Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae, song during the breeding season in the Gulf of Tribugá, Colombian Pacific

A key feature of humpback whale behavior, documented primarily on the breeding grounds, is the repertoire of the males’ song. Song is made up of single units combined together into phrases, which are repeated to make up themes. A song consists of several themes sung in succession. This study qualita...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Perazio, Christina E., Zapetis, Maria E., Roberson, Dana, Botero, Natalia, Kuczaj II, Stan
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Indian Ocean e-Ink 2018
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journalmcd.com/index.php/mcd/article/view/mcd.v13i1.12
Description
Summary:A key feature of humpback whale behavior, documented primarily on the breeding grounds, is the repertoire of the males’ song. Song is made up of single units combined together into phrases, which are repeated to make up themes. A song consists of several themes sung in succession. This study qualitatively investigates the presence and structure of song recorded in the Gulf of Tribugá in the Colombian Pacific. Data were collected between June and September 2013, from which approximately 4 hours and 30 minutes of song were analyzed from five individual whales. Three distinct themes, always sung in the same order (theme 1-theme 2-theme 3) were identified. Theme 1 was the most predominant theme overall, and was present in each song session that was analyzed. The structure of each theme is described with accompanying spectrograms, and acoustic parameters further illustrate theme progression and characterize differences between whales. This study serves as the first published descriptive analysis of the song of stock G in this area, and suggestions are made for future directions of investigation. Research on humpback song is used as a part of the overall efforts of Macuáticos Colombia Foundation to educate the communities of the Gulf of Tribugá about the importance of conservation, and to advocate for stricter guidelines for safe practices. RésuméLes baleines à bosse ont été observées dans le monde entier et elles migrent chaque année entre leurs zones de nourrissage dans les latitudes élevées et les aires de reproduction aux latitudes basses. Le chant des baleines à bosse est l’un des comportements lié à l’accouplement qui a été documenté sur les aires de reproduction. Ce chant est composé d'unités simples combinées dans des phrases et qui sont répétées pour composer des thèmes. Les chants sont composés de plusieurs thèmes et sont principalement émis par les mâles. L'étude actuelle a porté sur la présence et la structure du chant des baleines à bosse du G-stock enregistré dans le golfe de Tribugá dans le Pacifique ...