Dear colleagues:
We are pleased to inform you of our latest publication on humpback whales:
Pack, A.A., Herman, L. M., Spitz, S. S., Hakala, S., Deakos, M. H., &
Herman, E.Y.K. (2009). Male humpback whales in the Hawaiian breeding
grounds preferentially associate with larger females. Animal
Behaviour, 77, 653-662. An abstract appears below.
If you are interested in a reprint, please email Adam Pack at [email protected].
We wish all of you a happy, peaceful, and productive 2009.
The competitive group appears to be a major component of the mating
system of the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), bringing
together a single female (nuclear animal or NA) and multiple males
(escorts) that compete for physical proximity to her. We examined the
relation of body size of the NA to the number of attending escorts
and, separately, we determined the relation of a female's body size
to the size of her calf. Using underwater videogrammetry in Maui
waters during 1997-2002, we measured the body length of the NA in
each of 42 competitive groups. We also measured the lengths of the
mother and her calf in each of 92 mother-calf groups. The number of
initial escorts in a competitive group was positively correlated with
NA body length. Longer mothers were associated with longer calves,
even after accounting for seasonal differences in calf length. We
conclude that male humpback whales prefer to associate with larger
females, and that larger females produce larger calves.
Theoretically, larger calves have a greater chance of survival than
do smaller calves. The choice of a larger female may therefore
increase the reproductive success of an escort that succeeds in
mating.
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Adam A. Pack, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychology and Biology, University of Hawaii at Hilo
Co-founder and Vice President, The Dolphin Institute
Mailing Address:
The Dolphin Institute
P.O. Box 700694
Kapolei, HI 96709
V/F 808-679-3690
email: [email protected]
url: www.dolphin-institute.org
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