We are pleased to announce the availability of the following article
published on-line in Marine Mammal Science. It will also appear in
print in an issue later in the year.
Herman, L. M., A. A. Pack, K. Rose, A. Craig, E. Y. K. Herman, S.
Hakala & A. Milette (in press). 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
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.
A pdf may be downloaded from:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1748-7692.2010.00441.x/full
or a PDF copy may be obtained from Lou Herman <[email protected]>
Louis M. Herman Ph.D.
Emeritus Professor, University of Hawaii
President, The Dolphin Institute
420 Ward Ave. Ste 212
Honolulu HI 96814
[email protected]
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