Photo-identification of Humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, in the Puerto Lopez part of Machalilla National Park in the Ecuadorian Coast - South America: 1996 - 2007

• Main Authors: Castro, C., Forestell, P., Kaufman, G., Scheidat, M., Gibson, Q., Ferina, D.
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: International Whaling Commission 2008
• Subjects: Life Science; Pacific; Lopez; Megaptera novaeangliae
• Online Access: https://research.wur.nl/en/publications/photo-identification-of-humpback-whales-megaptera-novaeangliae-in

Between 1996 and 2007 a photo-identification study of Southeastern Pacific Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) was carried out off the coast of the Ecuadorian mainland (1°’S, 80°’W). During this 11 year period, 1,172 whales were identified. A total of 79 (6.74%) humpback whales were resighted between years in Ecuador. The longest span between capture and recapture was 10 years. Eighty-two individually identified humpbacks whales (6.99%) were resighted within the same year. The maximum period between first and last recapture within a season was 98 days, while the minimum was one day