Scientists[JMS1] have been studying humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Southeast southeastern Alaska since the late 1960’s. Humpbacks are the most animated of the large whales, often breaching, tail slapping, pectoral (or flipper) slapping, and participating in cooperative a coordinated feeding behavior called bubble-net lunge feeding. Because humpback whales These activities and the fact that they arare found nearer to shore than other large whales they are more make them more easily studied. But it is never simple to learn about
Often,Most of the time when a humpback whale dives, it lifts its tailflukes, or tail out of the water. Each whale has a unique shape and color pattern on the underside of the flukes, which can be used as a fingerprint for researchers to identify individual whales.These patterns vary in color and shape. The flukes can be completely white,, 50 percent white, or completely black, or anywhere in betweendark as seen in, asshownthe photo below. They not only use fluke color, but also the distinctive bumps trailing edge to help match a whale to a previous photo.
Over time, researchers have developedcatalogs ofwith photos of individual whale fluke photographs, allowing them to track the life histories of whales over many yearss.They not only use the coloration patterns on the flukes, but also the trailing edge to help match a whale to a previous photo. Sighting histories of individual whales can then be developed from the photographs taken through the years. These sSighting histories help researchers develop determine the survival, reproductive maturity, life history parameters for an individual whale, such as birthcalving intervals, lifespanmigratory destinations, and regional movements of individual whales. data about individual whales.
Paragraph on things we know about the whales in this catalog:
For example,
Lengths of longest sighting histories
Through collaborations with other researchers we know that most SEAK whales migrate to Hawaii but some have been seen in Mexico (link to SPLASH?)
Within SEAK whales have strong site fidelity to the area where their mother raised them in their first year of life, but they also make movements during the feeding season to exploit different types of prey.
We only know the sexes of about x% of the whales in the catalog because it is hard to tell males from females externally. We rely on sightings of a female with a calf to determine that the mom is female. Sometimes we use samples of skin collected from breaches, or biopsy samples, to genetically determine the sex of a whale.
If we get a fluke photo of a calf, then we forever know its age. These are valuable because….(link to GNBP site and age at first calving paper)?.
When humpbacks breach,they slough offsmall pieces of their skin slough off that will float on the surface for a short time. Researchers collect these tissue samples by using a net to scoop the skin from the water. They can also collect a small plug of skin and blubber tissue samples by using darts fired from a crossbow and bolt or small caliber pneumatic rifle. to take a small plug of skin and blubber. The samples are analyzed and offer provide researchers information about the animal’s sex, age, pregnancy, paternity, stock population structure, and toxicology and contaminants. [cmg2]
[JMS1]Different font that the home section….???keep consistent Southeast or southeastern
[cmg2]Not really sure you want this paragraph in here. It’s off topic for the fluke catalog.
You could instead write a paragraph about how the sexes of some whales are known. First you should write a general paragraph about migratory destinations and regional movement of whales in the catalog..