Segregation by humpback whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) cows with a calf in coastal habitat near the island of Hawaii
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) were tracked from shore to determine habitat-use patterns in an area relatively undisturbed by human activity near the "Big Island" of Hawaii during the winter 1988 and 1989 calving seasons. The temporal and spatial distributions of whales differed...
Published in: | Canadian Journal of Zoology |
---|---|
Main Author: | |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Canadian Science Publishing
1994
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z94-109 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/z94-109 |
id |
crcansciencepubl:10.1139/z94-109 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
crcansciencepubl:10.1139/z94-109 2024-03-03T08:45:15+00:00 Segregation by humpback whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) cows with a calf in coastal habitat near the island of Hawaii Smultea, Mari A. 1994 http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z94-109 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/z94-109 en eng Canadian Science Publishing http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/page/about/CorporateTextAndDataMining Canadian Journal of Zoology volume 72, issue 5, page 805-811 ISSN 0008-4301 1480-3283 Animal Science and Zoology Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics journal-article 1994 crcansciencepubl https://doi.org/10.1139/z94-109 2024-02-07T10:53:32Z Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) were tracked from shore to determine habitat-use patterns in an area relatively undisturbed by human activity near the "Big Island" of Hawaii during the winter 1988 and 1989 calving seasons. The temporal and spatial distributions of whales differed with group size and composition. During afternoon hours, groups containing a calf occurred in water significantly shallower and nearer to shore than did groups without a calf. Late in the breeding season, the same segregation pattern occurred throughout the day. Between-groups distances were significantly greater for groups with a calf than distances between all other groups. The number of whales observed per hour peaked during mid-February, although the relative sighting rates for various group sizes and compositions varied across the breeding season. Adults without a calf may use deep water to facilitate breeding behavior, while maternal females may use shallower water to avoid harassment and injury to calves from sexually active males, turbulent offshore or deep sea conditions, or predators. The predominance of cows with a calf in coastal habitat increases their exposure to expanding human-related development and aquatic activities that could injure, disturb, or displace them. Article in Journal/Newspaper Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae Canadian Science Publishing Canadian Journal of Zoology 72 5 805 811 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Canadian Science Publishing |
op_collection_id |
crcansciencepubl |
language |
English |
topic |
Animal Science and Zoology Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics |
spellingShingle |
Animal Science and Zoology Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics Smultea, Mari A. Segregation by humpback whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) cows with a calf in coastal habitat near the island of Hawaii |
topic_facet |
Animal Science and Zoology Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics |
description |
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) were tracked from shore to determine habitat-use patterns in an area relatively undisturbed by human activity near the "Big Island" of Hawaii during the winter 1988 and 1989 calving seasons. The temporal and spatial distributions of whales differed with group size and composition. During afternoon hours, groups containing a calf occurred in water significantly shallower and nearer to shore than did groups without a calf. Late in the breeding season, the same segregation pattern occurred throughout the day. Between-groups distances were significantly greater for groups with a calf than distances between all other groups. The number of whales observed per hour peaked during mid-February, although the relative sighting rates for various group sizes and compositions varied across the breeding season. Adults without a calf may use deep water to facilitate breeding behavior, while maternal females may use shallower water to avoid harassment and injury to calves from sexually active males, turbulent offshore or deep sea conditions, or predators. The predominance of cows with a calf in coastal habitat increases their exposure to expanding human-related development and aquatic activities that could injure, disturb, or displace them. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Smultea, Mari A. |
author_facet |
Smultea, Mari A. |
author_sort |
Smultea, Mari A. |
title |
Segregation by humpback whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) cows with a calf in coastal habitat near the island of Hawaii |
title_short |
Segregation by humpback whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) cows with a calf in coastal habitat near the island of Hawaii |
title_full |
Segregation by humpback whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) cows with a calf in coastal habitat near the island of Hawaii |
title_fullStr |
Segregation by humpback whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) cows with a calf in coastal habitat near the island of Hawaii |
title_full_unstemmed |
Segregation by humpback whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) cows with a calf in coastal habitat near the island of Hawaii |
title_sort |
segregation by humpback whale ( megaptera novaeangliae ) cows with a calf in coastal habitat near the island of hawaii |
publisher |
Canadian Science Publishing |
publishDate |
1994 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z94-109 http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/z94-109 |
genre |
Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae |
genre_facet |
Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae |
op_source |
Canadian Journal of Zoology volume 72, issue 5, page 805-811 ISSN 0008-4301 1480-3283 |
op_rights |
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/page/about/CorporateTextAndDataMining |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1139/z94-109 |
container_title |
Canadian Journal of Zoology |
container_volume |
72 |
container_issue |
5 |
container_start_page |
805 |
op_container_end_page |
811 |
_version_ |
1792500780425543680 |