Temporal patterns in the acoustic presence of baleen whale species in a presumed breeding area off Namibia
2019
The eastern Atlantic Ocean is considered to provide important breeding and
wintering habitats for several migratory cetacean species. The spatio-temporal distributions and
migratory behaviors of cetaceans off southern Africa are nevertheless still poorly understood. This
study investigated the temporal patterns of acoustic occurrence of baleen whales in a presumed
baleen whale breeding area off Namibia using passive acoustic recordings collected between November
2011 and May 2013. Our results show seasonal acoustic presence of humpback whales
Megaptera novaeangliae, fin whales Balaenoptera physalus and Antarctic minke whales B.
bonaerensis from November to January and from June to August. Their acoustic absence from
February to May possibly indicates that most animals migrated to other areas (presumably in
higher latitudes) in austral summer to feed. By contrast, Antarctic blue whales B. musculus intermedia
were acoustically present throughout the recording period, indicating that part of the population
remains at lower latitudes year-round. Our findings support the presumed ecological importance
of the oceanic area off Namibia, providing (part of) a suitable cetacean wintering and,
possibly, breeding range or migratory corridor. Furthermore, the occurrence of Antarctic blue and
minke whales off Namibia, concurrent with their reported acoustic presence in high-latitude feeding
areas, adds to growing evidence that baleen whale migration is not obligate but much more dynamic
than has long been assumed.
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