Young humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae feeding in Santa Catarina coastal waters, Southern Brazil, and a ship strike report
Abstract Background Humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae are cosmopolitan and highly migratory animals that rarely feed in low latitude waters during their breeding seasons. The western South Atlantic humpback whale population breeds off the Brazilian coast, from Natal (4°S) to Cabo Frio (23°S) an...
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ftbiomed:oai:biomedcentral.com:s41200-016-0043-4 2023-05-15T16:35:50+02:00 Young humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae feeding in Santa Catarina coastal waters, Southern Brazil, and a ship strike report Bortolotto, Guilherme Kolesnikovas, Cristiane Freire, Andrea Simões-Lopes, Paulo 2016-07-13 http://www.mbr.biomedcentral.comcontent/9/1/29 en eng BioMed Central Ltd. http://www.mbr.biomedcentral.comcontent/9/1/29 Copyright 2016 Bortolotto de Oliveira et al. Large whale Migration Peisos petrunkevitchi Prey Distribution Western South Atlantic Marine Record 2016 ftbiomed 2016-07-17T00:00:41Z Abstract Background Humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae are cosmopolitan and highly migratory animals that rarely feed in low latitude waters during their breeding seasons. The western South Atlantic humpback whale population breeds off the Brazilian coast, from Natal (4°S) to Cabo Frio (23°S) and migration to their feeding grounds is known to be undertaken through offshore waters. Results Here we report on an unusual stranding of a young humpback whale that was feeding in the coastal waters of Santa Catarina state (27°S), in October 2014. Evidence of a ship strike and that the animal had fed in no more than a few hours before death are also presented. Additionally, it is the first time that Peisos petrunkevitchi , a sergestid shrimp species, is described as prey for large whales. Conclusions Although more information is required before we can further discuss whether the area could provide an important source of food for young humpback whales, the present ship strike highlights a possibly important threat in case this ecological feature is confirmed in the future. Other/Unknown Material Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae BioMed Central |
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BioMed Central |
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language |
English |
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Large whale Migration Peisos petrunkevitchi Prey Distribution Western South Atlantic |
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Large whale Migration Peisos petrunkevitchi Prey Distribution Western South Atlantic Bortolotto, Guilherme Kolesnikovas, Cristiane Freire, Andrea Simões-Lopes, Paulo Young humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae feeding in Santa Catarina coastal waters, Southern Brazil, and a ship strike report |
topic_facet |
Large whale Migration Peisos petrunkevitchi Prey Distribution Western South Atlantic |
description |
Abstract Background Humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae are cosmopolitan and highly migratory animals that rarely feed in low latitude waters during their breeding seasons. The western South Atlantic humpback whale population breeds off the Brazilian coast, from Natal (4°S) to Cabo Frio (23°S) and migration to their feeding grounds is known to be undertaken through offshore waters. Results Here we report on an unusual stranding of a young humpback whale that was feeding in the coastal waters of Santa Catarina state (27°S), in October 2014. Evidence of a ship strike and that the animal had fed in no more than a few hours before death are also presented. Additionally, it is the first time that Peisos petrunkevitchi , a sergestid shrimp species, is described as prey for large whales. Conclusions Although more information is required before we can further discuss whether the area could provide an important source of food for young humpback whales, the present ship strike highlights a possibly important threat in case this ecological feature is confirmed in the future. |
format |
Other/Unknown Material |
author |
Bortolotto, Guilherme Kolesnikovas, Cristiane Freire, Andrea Simões-Lopes, Paulo |
author_facet |
Bortolotto, Guilherme Kolesnikovas, Cristiane Freire, Andrea Simões-Lopes, Paulo |
author_sort |
Bortolotto, Guilherme |
title |
Young humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae feeding in Santa Catarina coastal waters, Southern Brazil, and a ship strike report |
title_short |
Young humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae feeding in Santa Catarina coastal waters, Southern Brazil, and a ship strike report |
title_full |
Young humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae feeding in Santa Catarina coastal waters, Southern Brazil, and a ship strike report |
title_fullStr |
Young humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae feeding in Santa Catarina coastal waters, Southern Brazil, and a ship strike report |
title_full_unstemmed |
Young humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae feeding in Santa Catarina coastal waters, Southern Brazil, and a ship strike report |
title_sort |
young humpback whale megaptera novaeangliae feeding in santa catarina coastal waters, southern brazil, and a ship strike report |
publisher |
BioMed Central Ltd. |
publishDate |
2016 |
url |
http://www.mbr.biomedcentral.comcontent/9/1/29 |
genre |
Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae |
genre_facet |
Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae |
op_relation |
http://www.mbr.biomedcentral.comcontent/9/1/29 |
op_rights |
Copyright 2016 Bortolotto de Oliveira et al. |
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1766026148360224768 |