The migratory behaviour of narwhals ( Monodon monoceros )

Sixteen female narwhals (Monodon monoceros) were tracked by satellite in 2000 and 2001 from their summering ground near Somerset Island in the Canadian High Arctic to their wintering ground in central Baffin Bay. The wintering ground location was spatially discrete from another narwhal wintering gro...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian Journal of Zoology
Main Authors: Heide-Jørgensen, Mads Peter, Dietz, Rune, Laidre, Kristin L, Richard, Pierre, Orr, Jack, Schmidt, Hans Christian
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Canadian Science Publishing 2003
Subjects:
Animal Science and Zoology
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Arctic
Baffin Bay
Baffin
Lancaster Sound
Monodon monoceros
narwhal*
Sea ice
Somerset Island
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z03-117
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/z03-117
Description
Summary:Sixteen female narwhals (Monodon monoceros) were tracked by satellite in 2000 and 2001 from their summering ground near Somerset Island in the Canadian High Arctic to their wintering ground in central Baffin Bay. The wintering ground location was spatially discrete from another narwhal wintering ground in southern Baffin Bay. Area extent of the summering ground was approximately 9464 km 2 and area extent of the wintering ground was 25 846 km 2 . Two of the narwhals were tracked for more than 12 consecutive months. These whales used three focal areas between their spring and autumn migration: a coastal area in the open-water season in August in the Canadian High Arctic, a wintering area from November through April in the consolidated pack ice of Baffin Bay, and an early summer area in front of the receding fast ice edge in Lancaster Sound. The whales showed remarkable site fidelity to summering grounds and had specific migratory routes that followed sea ice formation and recession.

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