Surface Behaviours of Humpback Whale <i>Megaptera novaeangliae</i> at Nosy Be (Madagascar)
The surface behaviours of humpback whales were studied in the presence of a whale-watching vessel at Nosy Be (Madagascar) during whale-watching activities, in order to characterise the ethogram of these animals. Data were collected from July to October 2018. Of the 75 total trips, humpback whales we...
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2024-11-01
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| author | Ylenia Fabietti Chiara Spadaro Agnese Tigani Gianni Giglio Gianpiero Barbuto Viviana Romano Giorgio Fedele Francesco Luigi Leonetti Emanuele Venanzi Carlotta Barba Emilio Sperone |
| author_facet | Ylenia Fabietti Chiara Spadaro Agnese Tigani Gianni Giglio Gianpiero Barbuto Viviana Romano Giorgio Fedele Francesco Luigi Leonetti Emanuele Venanzi Carlotta Barba Emilio Sperone |
| author_sort | Ylenia Fabietti |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The surface behaviours of humpback whales were studied in the presence of a whale-watching vessel at Nosy Be (Madagascar) during whale-watching activities, in order to characterise the ethogram of these animals. Data were collected from July to October 2018. Of the 75 total trips, humpback whales were observed 68 times and different types of aggregations were observed: Groups (33.82%), Mother–calf pairs (30.88%), Singles (27.94%), and Mother–calf and Escorts (7.35%). Individuals exhibited the following behaviours: Spouting, Breaching, Head Slap, Tail Throw, Tail Slap, Peck Slap, Spy-hopping, and Logging. Sighting data were evaluated by comparing the observed aggregations with reported behaviours, and vice versa. Among the most commonly observed behaviours, Spouting and Peck Slap were exhibited more in Groups, while Breaching was exhibited by all of the associations, with the exception of Singles. In Groups of more than two individuals, little or no social nor aggressive behaviours were observed, probably due to a lack of needing to attract the attention of other individuals. This suggests that, during the breeding season, Nosy Be could represent a wintering and weaning ground for calves. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ae01c6cf223c4ac980199ad4f2e9c340 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2079-7737 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
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| series | Biology |
| spelling | doaj-art-ae01c6cf223c4ac980199ad4f2e9c3402025-08-20T02:53:27ZengMDPI AGBiology2079-77372024-11-01131299610.3390/biology13120996Surface Behaviours of Humpback Whale <i>Megaptera novaeangliae</i> at Nosy Be (Madagascar)Ylenia Fabietti0Chiara Spadaro1Agnese Tigani2Gianni Giglio3Gianpiero Barbuto4Viviana Romano5Giorgio Fedele6Francesco Luigi Leonetti7Emanuele Venanzi8Carlotta Barba9Emilio Sperone10Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, ItalyDepartment of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, ItalyDepartment of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, ItalyDepartment of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, ItalyInternational Relations Division, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, ItalyDepartment of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, ItalyDepartment of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, ItalyDepartment of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, ItalyManta Diving Nosy Be, Ambondrona 207, MadagascarManta Diving Nosy Be, Ambondrona 207, MadagascarDepartment of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, ItalyThe surface behaviours of humpback whales were studied in the presence of a whale-watching vessel at Nosy Be (Madagascar) during whale-watching activities, in order to characterise the ethogram of these animals. Data were collected from July to October 2018. Of the 75 total trips, humpback whales were observed 68 times and different types of aggregations were observed: Groups (33.82%), Mother–calf pairs (30.88%), Singles (27.94%), and Mother–calf and Escorts (7.35%). Individuals exhibited the following behaviours: Spouting, Breaching, Head Slap, Tail Throw, Tail Slap, Peck Slap, Spy-hopping, and Logging. Sighting data were evaluated by comparing the observed aggregations with reported behaviours, and vice versa. Among the most commonly observed behaviours, Spouting and Peck Slap were exhibited more in Groups, while Breaching was exhibited by all of the associations, with the exception of Singles. In Groups of more than two individuals, little or no social nor aggressive behaviours were observed, probably due to a lack of needing to attract the attention of other individuals. This suggests that, during the breeding season, Nosy Be could represent a wintering and weaning ground for calves.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/13/12/996behaviourbreeding areahumpback whaleMadagascarwhale watching |
| spellingShingle | Ylenia Fabietti Chiara Spadaro Agnese Tigani Gianni Giglio Gianpiero Barbuto Viviana Romano Giorgio Fedele Francesco Luigi Leonetti Emanuele Venanzi Carlotta Barba Emilio Sperone Surface Behaviours of Humpback Whale <i>Megaptera novaeangliae</i> at Nosy Be (Madagascar) Biology behaviour breeding area humpback whale Madagascar whale watching |
| title | Surface Behaviours of Humpback Whale <i>Megaptera novaeangliae</i> at Nosy Be (Madagascar) |
| title_full | Surface Behaviours of Humpback Whale <i>Megaptera novaeangliae</i> at Nosy Be (Madagascar) |
| title_fullStr | Surface Behaviours of Humpback Whale <i>Megaptera novaeangliae</i> at Nosy Be (Madagascar) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Surface Behaviours of Humpback Whale <i>Megaptera novaeangliae</i> at Nosy Be (Madagascar) |
| title_short | Surface Behaviours of Humpback Whale <i>Megaptera novaeangliae</i> at Nosy Be (Madagascar) |
| title_sort | surface behaviours of humpback whale i megaptera novaeangliae i at nosy be madagascar |
| topic | behaviour breeding area humpback whale Madagascar whale watching |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/13/12/996 |
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