Aerial behavior by the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) in the wake of a freighter and near other boats

This study confirms that the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) exhibits infrequent aerial behavior and that it sometimes occurs near different types of boats. We describe this uncommon behavior in the wake of a freighter and near other boats, provide details that expand upon an aerial rotation techn...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine and freshwater behaviour and physiology 2013-07, Vol.46 (4), p.267-272
Main Authors: Kot, Brian W, Zbinden, Dany, Sears, Richard
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
aerial behavior
Balaenoptera physalus
boats
Canada
fin whale
Freshwater
Gulf of St. Lawrence
kinematics
Marine
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Summary:This study confirms that the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) exhibits infrequent aerial behavior and that it sometimes occurs near different types of boats. We describe this uncommon behavior in the wake of a freighter and near other boats, provide details that expand upon an aerial rotation technique briefly noted in fin whales by others, and show that we have observed only three of these aerial events in 33 years of seasonal effort within our study areas in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada. Collectively our study contributes new information, including kinematics, about aerial behavior in fin whales and suggests that this behavior is not geographically limited to the Mediterranean Sea where it has been reported most often.
ISSN:1029-0362
1023-6244
1029-0362
DOI:10.1080/10236244.2013.803695