Observation of a humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae with calf in the shallow coastal waters of Suriname

• Main Authors: de Boer, M.N., Willems, Tomas
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: Life Science; Humpback Whale; Megaptera novaeangliae; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://research.wur.nl/en/publications/observation-of-a-humpback-whale-megaptera-novaeangliae-with-calf-

A large whale, accompanied by a calf, was seen in the shallow coastal waters off Suriname on 20 April 2013. Digital images confirmed the species identification as humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae. This is the first confirmed record of humpback whales in Suriname. The observation was made at the extreme southern limit of the North Atlantic population’s distribution and suggests that the waters along the northern coast of South America may be used for within-season movements between the different breeding and calving areas of the Wider Caribbean Region.