Migration of Antarctic minke whales to the Arctic.

• Published in: PLoS ONE
• Main Authors: Kevin A Glover, Naohisa Kanda, Tore Haug, Luis A Pastene, Nils Oien, Mutsuo Goto, Bjørghild B Seliussen, Hans J Skaug
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2010
• Subjects: Medicine; R; Science; Q; Arctic; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctic Minke whale; Balaenoptera acutorostrata; Balaenoptera bonaerensis; minke whale; North Atlantic; Northeast Atlantic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0015197; https://doaj.org/article/8a8b6f00f6e74e6f83982cbb014f3d43

The Antarctic minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis), and the common minke whale found in the North Atlantic (Balaenoptera acutorostrata acutorostrata), undertake synchronized seasonal migrations to feeding areas at their respective poles during spring, and to the tropics in the autumn where they overwinter. Differences in the timing of seasons between hemispheres prevent these species from mixing. Here, based upon analysis of mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA profiles, we report the observation of a single B. bonaerensis in 1996, and a hybrid with maternal contribution from B. bonaerensis in 2007, in the Arctic Northeast Atlantic. Paternal contribution was not conclusively resolved. This is the first documentation of B. bonaerensis north of the tropics, and, the first documentation of hybridization between minke whale species.