Migratory movements of individual humpback whales photographed off the eastern coast of Australia
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) migrate long distances each year on a return journey from low-latitude breeding grounds to high-latitude feeding grounds. Migration is influenced by subtle and complex social behaviors and the assumption that whales transit directly through the migratory corr...
Published in: | Marine Mammal Science |
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Online Access: | https://epubs.scu.edu.au/esm_pubs/1907 https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12057 |
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ftsoutherncu:oai:epubs.scu.edu.au:esm_pubs-2919 2023-05-15T16:36:05+02:00 Migratory movements of individual humpback whales photographed off the eastern coast of Australia Burns, Daniel Brooks, Lyndon O Harrison, Peter Lynton Franklin, Trish Franklin, Wally Paton, David Clapham, Phil 2014-01-01T08:00:00Z https://epubs.scu.edu.au/esm_pubs/1907 https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12057 unknown ePublications@SCU School of Environment, Science and Engineering Papers Humpback whale megaptera novaeangliae migration travel direction speed photo-identification Migaloo Australia Environmental Sciences article 2014 ftsoutherncu https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12057 2019-08-06T12:54:03Z Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) migrate long distances each year on a return journey from low-latitude breeding grounds to high-latitude feeding grounds. Migration is influenced by subtle and complex social behaviors and the assumption that whales transit directly through the migratory corridor off the east coast of Australia requires further investigation. From 2003 to 2005, we followed the movements of 99 individual whales within one migratory cycle from three locations, off Byron Bay during the whales' northern migration and in Hervey Bay and at Ballina during the southern migration. The median sighting interval of whales between Byron Bay and Hervey Bay (n = 26) was 52 d (IQR = 42.5–75.5); between Byron Bay and Ballina (n = 21) was 59 d (IQR = 47.0–70.0); and between Hervey Bay and Ballina (n = 33) was 9 d (8.0–14.0). The overall pattern observed from these resightings suggests that Group E1 humpback whales spend approximately two months in the northern quarter of their range during the austral winter months. Intraseason resightings of whales at Ballina (n = 13, median sighting interval = 7 d) also suggest that some individuals, particularly adult males, may circle back north during their general southward journey along this part of the coast, perhaps in an attempt to increase mating opportunities. Article in Journal/Newspaper Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae Southern Cross University: epublications@SCU Austral Byron Bay ENVELOPE(-108.475,-108.475,68.932,68.932) Marine Mammal Science 30 2 562 578 |
institution |
Open Polar |
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Southern Cross University: epublications@SCU |
op_collection_id |
ftsoutherncu |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Humpback whale megaptera novaeangliae migration travel direction speed photo-identification Migaloo Australia Environmental Sciences |
spellingShingle |
Humpback whale megaptera novaeangliae migration travel direction speed photo-identification Migaloo Australia Environmental Sciences Burns, Daniel Brooks, Lyndon O Harrison, Peter Lynton Franklin, Trish Franklin, Wally Paton, David Clapham, Phil Migratory movements of individual humpback whales photographed off the eastern coast of Australia |
topic_facet |
Humpback whale megaptera novaeangliae migration travel direction speed photo-identification Migaloo Australia Environmental Sciences |
description |
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) migrate long distances each year on a return journey from low-latitude breeding grounds to high-latitude feeding grounds. Migration is influenced by subtle and complex social behaviors and the assumption that whales transit directly through the migratory corridor off the east coast of Australia requires further investigation. From 2003 to 2005, we followed the movements of 99 individual whales within one migratory cycle from three locations, off Byron Bay during the whales' northern migration and in Hervey Bay and at Ballina during the southern migration. The median sighting interval of whales between Byron Bay and Hervey Bay (n = 26) was 52 d (IQR = 42.5–75.5); between Byron Bay and Ballina (n = 21) was 59 d (IQR = 47.0–70.0); and between Hervey Bay and Ballina (n = 33) was 9 d (8.0–14.0). The overall pattern observed from these resightings suggests that Group E1 humpback whales spend approximately two months in the northern quarter of their range during the austral winter months. Intraseason resightings of whales at Ballina (n = 13, median sighting interval = 7 d) also suggest that some individuals, particularly adult males, may circle back north during their general southward journey along this part of the coast, perhaps in an attempt to increase mating opportunities. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Burns, Daniel Brooks, Lyndon O Harrison, Peter Lynton Franklin, Trish Franklin, Wally Paton, David Clapham, Phil |
author_facet |
Burns, Daniel Brooks, Lyndon O Harrison, Peter Lynton Franklin, Trish Franklin, Wally Paton, David Clapham, Phil |
author_sort |
Burns, Daniel |
title |
Migratory movements of individual humpback whales photographed off the eastern coast of Australia |
title_short |
Migratory movements of individual humpback whales photographed off the eastern coast of Australia |
title_full |
Migratory movements of individual humpback whales photographed off the eastern coast of Australia |
title_fullStr |
Migratory movements of individual humpback whales photographed off the eastern coast of Australia |
title_full_unstemmed |
Migratory movements of individual humpback whales photographed off the eastern coast of Australia |
title_sort |
migratory movements of individual humpback whales photographed off the eastern coast of australia |
publisher |
ePublications@SCU |
publishDate |
2014 |
url |
https://epubs.scu.edu.au/esm_pubs/1907 https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12057 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-108.475,-108.475,68.932,68.932) |
geographic |
Austral Byron Bay |
geographic_facet |
Austral Byron Bay |
genre |
Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae |
genre_facet |
Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae |
op_source |
School of Environment, Science and Engineering Papers |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12057 |
container_title |
Marine Mammal Science |
container_volume |
30 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
562 |
op_container_end_page |
578 |
_version_ |
1766026388918239232 |