The enigmatic whale: the North Atlantic humpback
We know more about the North Atlantic humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) than we do for virtually any other cetacean, yet attempts to use this information to describe the status of the populations in this ocean basin have not proven satisfactory. The North Atlantic humpback has been the subject...
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Septentrio Academic Publishing
2009
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.7557/3.2712 https://doaj.org/article/9d5718b1f5ff462a9c8e019a31f63ae3 |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:9d5718b1f5ff462a9c8e019a31f63ae3 2023-05-15T16:35:55+02:00 The enigmatic whale: the North Atlantic humpback Tim D Smith Daniel G Pike 2009-09-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.7557/3.2712 https://doaj.org/article/9d5718b1f5ff462a9c8e019a31f63ae3 EN eng Septentrio Academic Publishing https://septentrio.uit.no/index.php/NAMMCOSP/article/view/2712 https://doaj.org/toc/1560-2206 https://doaj.org/toc/2309-2491 1560-2206 2309-2491 doi:10.7557/3.2712 https://doaj.org/article/9d5718b1f5ff462a9c8e019a31f63ae3 NAMMCO Scientific Publications, Vol 7, Iss 0, Pp 161-178 (2009) North Atlantic humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae Ecology QH540-549.5 article 2009 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.7557/3.2712 2022-12-31T12:14:15Z We know more about the North Atlantic humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) than we do for virtually any other cetacean, yet attempts to use this information to describe the status of the populations in this ocean basin have not proven satisfactory. The North Atlantic humpback has been the subject of extensive research over the past few decades, resulting in a substantial amount of knowledge about what has proven to be a species with a very complex life history and population structure. While several population models have been developed to integrate the available information, the data overall are not well described by any of the models. This has left considerable uncertainty about population status, and has raised questions about the interpretation of some of the data. We describe 7 specific areas where puzzling or ambiguous observations have been made; these require closer attention if population status is to be determined. These areas raise several fundamental questions, including: How many breeding populations are there? How much do the populations mix on the feeding grounds? How has the distribution of animals on both feeding and breeding grounds changed? We identify additional research needed to address the 7 areas and these questions in particular, so that population status might be determined. Article in Journal/Newspaper Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae North Atlantic Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles NAMMCO Scientific Publications 7 161 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
North Atlantic humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae Ecology QH540-549.5 |
spellingShingle |
North Atlantic humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae Ecology QH540-549.5 Tim D Smith Daniel G Pike The enigmatic whale: the North Atlantic humpback |
topic_facet |
North Atlantic humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae Ecology QH540-549.5 |
description |
We know more about the North Atlantic humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) than we do for virtually any other cetacean, yet attempts to use this information to describe the status of the populations in this ocean basin have not proven satisfactory. The North Atlantic humpback has been the subject of extensive research over the past few decades, resulting in a substantial amount of knowledge about what has proven to be a species with a very complex life history and population structure. While several population models have been developed to integrate the available information, the data overall are not well described by any of the models. This has left considerable uncertainty about population status, and has raised questions about the interpretation of some of the data. We describe 7 specific areas where puzzling or ambiguous observations have been made; these require closer attention if population status is to be determined. These areas raise several fundamental questions, including: How many breeding populations are there? How much do the populations mix on the feeding grounds? How has the distribution of animals on both feeding and breeding grounds changed? We identify additional research needed to address the 7 areas and these questions in particular, so that population status might be determined. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Tim D Smith Daniel G Pike |
author_facet |
Tim D Smith Daniel G Pike |
author_sort |
Tim D Smith |
title |
The enigmatic whale: the North Atlantic humpback |
title_short |
The enigmatic whale: the North Atlantic humpback |
title_full |
The enigmatic whale: the North Atlantic humpback |
title_fullStr |
The enigmatic whale: the North Atlantic humpback |
title_full_unstemmed |
The enigmatic whale: the North Atlantic humpback |
title_sort |
enigmatic whale: the north atlantic humpback |
publisher |
Septentrio Academic Publishing |
publishDate |
2009 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.7557/3.2712 https://doaj.org/article/9d5718b1f5ff462a9c8e019a31f63ae3 |
genre |
Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae North Atlantic |
genre_facet |
Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae North Atlantic |
op_source |
NAMMCO Scientific Publications, Vol 7, Iss 0, Pp 161-178 (2009) |
op_relation |
https://septentrio.uit.no/index.php/NAMMCOSP/article/view/2712 https://doaj.org/toc/1560-2206 https://doaj.org/toc/2309-2491 1560-2206 2309-2491 doi:10.7557/3.2712 https://doaj.org/article/9d5718b1f5ff462a9c8e019a31f63ae3 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.7557/3.2712 |
container_title |
NAMMCO Scientific Publications |
container_volume |
7 |
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161 |
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1766026232379473920 |