Abstract

VILLEGAS-ZURITA, Francisco  and  CASTILLEJOS-MOGUEL, Fátima. First record of the humback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) as opportunistic feed off the coast of Oaxaca, Mexico. Therya [online]. 2013, vol.4, n.1, pp.113-119. ISSN 2007-3364.  https://doi.org/10.12933/therya-13-98.

We report the first record of opportunistic feeding behavior of one humpback whale during its winter migration through tropical waters off the central coast of Oaxaca, Mexico. Additionally, we recorded for the first time evidence of mixed feeding techniques, mainly consisting of lunging vertically, which is used in feeding grounds of the North Pacific and skimming lunge subsurface, which is used in feeding grounds of the South Pacific, with the latter one being specifically used for catching Munida sp. aggregations. The method described adds four new variants to the maneuver repertoire: 1) buzz prior to the prey capture, 2) type of targeted prey, Cupleiformes in this case, 3) emergence with the mouth closed, and 4) movement in the surface with the mouth closed. Based on the characteristics of this method we named it subsurface lunge feeding with terminal buzz. This is the southernmost feeding record that has been reported for the North Pacific humpback whales.

Keywords : Feeding; Breeding grounds; Oaxaca; Tropical Pacific.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )