Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Mysticetes (Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Marine Mammals)

In this book, an international team of leading marine mammal scientists, with a remarkably diverse set of backgrounds and areas of expertise, lead you through a synthesis of current knowledge on baleen whales. Baleen whales are the largest animals ever to have lived on this planet. They also have the lowest and most intense voices on Earth, most likely evolved to take advantage of ocean acoustic transmission conditions so as to be detectable across ocean basins. Some baleen whales can live to be 150-200 years old. They migrate many thousands of kilometers between feeding and breeding areas. They produce songs and calls that serve as behavioral foundations for establishing, maintaining and expanding their cultural identities. To conclude that we know the behavioral limits of these large brained, long-lived animals would be naïve. As baleen whale scientists, we are still beginning to comprehend the enormous complexities and natural histories of these remarkable animals. Today, the fact that whales sing is known throughout much of the world. This awareness started 50 years ago with the publication and popularization of a collection of humpback song recordings that motivated research into baleen whale behavioral ethology. In this book’s chapters, a reader’s experiences will stretch from learning about baleen whale laryngeal anatomy associated with their different voices to learning about the vast ocean areas over which their voices can be heard and the emerging complexities of their culturally defined societies. These are accompanied by chapters on the fundamental ethological contexts of socializing, migrating, and foraging. Two common themes permeate the book. One theme highlights the phenomenal increase in scientific knowledge achieved through technological advancements. The other theme recognizes the impacts of human-made activities on ocean acoustic environments and the resultant influences on the health and survival of individual whales and their populations. Although the book is intentionally ambitious in its scope, as scientists, we fully recognize that baleen whale science is still in its infancy. Many profound revelations await discovery by cohorts of young, multi-talented explorers, some of whom are stretching their wings in this volume and some of whom are reading these scientific stories for the first time. Introduction to the Series Preface Contents Part I Patterns of Mysticete Ethology and Behavioral Ecology 1 Observing Baleen Whales References 2 Baleen Whale Acoustic Ethology 2.1 Introduction 2.2 How We Got Here 2.3 Acoustic Ecology 2.4 Physical Acoustics 2.5 Acoustic Opportunities for Bioacoustic Exploitation 2.5.1 Passive Listening 2.5.2 Active Sound Production 2.6 Baleen Whale Acoustic Environments, Acoustic Behaviors, and Bioacoustic Features 2.7 Convergence 2.8 Discrepant Events 2.9 Conclusions References 3 Anatomy of Sound Production and Reception 3.1 Overview of Mysticete Aquatic Adaptations 3.2 Anatomy of Sound Production: Respiratory Tract 3.3 Sound Generation 3.4 Sound Reception 3.5 Diving Adaptations 3.6 Conclusion References 4 Baleen Whale Migration 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Part I: Migratory Patterns of Baleen Whales 4.2.1 Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus) 4.2.2 Right Whale (Eubalaena australis; E. glacialis; E. japonica) 4.2.3 Pygmy Right Whale (Caperea marginata) 4.2.4 Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus) 4.2.5 Bryde’s Whale (Balaenoptera edeni) 4.2.6 Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus) 4.2.7 Minke Whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata; B. bonaerensis) 4.2.8 Omura’s Whale (Balaenoptera omurai) 4.2.9 Sei Whale (Balaenoptera borealis) 4.3 Part II: Biological Impacts of Technology 4.3.1 Insights into Whale Navigation 4.3.2 Identifying Whale Hotspots 4.4 A Look to the Horizon References 5 Feeding Strategies of Baleen Whales Through a Behavioral Ecology and Evolutionary Lens 5.1 Evolution of Baleen and Baleen Whales 5.1.1 Suction Feeding 5.1.2 Ram Feeding 5.1.3 Lunge Feeding 5.2 Baleen Whale Foraging Ecology 5.2.1 Bubble Net Feeding in Humpback Whales 5.3 Lateralization of Feeding Behavior in Baleen Whales 5.4 Balancing Energy Gain with Oxygen Use 5.5 Looking Toward the Future References 6 Viewing the Lives of Whales Through a Molecular Lens 6.1 Putting the Molecular in Marine Mammal Ecology 6.2 Parentage and Mating Systems 6.3 Diet 6.4 Defining Units to Conserve 6.5 Impact of Whaling: Genetics and Behavior 6.6 Conclusion References 7 Social Organization of Baleen Whales 7.1 Introduction 7.1.1 Annual Cycle of Baleen Whales 7.1.2 Mother-Calf Bond 7.2 Feeding 7.3 Migration 7.4 Breeding and Calving 7.5 Reproductive Advertisement Displays and Song 7.6 The Ecological Setting in Which Songs of Different Whale Species Are Produced Has Selected for Their Acoustic Structure 7.7 Future Directions 7.7.1 Do Whales Form Herds or “Heards” (Payne and Webb 1971)? 7.7.2 Do Baleen Whales Have Long-Term Individual-Specific Social Relationships Beyond Mother-Calf? 7.7.3 Conclusions References 8 Culture and Social Learning in Baleen Whales 8.1 Culture and Social Learning 8.2 Culture in Cetaceans 8.3 Evidence for Culture in Baleen Whales 8.3.1 Migratory Culture in Southern Right Whales 8.3.2 Feeding Traditions and Song Culture in Humpback Whales 8.4 Conclusions and Future Directions References Part II Examples of Mysticete Acoustic Ethology 9 The Bioacoustics of Blue Whales—Global Diversity and Behavioral Variability in a Foraging Specialist 9.1 Foreward by A Širović 9.2 Introduction 9.3 Recent Advances in Blue Whale Acoustic Research 9.3.1 Spatial and Temporal Variability in Blue Whale Song 9.3.2 Links Between Songs and Genetics 9.3.3 Relationship Between Foraging and Calling Behaviors 9.4 Future Directions 9.4.1 Song Variability and Population Structure 9.4.2 Blue Whale Mating Strategy and Song 9.4.3 D Calls, Songs, and Foraging Behavior 9.4.4 Population Monitoring and Response to Change References 10 Humpback Whales: A Seemingly Socially Simple Whale with Communicative Complexity 10.1 Introduction 10.2 Acoustic Communication in Humpback Whales 10.3 The Effect of Physical Environment on Humpback Whale Acoustic Communication 10.4 Communication Networks and the Social Environment 10.5 Tridactic Awareness and Social Complexity References 11 Humpback Whales: Exploring Global Diversity and Behavioral Plasticity in an Undersea Virtuoso 11.1 Early Song Studies: Laying the Foundations from 1960s Through 1980s 11.2 The Next Generation: Further Description of Patterns During the 1990s–2010s 11.3 The Next Phase of Research: Progress Toward Ultimate Questions 11.4 Where Do We Go Now? Open Questions for Future Work 11.5 Afterword References 12 Singing Behavior in the Bowhead Whale 12.1 Introduction 12.2 Song Variability 12.3 Reproductive Tactics in the Right Whales: Why Do Bowheads Sing? 12.4 Why Such Intra-annual Diversity in Song? References 13 Right Whales from North to South: Similarities and Differences in Acoustic Communication 13.1 Right Whale Species 13.2 Right Whale Acoustic Repertoire 13.3 Seasonal and Spatial Variation in Sound Production 13.3.1 Southern Right Whale Acoustics on Calving Grounds 13.3.2 North Atlantic Right Whale Acoustics on the Calving Grounds 13.3.3 North Pacific Right Whale Calving Grounds 13.3.4 Southern Right Whales on the Feeding Grounds 13.3.5 North Atlantic Right Whales on the Feeding Grounds 13.3.6 North Pacific Feeding Grounds 13.4 Differences in Sound Production Between the Sexes 13.5 Differences in Sound Production During Development 13.6 Variation in Call Parameters with Background Noise 13.7 Emerging Topics and Future Directions 13.8 Closing Thoughts References 14 Mysterious Minke Whales: Acoustic Diversity and Variability 14.1 Introduction 14.2 Mystery in All Oceans: A Brief Overview of Global Minke Whale Vocalizations 14.2.1 North Atlantic 14.2.2 North Pacific 14.2.3 South Pacific 14.2.4 Southern Ocean 14.3 Commonalities Between Minke Whale Vocal Repertoires and a Definition of Minke Whale Song 14.4 Seasonal Distribution and Temporal Variation in Minke Whale Vocalizations 14.5 Behavioral Contexts and Potential Function of Minke Whale Vocalizations 14.6 Minke Whale Hearing and Impacts of Noise Pollution 14.7 Conclusions References 15 The Omura’s Whale: Exploring the Enigma 15.1 Introduction 15.2 Background 15.3 Insights from Passive Acoustic Monitoring off Madagascar 15.3.1 Omura’s Whale Sightings off Nosy Be 15.3.2 Acoustic Monitoring Effort 15.3.3 Description of Omura’s Whale Song 15.3.4 Spatiotemporal Occurrence of Omura’s Whale Singing 15.3.5 Acoustic Detections of Other Song Types 15.4 Global Geographic Variation of Omura’s Whale Song 15.5 Synthesis and Implications for Breeding Ecology 15.6 Afterward: Consequences of Leaps for Improving Our Understanding of Poorly Known Species and Habitats References Index