Abstract

ANDRIOLO, Artur  and  ZERBINI, Alexandre N.. Humpback Whale Migration: what else needs to be known?. Rev. etol. [online]. 2010, vol.9, n.2, pp. 31-33. ISSN 1517-2805.

Whales inhabit all oceans and typically perform migrations between feeding and breeding areas. To determine migration routes and destinations is essential for the implementation of proper conservation and management plans. Satellite telemetry is an efficient method to investigate the behavior and movements of migratory animals. Humpback whales winter along the central and northeast coast of Brazil, from Rio de Janeiro to Rio Grande do Norte. This study tested hypotheses about the migratory routes and feeding destinations and discovered that whales wintering in the Abrolhos Bank (~16-18oS) adopt a relatively linear migration route and feed south of the Antarctic Convergence in offshore waters to the northeast and east of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Despite these results, additional studies are necessary to assess habitat use in the breeding grounds and to investigate whether whales from other areas off Brazil use the same migratory routes and feeding grounds.

Keywords : Humpback whale; Behavior; Migration.

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