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Resightings of humpback whales in Hawaiian waters over spans of 10-32 years: Site fidelity, sex ratios, calving rates, female demographics, and the dynamics of social and behavioral roles of individuals

Herman, Louis M.; Pack, Adam A.; Rose, Kathryn; Craig, Alison; Herman, Elia Y. K.; Hakala, Siri; Milette, Aliza

Authors

Louis M. Herman

Adam A. Pack

Kathryn Rose

Alison Craig

Elia Y. K. Herman

Siri Hakala

Aliza Milette



Abstract

From a database of approximately 5,000 Hawaiian humpback whales identified photographically between 1976 and 2010, we extracted 71 males and 39 females having resighting spans of 10 or more years, from first to most recent sighting. Findings included: (1) the male-biased sex ratio was like that found in breeding grounds worldwide; (2) the mean span for males of 20.7 yr (maximum = 32 yr) did not differ significantly from the mean of 19.8 yr (maximum=29 yr) for females, but males were seen in significantly more years during their spans than were females; (3) the mean number of females seen with and without calf across 11 three-year intervals from 1977 to 2009 did not differ significantly; (4) the calving rate for the 39 females was 0.48 and seven females produced two to eight calves over spans of 22–26 yr; (5) females attracted significantly more escorts in years without calf
than in years with calf; (6) individuals showed great diversity in the social units they occupied over their sighting spans, but with the most frequently observed unit for both sexes being the trio of mother, calf, and escort. Males were also observed frequently in competitive groups centered about a female without calf.

Citation

Herman, L. M., Pack, A. A., Rose, K., Craig, A., Herman, E. Y. K., Hakala, S., & Milette, A. (2011). Resightings of humpback whales in Hawaiian waters over spans of 10-32 years: Site fidelity, sex ratios, calving rates, female demographics, and the dynamics of social and behavioral roles of individuals. Marine Mammal Science, 27(4), 736-768. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-7692.2010.00441.x

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Aug 25, 2010
Online Publication Date Dec 29, 2010
Publication Date 2011-10
Deposit Date Jul 24, 2018
Journal Marine Mammal Science
Print ISSN 0824-0469
Electronic ISSN 1748-7692
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 27
Issue 4
Pages 736-768
DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-7692.2010.00441.x
Keywords humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae, site fidelity, breeding grounds, feeding grounds, photographic identification, calving rates, sex‐biased distributions, social roles,
Public URL http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/1007867