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

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...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian Journal of Zoology
Main Authors: Medrano, L., Salinas, M., Salas, I., Guevara, P. Ladrón de, Aguayo, A., Jacobsen, J., Baker, C. S.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1994
Subjects:
Animal Science and Zoology
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
Megaptera novaeangliae
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z94-239
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/z94-239
Description
Summary: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.

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