song chorusing off Maui

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 421-434
Author(s):  
A Kügler ◽  
MO Lammers ◽  
EJ Zang ◽  
MB Kaplan ◽  
TA Mooney
Keyword(s):  
North Pacific ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Humpback Whale ◽  
Megaptera Novaeangliae ◽  
Acoustic Energy ◽  
Humpback Whales ◽  
Underwater Sound ◽  
The North ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
The North Pacific

Approximately half of the North Pacific humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae stock visits the shallow waters of the main Hawaiian Islands seasonally. Within this breeding area, mature males produce an elaborate acoustic display known as song, which becomes the dominant source of ambient underwater sound between December and April. Following reports of unusually low whale numbers that began in 2015/16, we examined song chorusing recorded through long-term passive acoustic monitoring at 6 sites off Maui as a proxy for relative whale abundance between 2014 and 2019. Daily root-mean-square sound pressure levels (RMS SPLs) were calculated to compare variations in low-frequency acoustic energy (0-1.5 kHz). After 2014/15, the overall RMS SPLs decreased between 5.6 and 9.7 dB re 1 µPa2 during the peak of whale season (February and March), reducing ambient acoustic energy from chorusing by over 50%. This change in song levels co-occurred with a broad-scale oceanic heat wave in the northeast Pacific termed the ‘Blob,’ a major El Niño event in the North Pacific, and a warming period in the Pacific Decadal Oscillation cycle. Although it remains unclear whether our observations reflect a decrease in population size, a change in migration patterns, a shift in distribution to other areas, a change in the behavior of males, or some combination of these, our results indicate that continued monitoring and further studies of humpback whales throughout the North Pacific are warranted to better understand the fluctuations occurring in this recently recovered population and other populations that continue to be endangered or threatened.

The Philological Association of The Pacific Coast

PMLA ◽  
1935 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 1373-1374
Keyword(s):  
Annual Meeting ◽  
Pacific Coast ◽  
Stanford University ◽  
The Pacific

The thirty-seventh annual meeting of the Philological Association of the Pacific Coast was held at Stanford University, California, on November 29 and 30, 1935.

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