Skip to main content
WCS
Menu
Library
Library Catalog
eJournals & eBooks
WCS Research
Archives
Research Use
Finding Aids
Digital Collections
WCS History
WCS Research
Research Publications
Science Data
Services for WCS Researchers
Archives Shop
Bronx Zoo
Department of Tropical Research
Browse By Product
About Us
FAQs
Intern or Volunteer
Staff
Donate
Search WCS.org
Search
search
Popular Search Terms
WCS History
Library and Archives
Library and Archives Menu
Library
Archives
WCS Research
Archives Shop
About Us
Donate
en
fr
Title
Minimal similarity in songs suggests limited exchange between humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the southern Indian Ocean
Author(s)
Murray, A.;Cerchio, S.;McCauley, R.;Jenner, C. S.;Razafindrakoto, Y.;Coughran, D.;McKay, S.;Rosenbaum, H.
Published
2012
Publisher
Marine Mammal Science
Published Version DOI
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-7692.2011.00484.x
Abstract
Comparing humpback whale song from different breeding assemblages can reveal similarities in song due to acoustically interacting males, and therefore indirectly test whether males from different breeding sites are mixing. Northern Hemisphere song comparisons illustrated that whales within ocean basins share similar songs and are subpopulations within a larger population, whereas whales in different ocean basins are isolated populations and therefore do not share songs. During the 2006 breeding season, recordings were collected in Madagascar and Western Australia, and were compared visually plus aurally. Both regions shared one theme, whereas each region had four and six private themes, respectively. This study had a substantially low number of shared themes. The co-occurrence of one theme was interpreted as an indication of limited exchange between these breeding assemblages, and we speculate that limited song similarity is due to inter-oceanic interactions. Male(s) from an Indian Ocean breeding group could be exposed to novel song when they geographically overlap, and acoustically interact, with males from a different ocean basin. Novel song could induce rapid temporal changes as new song content is incorporated, thereby minimizing song similarities between that breeding group and other Indian Ocean breeding groups that were not exposed to the novel song. © 2011 by the Society for Marine Mammalogy.
Keywords
Bioacoustics;Humpback whale;Indian Ocean;Megaptera novaeangliae;Population structure;Song
Access Full Text
A full-text copy of this article may be available. Please email the
WCS Library
to request.
Back
PUB14387