Social Organization in Sperm Whales, Physeter macrocephalus

Best, Peter B.

doi:10.1007/978-1-4684-2985-5_7

Cited by 201 publications

(345 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Consequently, pairing is expected to have taken place 14 months earlier. This agrees with data of several authors, reported by BEST et al (1984), for the Southern Hemisphere sperm whales.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 94%

“…This suggests that, each month, the presence of pregnant females was proportional to the total number of females killed. The simultaneous capture of non pregnant with lactating and pregnant females with fetuses of different sizes had been already reported for other areas, as for example South Africa (BEST et al 1984) and Japan (KASUYA 1986). This suggests that births may occur along the whole year, if we consider a gestation of 14 months, but higher frequencies are observed between September and December (Tab.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

“…However, during whaling off the coast of Paraíba there was no selection for size, and the sex ratio found in our study may reflect the real situation of Table VII the sperm whales' population in the area. According to some authors (BEST et al 1984, RICE 1989, WHITEHEAD 2003, the sex ratio is near one at birth for sperm whales. In our sample, 14 fetuses were males and 20 were females and the difference was not found to be significant according to the results of the Mann-Whitney test.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to BEST (1979), in addition to the solitary habits of a few mature males, sperm whales in tropical waters either gather in large groups of mature females and immatures, or in small groups of young mature males, known as bachelors' groups. The data from log books of the COPESBRA's whaler show that the majority of sperm whales caught were part of family units formed by matures females and immature individuals (Tab.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Data on biology and exploitation of West Atlantic sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalus (Cetacea: Physeteridae) off the coast of Paraíba, Brazil

Toledo¹,

Langguth²

2009

Zoologia (Curitiba, Impr.)

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ABSTRACT. This study analyzes data on the biology of sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758Linnaeus, , obtained between 1965Linnaeus, and 1980 by the COPESBRA at the Costinha Whaling Station, Paraíba, Brazil. The data come from the log books of the whaling ships and from the spreadsheets containing biological information filled out by employees of the SUDEPE at the flensing plan of the whaling station. The catches occurred from June to December, in an area delimited by 06º22'-07º52'S and 33º26'-34º58'W. A total of 641 sperm whales were killed in this period. The average sex ratio was 2.05 females to each male. The mean largest frequency of females was recorded in the first and the last months of the season, and that of males in July/August. The mean total length (TL) of males was 11.4 m (minimum 7.2 m, maximum 17.6 m). The females had a mean TL of 10.1 m (minimum 8.6 m, maximum 12.9 m). A decrease was observed in the TL of females along the years. Fetuses were observed in 8.3% of the catches. They had TL between 0.24 and 4.3 m. All sperm whales had food in their stomachs, showing that they feed in the area. As in other places north to the 40ºS, there was a higher frequency of females than males. The difference between the time of maximum catch of males and females may reflect a temporal segregation in the arrival of sperm whales in the area. The reproductive activity of sperm whales in these tropical waters occurs year-round.

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“…Consequently, pairing is expected to have taken place 14 months earlier. This agrees with data of several authors, reported by BEST et al (1984), for the Southern Hemisphere sperm whales.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 94%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Data on biology and exploitation of West Atlantic sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalus (Cetacea: Physeteridae) off the coast of Paraíba, Brazil

Toledo¹,

Langguth²

2009

Zoologia (Curitiba, Impr.)

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show abstract

“…an age of 27 years (Best, 1979). With variable patterns of movement at high latitudes, animals stay resident in small areas for long periods.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crowdsourcing Modern and Historical Data Identifies Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) Habitat Offshore of South-Western Australia

et al. 2016

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Sociality of sperm whale off Ischia Island (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy)

Pace

Miragliuolo

Mariani

et al. 2014

Aquatic Conservation

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1. The sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) is one of the eight species of cetaceans routinely encountered in the Mediterranean Sea; however, information on the social organization of sperm whales living in the basin remains scarce.2. The social behaviour of sperm whales within female units, and groups of males are reported, made over an 11-year period (2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012) in waters around the islands of Ischia and Ventotene (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy), an area characterized by the presence of a submarine canyon system and a coastal marine protected area ('Regno di Nettuno' MPA).3. Different types of aggregations were identified, consisting of social units and two arrangements of males (bachelor groups and clusters). Close clustering at the surface was recorded both for social units and bachelor groups, with evidence for long-term relationships between females (as expected from other studies) and, surprisingly, also among some immature males.4. Such long-term associations between individuals in bachelor groups may allow immature males to benefit in several ways, including optimizing feeding efficiency.

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Social Organization in Sperm Whales, Physeter macrocephalus

Cited by 201 publications

References 22 publications

Data on biology and exploitation of West Atlantic sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalus (Cetacea: Physeteridae) off the coast of Paraíba, Brazil

Data on biology and exploitation of West Atlantic sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalus (Cetacea: Physeteridae) off the coast of Paraíba, Brazil

Crowdsourcing Modern and Historical Data Identifies Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) Habitat Offshore of South-Western Australia

Sociality of sperm whale off Ischia Island (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy)

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