Behavioral choices of male humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) on the Hawaiʻian wintering grounds
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are a migratory species, feeding in high latitude, cooler waters during the summer, and then traveling to low latitude, warmer waters during the winter months to calve and presumably, though it has never been documented, to mate. The North Pacific has three main wintering grounds: Hawaii, Mexico/California, and Japan (Dawbin, 1966, Darling and Jurasz, 1983; Baker, Herman, Perry, Lawton, Straley, Wolman, Kaufman, Winn, Hall, Reinke, and Ostman, 1986). Currently, approximately 4,500 humpback whales migrate down to Hawaiian waters, primarily from Alaskan waters, between the months of November and April (Calambokidis et al., 2001). According to whaling records and field observations, humpback whales do not feed during this time; their blubber layer decreases in thickness from January to April as their energy is directed towards reproductive efforts and their fat reserves are metabolized for energy (Nishiwaki 1959, Dawbin 1966, Chittleborough, 1965). The objective of this thesis is to advance our understanding of the behavioral choices available to, and made by, adult male humpback whales on the Hawaiian wintering grounds.
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