• Login
    View Item 
    •   Home
    • University of Alaska Southeast
    • School of Arts and Sciences
    • Faculty, Staff, and Students
    • Straley, Janice
    • View Item
    •   Home
    • University of Alaska Southeast
    • School of Arts and Sciences
    • Faculty, Staff, and Students
    • Straley, Janice
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Browse

    All of Scholarworks@UACommunitiesPublication DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsTypeThis CollectionPublication DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsType

    My Account

    Login

    First Time Submitters, Register Here

    Register

    Statistics

    Display statistics

    Pectoral herding: an innovative tactic for humpback whale foraging

    • CSV
    • RefMan
    • EndNote
    • BibTex
    • RefWorks
    Thumbnail
    Name:
    2019_Janice Straley_Pectoral ...
    Size:
    1.830Mb
    Format:
    PDF
    Description:
    Main Article
    Download
    Author
    Kosma, Madison, M.
    Werth, Alexander J.
    Szabo, Andrew R.
    Straley, Janice M.
    Keyword
    flipper
    foraging
    humpback whale
    Southeast Alaska
    aerial footage
    behavioural plasticity
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/11122/11923
    Abstract
    Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) have exceptionally long pectorals (i.e. flippers) that aid in shallow water navigation, rapid acceleration and increased manoeuvrability. The use of pectorals to herd or manipulate prey has been hypothesized since the 1930s. We combined new technology and a unique viewing platform to document the additional use of pectorals to aggregate prey during foraging events. Here, we provide a description of ‘pectoral herding’ and explore the conditions that may promote this innovative foraging behaviour. Specifically, we analysed aerial videos and photographic sequences to assess the function of pectorals during feeding events near salmon hatchery release sites in Southeast Alaska (2016–2018). We observed the use of solo bubble-nets to initially corral prey, followed by calculated movements to establish a secondary boundary with the pectorals—further condensing prey and increasing foraging efficiency. We found three ways in which humpback whales use pectorals to herd prey: (i) create a physical barrier to prevent evasion, (ii) cause water motion to guide prey towards the mouth, and (iii) position the ventral side to reflect light and alter prey movement. Our findings suggest that behavioural plasticity may aid foraging in changing environments and shifts in prey availability. Further study would clarify if ‘pectoral herding’ is used as a principal foraging tool by the broader humpback whale population and the conditions that promote its use.
    Date
    2019-09-23
    Publisher
    The Royal Society
    Type
    Article
    Peer-Reviewed
    Yes
    Citation
    Kosma MM, Werth AJ, Szabo AR, Straley JM. 2019 Pectoral herding: an innovative tactic for humpback whale foraging. R. Soc. open sci. 6: 191104.
    Collections
    Straley, Janice

    entitlement

     
    ABOUT US|HELP|BROWSE|ADVANCED SEARCH

    The University of Alaska Fairbanks is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and educational institution and is a part of the University of Alaska system.

    ©UAF 2013 - 2023 | Questions? ua-scholarworks@alaska.edu | Last modified: September 25, 2019

    Open Repository is a service operated by 
    Atmire NV
     

    Export search results

    The export option will allow you to export the current search results of the entered query to a file. Different formats are available for download. To export the items, click on the button corresponding with the preferred download format.

    By default, clicking on the export buttons will result in a download of the allowed maximum amount of items.

    To select a subset of the search results, click "Selective Export" button and make a selection of the items you want to export. The amount of items that can be exported at once is similarly restricted as the full export.

    After making a selection, click one of the export format buttons. The amount of items that will be exported is indicated in the bubble next to export format.