Diel variation in beaked whale diving behavior

We investigate diel variation in beaked whale diving behavior using data from time–depth recorders deployed on six Blainville’s (Mesoplodon densirostris) (255 h) and two Cuvier’s (Ziphius cavirostris) (34 h) beaked whales. Deep foraging dives (>800 m) occurred at similar rates during the day and night for Blainville’s beaked whales, and there were no significant diel differences in ascent rates, descent rates, or mean or maximum depths or durations for deep dives. Dive to mid-water depths (100–600 m) occurred significantly more often during the day (mean = 1.59 h −1 ) than at night (mean = 0.26 h −1 ). Series of progressively shallower “bounce” dives were only documented to follow the deep, long dives made during the day; at night whales spent more time in shallow (<100 m) depths. Significantly slower ascent rates than descent rates were found following deep foraging dives both during the day and night. Similar patterns were found for the Cuvier’s beaked whales. Our results suggest that so-called “bounce” dives do not serve a physiological function, although the slow ascents may. This diel variation in behavior suggests that beaked whales may spend less time in surface waters during the day to avoid

[1]  W. R. Strong.  CHAPTER 21 – Shape Discrimination and Visual Predatory Tactics in White Sharks , 1996 .

[2]  Scot D. Anderson,et al.  Migration and habitat of white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) in the eastern Pacific Ocean , 2007 .

[3]  R. Quesada,et al.  Espinosa de los monteros , 2000 .

[4]  R. W. Baird,et al.  Subsurface and nighttime behaviour of pantropical spotted dolphins in Hawai'i , 2001 .

[5]  David G. Ainley,et al.  Great white sharks : the biology of Carcharodon carcharias , 1996 .

[6]  Scot D. Anderson,et al.  Expanded niche for white sharks , 2002 .

[7]  M. Arbelo,et al.  “Gas and Fat Embolic Syndrome” Involving a Mass Stranding of Beaked Whales (Family Ziphiidae) Exposed to Anthropogenic Sonar Signals , 2005, Veterinary pathology.

[8]  S. Rommel,et al.  Elements of beaked whale anatomy and diving physiology and some hypothetical causes of sonar-related stranding , 2023, J. Cetacean Res. Manage..

[9]  G. Pierce,et al.  Review of Data on Diets of Beaked Whales: Evidence of Niche Separation and Geographic Segregation , 2003, Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom.

[10]  Walter M. X. Zimmer,et al.  REPETITIVE SHALLOW DIVES POSE DECOMPRESSION RISK IN DEEP-DIVING BEAKED WHALES , 2007 .

[11]  H. Nakano,et al.  Occurrence of the cookiecutter shark Isistius brasiliensis in surface waters of the North Pacific Ocean , 1990 .

[12]  R. W. Baird,et al.  Factors influencing the diving behaviour of fish-eating killer whales: sex differences and diel and interannual variation in diving rates , 2005 .

[13]  Walter M. X. Zimmer,et al.  Beaked whales echolocate on prey , 2004, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences.

[14]  Christopher G. Lowe,et al.  Movements of tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier) in coastal Hawaiian waters , 1999 .

[15]  C. Lowe,et al.  Biology of the Galapagos shark,Carcharhinus galapagensis, in Hawai'i , 1996, Environmental Biology of Fishes.

[16]  R. W. Baird,et al.  Deep–diving behaviour of the northern bottlenose whale, Hyperoodon ampullatus (Cetacea: Ziphiidae) , 1999, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences.

[17]  C. Lowe,et al.  Distribution and diet of four species of carcharhinid shark in the Hawaiian Islands: evidence for resource partitioning and competitive exclusion , 2006 .

[18]  P. Ponganis,et al.  Diving and foraging behavior of leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) , 1989 .

[19]  S. L. Lima,et al.  Temporal Variation in Danger Drives Antipredator Behavior: The Predation Risk Allocation Hypothesis , 1999, The American Naturalist.

[20]  K. D.,et al.  Understanding the impacts of anthropogenic sound on beaked whales 1 , 2006 .

[21]  D. J. Long.  CHAPTER 27 – White Shark Predation and Scavenging on Cetaceans in the Eastern North Pacific Ocean , 1996 .

[22]  A. Frid,et al.  Optimal diving under the risk of predation. , 2003, Journal of theoretical biology.

[23]  S. Bollens,et al.  Diel vertical migration in zooplankton: field evidence in support of the predator avoidance hypothesis , 1992, Hydrobiologia.

[24]  S. Jarvis,et al.  Estimating the density of Blainville's beaked whale (Mesoplodon densirostris) in the Tongue of the Ocean (TOTO) using passive acoustics , 2006, OCEANS 2006.

[25]  R. W. Baird,et al.  SITE FIDELITY, ASSOCIATIONS, AND MOVEMENTS OF CUVIER'S (ZIPHIUS CAVIROSTRIS) AND BLAINVILLE'S (MESOPLODON DENSIROSTRIS) BEAKED WHALES OFF THE ISLAND OF HAWAI‘I , 2007 .

[26]  P. Tyack,et al.  Extreme diving of beaked whales , 2006, Journal of Experimental Biology.

[27]  R. W. Baird,et al.  Diving behaviour of Cuvier's (Ziphius cavirostris) and Blainville's (Mesoplodon densirostris) beaked whales in Hawai'i , 2006 .

[28]  Michael R. Heithaus,et al.  The Biology of Tiger Sharks, Galeocerdo Cuvier, in Shark Bay, Western Australia: Sex Ratio, Size Distribution, Diet, and Seasonal Changes in Catch Rates , 2001, Environmental Biology of Fishes.

[29]  M. Arbelo,et al.  Gas-bubble lesions in stranded cetaceans , 2003, Nature.

[30]  B. Würsig,et al.  The Hawaiian Spinner Dolphin , 1994 .

[31]  Robert Gisiner,et al.  Mitigating, monitoring and assessing the effects of anthropogenic sound on beaked whales , 2023, J. Cetacean Res. Manage..

[32]  R. W. Baird,et al.  Killer Whales in Hawaiian Waters: Information on Population Identity and Feeding Habits1 , 2006 .

[33]  Steven F. Railsback,et al.  Tests of Theory for Diel Variation in Salmonid Feeding Activity and Habitat Use , 2005 .

[34]  G. Notarbartolo-di-Sciara,et al.  KILLER WHALE, ORCINUS ORCA, IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA , 1987 .

[35]  Wayne L. Perryman,et al.  DIEL VARIATION IN MIGRATION RATES OF EASTERN PACIFIC GRAY WHALES MEASURED WITH THERMAL IMAGING SENSORS , 1999 .

[36]  R. W. Baird,et al.  Diving and night-time behavior of long-finned pilot whales in the Ligurian Sea , 2002 .

[37]  T. Kubodera,et al.  Diel vertical migration of squid in the warm core ring and cold water masses in the transition region of the western North Pacific , 2006 .

[38]  G. Pierce,et al.  Insights into the diet of beaked whales from the atypical mass stranding in the Canary Islands in September 2002 , 2007, Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom.

[39]  C. Lowe,et al.  Ontogenetic dietary shifts and feeding behavior of the tiger shark, Galeocerdo cuvier, in Hawaiian waters , 1996, Environmental Biology of Fishes.

[40]  I. Boyd,et al.  DEEP-DIVING ODONTOCETES BEHAVIORAL-RESPONSE STUDY (BRS) , 2008 .

[41]  W. Au,et al.  Prey dynamics affect foraging by a pelagic predator (Stenella longirostris) over a range of spatial and temporal scales , 2003, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology.

[42]  Gerald L. Kooyman,et al.  Fur seal diving behaviour in relation to vertical distribution of krill , 1985 .

[43]  T. Tricas,et al.  Predatory behavior of the white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) with notes on its biology , 1984 .

[44]  K. Marten,et al.  Patterns of Use of Maku'a Beach, O'ahu, Hawai'i, by Spinner Dolphins (Stenella longirostris) and Potential Effects of Swimmers on Their Behavior , 2005 .