Sperm whale demographics in the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands: An overlooked female habitat.

ABSTRACT: Sperm whales exhibit sexual dimorphism and sex-specific latitudinal segregation. Females and their young form social groups and are usually found in temperate and tropical latitudes, while males forage at higher latitudes. Historical whaling data and rare sightings of social groups in high latitude regions of the North Pacific, such as the Gulf of Alaska (GOA) and Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands (BSAI), suggest a more complex distribution than previously understood. Sperm whales are the most sighted and recorded cetacean in marine mammal surveys in these regions but capturing their demographic composition and habitat use has proven challenging. This study detects sperm whale presence using passive acoustic data from seven sites in the GOA and BSAI from 2010 to 2019. Differences in click charac

SUBMITTER: Posdaljian N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11221705 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature