Dear Colleagues, On behalf of my co-author Eric Angel Ramos and myself, I am pleased to announce the publication of our note in Marine Mammal Science on feeding of humpback whales in Nicaragua:
De Weerdt J. And Ramos E. A. 2019. Feeding of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua *Abstract* We report evidence of feeding by humpback whales in the Central American subpopulation of this species along the Pacific coast of Nicaragua during their winter breeding seasons in 2017 and 2018. Boat-based surveys were conducted to collect data on whales as part of ongoing studies at two field sites: Northern and Southern Nicaragua. We documented 18 events with either direct or indirect evidence of whale feeding activity, exclusively in Southern Nicaragua. Lunge feeding was observed on 6 occasions and in 12 sightings there was indirect evidence of feeding including the erratic surface movements, the presence of feces, and close associations with feeding aggregations of seabirds and dolphins. Photo-identification analysis revealed that at least one whale was documented feeding in both years, indicating some whales may regularly feed in this location to account for the energetic demands of migration. These findings provide important insights into the importance of Nicaragua for migrating humpback whales. The paper can be found here: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/mms.126 <http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/mms.12601>13 <http://doi.wiley.com/10.1111/mms.12601> Please send an email to [email protected] if you wish to have a pdf version of the article. Beste regards, Joëlle De Weerdt Association ELI-S ELI-Scientific www.nicacetacea.org
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