Temporal variation in dwarf sperm whale (Kogia sima) habitat use and group size off Great Abaco Island, the Bahamas

Dunphy‐Daly, Meagan M.

doi:10.25148/etd.fi15101248

Cited by 5 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Guinet et al, 2007) and marine mammals are taken opportunistically. However, (Dunphy-Daly et al, 2008) suggested that a temporal shift in group size and habitat preference in Kogia sima in the area where our observations of predation on this species occurred may be the result of a predator avoidance response. If this is the case, it seems unlikely that this level of learned response to predation would result from opportunistic predation pressure.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Killer whale (Orcinus orca) occurrence and predation in the Bahamas

Dunn

Claridge

2013

J. Mar. Biol. Ass.

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Killer whales (Orcinus orca) have a cosmopolitan distribution, yet little is known about populations that inhabit tropical waters. We compiled 34 sightings of killer whales in the Bahamas, recorded from 1913 to 2011. Group sizes were generally small (mean = 4.2, range = 1–12, SD = 2.6). Thirteen sightings were documented with photographs and/or video of sufficient quality to allow individual photo-identification analysis. Of the 45 whales photographed, 14 unique individual killer whales were identified, eight of which were re-sighted between two and nine times. An adult female (Oo6) and a now-adult male (Oo4), were first seen together in 1995, and have been re-sighted together eight times over a 16-yr period. To date, killer whales in the Bahamas have only been observed preying on marine mammals, including Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis), Fraser's dolphin (Lagenodelphis hosei), pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps) and dwarf sperm whale (Kogia sima), all of which are previously unrecorded prey species for Orcinus orca.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Killer whale (Orcinus orca) occurrence and predation in the Bahamas

Dunn

Claridge

2013

J. Mar. Biol. Ass.

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“…baboons Papio anubis (Barton et al ., ); wolverines Gulo gulo (Krebs, Lofroth & Parfitt, ); flying‐foxes Pteropus spp. (Vardon et al ., )] and marine mammals; for example dwarf sperm whale Kogia sima (Dunphy‐Daly, Heithaus & Claridge, ). Similarly, we found that female bottlenose dolphins exhibited seasonal variation in their distribution.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dolphin sociality, distribution and calving as important behavioural patterns informing management

Smith

Frère

Kobryn

et al. 2016

Animal Conservation

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Conservation management typically focuses on protecting wildlife habitat that is linked to important behaviours such as resting, breeding or caring for young. However, development of conservation strategies of social species would benefit from inclusion of social dynamics, particularly for species where social relationships influence fitness measures such as survival and reproduction. We combined the study of dolphin sociality, distribution and calving to identify important behavioural and ecological patterns to inform management. Over 3 consecutive years, 231 boat-based photo-identification surveys were conducted to individually identify adult female bottlenose dolphins over a 120 km 2 area in Bunbury, Western Australia. The density distribution of female dolphins was highest in the inner waters during December-February (austral summer) and March (early autumn), which also coincided in time with the majority of calving. The temporal stability of social bonds between adult females was measured (using lagged association rates) and remained stable over multiple years. A cyclic model best described female-female associations with an annual peak occurring each austral summer (Dec-Jan-Feb). These results informed the implementation of a legislative no-go area and vessel speed restriction areas. In addition to conventional management approaches of protecting important habitat and breeding periods, our measure of dolphin sociality provides a new metric to consider in conservation efforts. We encourage studies on socially complex species to incorporate social dynamics when evaluating possible impacts of anthropogenic activities. 462

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“…That said, dwarf sperm whales have been the subject of direct study at sea in both the Bahamas and Hawaiʻi (Baird, 2005, 2016; Dunphy‐Daly et al, 2008). Around the main Hawaiian Islands, dwarf sperm whales have been irregularly encountered during a long‐term multi‐species study of odontocetes (Baird, 2016; Baird et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Site fidelity, spatial use, and behavior of dwarf sperm whales in Hawaiian waters: using small‐boat surveys, photo‐identification, and unmanned aerial systems to study a difficult‐to‐study species

Baird

Mahaffy

Lerma

2021

Marine Mammal Science

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Dwarf sperm whales (Kogia sima) have been studied rarely at sea. We used photo-identification, boat-and dronebased behavioral observations, and citizen science photo contributions to examine site fidelity, spatial use, and behavior in Hawaiʻi. Sighting rates were highest in island slope (500-1,000 m) waters. Over 40% of photo-identified individuals were linked by association in the same social network. More than half of the very distinctive individuals were seen more than once, and 28.5% were seen in multiple years, with one individual seen 14 times over a 15-year span. Resighted individuals and those in the main cluster of the social network were found in significantly shallower water than individuals that were not resighted or that were in isolated clusters. Distances between resighting locations suggest small home ranges. This suggests an insular slopedwelling population that overlaps with an offshore population. Evidence of unsuccessful predatory attempts by large sharks was recorded on four individuals, and linear wounds consistent with interactions with line fisheries were documented on three individuals. Surface and subsurface behavior recorded by drone revealed vigilance behavior likely to minimize predation risk. Lessons learned from this study can be applied elsewhere to increase knowledge of this poorly known and difficult-to-study species.

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Temporal variation in dwarf sperm whale (Kogia sima) habitat use and group size off Great Abaco Island, the Bahamas

Abstract: Dunphy-Daly, Meagan Mná, "Temporal variation in dwarf sperm whale (Kogia sima) habitat use and group size off Great Abaco Island, the Bahamas" (2008

Cited by 5 publications

References 14 publications

Killer whale (Orcinus orca) occurrence and predation in the Bahamas

Killer whale (Orcinus orca) occurrence and predation in the Bahamas

Dolphin sociality, distribution and calving as important behavioural patterns informing management

Site fidelity, spatial use, and behavior of dwarf sperm whales in Hawaiian waters: using small‐boat surveys, photo‐identification, and unmanned aerial systems to study a difficult‐to‐study species

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