Cetaceans of the California Current System
(Summary of the three presentations compiled by the conveners) A diverse cetacean fauna characterizes the California Current system. Eight mysticete (baleen whale) and twenty-one odontocete (toothed whale) species regularly occur off the west coast of North America. Amidst the mysticetes, blue (Bala...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
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| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.582.8851 http://swfsc.noaa.gov/publications/cr/2002/2002forn2.pdf |
| Summary: | (Summary of the three presentations compiled by the conveners) A diverse cetacean fauna characterizes the California Current system. Eight mysticete (baleen whale) and twenty-one odontocete (toothed whale) species regularly occur off the west coast of North America. Amidst the mysticetes, blue (Balaenoptera musculus) and humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) have been the focus of intensive telemetry and photo-identification studies to characterize their movements and migrations. These species range over vast areas, and routinely travel thousands of kilometers from summer feeding areas in the California Current to distant wintering grounds at lower latitudes. However, there are no simple migratory patterns for humpback whales between the California Current and the three wintering areas. Similarly, blue whales migrate to the Costa Rica dome, Baja California and the Galapagos Islands. Moreover, researchers have identified distinct feeding aggregations along the west coast of North America, with little or no overlap between distinct regional groups. However, why certain individuals migrate to specific areas remains unknown. In addition to these vast seasonal movements, large mysticete whales forage over |
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