Diving behaviour of adult male white whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Svalbard, Norway

White whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Svalbard remain near the coast much of the year, spending most of their time in front of tidewater glaciers. In this article, the diving behaviour of adult male white whales in Svalbard (N = 16) is presented based on satellite-relay data loggers that record ti...

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Main Authors: Jade Vacquié-Garcia, Christian Lydersen, Kit M. Kovacs
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Norwegian Polar Institute 2019-12-01
Series:Polar Research
Subjects:
Online Access:https://polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/3605/9955
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author Jade Vacquié-Garcia
Christian Lydersen
Kit M. Kovacs
author_facet Jade Vacquié-Garcia
Christian Lydersen
Kit M. Kovacs
author_sort Jade Vacquié-Garcia
collection DOAJ
description White whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Svalbard remain near the coast much of the year, spending most of their time in front of tidewater glaciers. In this article, the diving behaviour of adult male white whales in Svalbard (N = 16) is presented based on satellite-relay data loggers that record time and depth of diving as well as positions. The loggers transmitted data for an average of 87 ± 52 days (range 2–163 days). After filtering, 55 359 dives were available for the study. Most of the dives were extremely shallow (13 ± 26 m, maximum 350 m) and of short duration (97 ± 123 s, maximum 31.4 min). At tidewater glacier fronts, the white whales optimized their time at the bottom of dives and spent longer periods resting at the surface after dives, in accordance with what would be expected when foraging. This behaviour was also documented when animals were out in the fjords. When the whales moved between areas around the archipelago, they swam close to the coast, staying right below the surface most of the time, presumably to minimize energy expenditure during transits. When sea ice formed during the winter, the whales were forced offshore into somewhat deeper areas with drifting ice. In these areas, the whales minimized time at the surface and dove somewhat deeper, sometimes reaching the bottom, presumably to feed on neritic prey.
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spelling doaj.art-15acae9b65cf44d8a707b3104c0894a32022-12-22T00:49:10ZengNorwegian Polar InstitutePolar Research1751-83692019-12-0138011210.33265/polar.v38.36053605Diving behaviour of adult male white whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Svalbard, NorwayJade Vacquié-Garcia0Christian Lydersen1Kit M. Kovacs2Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, Tromsø, NorwayNorwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, Tromsø, NorwayNorwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, Tromsø, NorwayWhite whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Svalbard remain near the coast much of the year, spending most of their time in front of tidewater glaciers. In this article, the diving behaviour of adult male white whales in Svalbard (N = 16) is presented based on satellite-relay data loggers that record time and depth of diving as well as positions. The loggers transmitted data for an average of 87 ± 52 days (range 2–163 days). After filtering, 55 359 dives were available for the study. Most of the dives were extremely shallow (13 ± 26 m, maximum 350 m) and of short duration (97 ± 123 s, maximum 31.4 min). At tidewater glacier fronts, the white whales optimized their time at the bottom of dives and spent longer periods resting at the surface after dives, in accordance with what would be expected when foraging. This behaviour was also documented when animals were out in the fjords. When the whales moved between areas around the archipelago, they swam close to the coast, staying right below the surface most of the time, presumably to minimize energy expenditure during transits. When sea ice formed during the winter, the whales were forced offshore into somewhat deeper areas with drifting ice. In these areas, the whales minimized time at the surface and dove somewhat deeper, sometimes reaching the bottom, presumably to feed on neritic prey.https://polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/3605/9955arcticbelugaclimate changeenvironmental changeforagingtravelling
spellingShingle Jade Vacquié-Garcia
Christian Lydersen
Kit M. Kovacs
Diving behaviour of adult male white whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Svalbard, Norway
Polar Research
arctic
beluga
climate change
environmental change
foraging
travelling
title Diving behaviour of adult male white whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Svalbard, Norway
title_full Diving behaviour of adult male white whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Svalbard, Norway
title_fullStr Diving behaviour of adult male white whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Svalbard, Norway
title_full_unstemmed Diving behaviour of adult male white whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Svalbard, Norway
title_short Diving behaviour of adult male white whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Svalbard, Norway
title_sort diving behaviour of adult male white whales delphinapterus leucas in svalbard norway
topic arctic
beluga
climate change
environmental change
foraging
travelling
url https://polarresearch.net/index.php/polar/article/view/3605/9955
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