Kristin Rasmussen

Southern Hemisphere Humpback Whales Wintering Off Central America: Insights from Water Temperature into the Longest Mammalian Migration

We report on a wintering area off the Pacific coast of Central America for humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) migrating from feeding areas off Antarctica. We document seven individuals, including a mother/calf pair, that made this migration (approx. 8300 km), the longest movement undertaken by any mammal. Whales were observed as far north as 11° N off Costa Rica, in an area also used by a boreal population during the opposite winter season, resulting in unique spatial overlap between Northern and Southern Hemisphere populations. The occurrence of such a northerly wintering area is coincident with the development of an equatorial tongue of cold water in the eastern South Pacific, a pattern that is repeated in the eastern South Atlantic. A survey of location and water temperature at the wintering areas worldwide indicates that they are found in warm waters (21.1–28.3°C), irrespective of latitude. We contend that while availability of suitable reproductive habitat in the wintering areas is important at the fine scale, water temperature influences whale distribution at the basin scale. Calf development in warm water may lead to larger adult size and increased reproductive success, a strategy that supports the energy conservation hypothesis as a reason for migration.

Ecology and Conservation of Cetaceans of Costa Rica and Panama

The cetacean species richness of Costa Rica and Panama represents about 36% of the species described worldwide. Within the economical coastal waters of these countries bottlenose dolphins, the pantropical spotted dolphins, the Guiana dolphin, and humpback whales are the most commonly observed. Their high sight fidelity and predictability has resulted in a rapid increase on the whale-watching industry, perhaps second to incidental mortality, when unregulated whale-watching can negatively affect coastal cetacean populations. In this Chapter, we provide a summary of the state of knowledge of the ecology and conservation status of the cetaceans of Costa Rica and Panama. Along this line, we describe the consensus of our small scientific community on what relates to future scientific research and conservation.

Movements and Timing of Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) Within the Breeding Region of the Eastern South Pacific

Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y Recursos Biológicos, Universidad de Antofagasta, Avenida Universidad de Antofagasta 02800, Antofagasta, Chile Instituto de Ciencias Naturales Alexander von Humboldt, CENSOR Laboratory, Universidad de Antofagasta, Avenida Universidad de Antofagasta 02800, Antofagasta, Chile E-mail:babuchapv@yahoo.com Museo de Ballenas, Avenida Enríquez Gallo S/N, Salinas, Ecuador Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Avenida 12 de Octubre y Roca, Quito, Ecuador Panacetacea, David, Chiriquí, Panamá Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola, Perú, Avenida La Fontana 550, Lima 12, Perú Centro Peruano de Estudios Cetológicos (CEPEC), Museo de los Delfines, Pucusana, Lima 20, Perú Pacifico Adventures, Avenida Rivera del Mar s/n, Los Organos, Perú