Autumn space-use patterns of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in West Greenland
Main Article Content
Abstract
Five humpback whales were tagged with satellite transmitters on their summer feeding grounds in West Greenland in August between 2002 and 2005. Tracking durations lasted between 13 and 111 days and the locations obtained from the whales provided the first insight on the autumn distribution patterns of this species in West Greenland. Whales demonstrated a consistent pattern of rapid and long-distance movements along the West Greenland coast separated by longer-term, focal area use where feeding occurred. Humpback whales in West Greenland feed on capelin (Mallotus villosus), sand eels (Ammodytes sp.), and krill and these three prey species require different foraging strategies. Generally whales showed high affinity to the coast due to shallow aggregations of capelin. However some use of offshore regions was detected, likely due to concentrations of sand eels. One whale crossed Baffin Bay to Baffin Island, an area not known to support humpback whales. The rapid movements of humpback whales between feeding sites in Greenland and Canada may be a response to variable and dynamic prey resources throughout the summer and autumn seasons.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
- Adapt remix, transform, and build upon the material
- The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
- Attribution You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- NonCommercial You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
- No additional restrictions You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.