Whales of the rainforest: habitat use strategies of sympatric rorqual whales within a fjord system

• Main Author: Keen, Eric
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: eScholarship, University of California 2017
• Subjects: Ecology; Behavioral sciences; Environmental science; British Columbia; fjord; foraging strategy; habitat use; whales; Canada; Kitimat; Pacific; Rorqual; Balaenoptera physalus; Fin whale; Megaptera novaeangliae
• Online Access: http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/52f602q1

The energy needs of rorqual whales (f. Balaenopteridae) govern their relationship to marine habitats during the foraging season. However, their cryptic foraging strategies and extreme feeding behaviors complicate our effort to identify and protect habitats “critical” for rorquals. What is the relati...