Tidal effects on periodical variations in the occurrence of singing humpback whales in coastal waters of Chichijima Island, Ogasawara, Japan.

ABSTRACT: Marine organisms inhabiting coastal waters are known to be driven by periodic cycles such as diel, tidal, and seasonal changes. Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) breed in shallow and warm coastal waters, with males singing complex songs during the breeding season. To investigate periodic variations in humpback whale singing activities, we conducted fixed passive acoustic monitoring in the Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands, Japan, from winter to spring during 2016-2018. The singing activity and individual number of singers were observed throughout the day and night using a very long baseline passive acoustic array. The occurrence of singers peaked before sunrise and in the evening and was reduced during the daytime. The frequency of song reception depended on the tidal phase. A generalised a

SUBMITTER: Tsujii K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9668835 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature