Social structure of young male sperm whales and its determinant factors

2011 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21570020
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Ecology/Environment
• Research Institution: Nagasaki University
• Principal Investigator: AMANO Masao 長崎大学, 大学院・水産・環境科学総合研究科, 教授 (50270905)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): NOBUYUKI Miyazaki 海洋政策研究財団, 主任研究員 (40101464) ; MOTOI Yoshioka 三重大学, 生物資源学部, 教授 (30262992)
• Research Collaborator: AYA Kourogi 長崎大学, 大学院水産・環境科学総合研究科, 技能補佐員(実験助手) ; HARUKO Sato シーライフ・ウオッチ, 代表
• Project Period (FY): 2009 – 2011
• Keywords: 鯨類 / ハクジラ類 / マッコウクジラ / 社会構造

Research Abstract

We examined social structure based on photo-identification and habitat use pattern based on land-based observation for young male sperm whales feeding in the Nemuro Strait in summer. Social structure of young male sperm whales is multilevel ; long lasting units temporally associate for a short time, and they showed clear diurnal movement pattern. High predation pressure and cooperation in feeding are considered to be major drives for their multilevel society and habitat use pattern.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Active hunting by deep-diving sperm whales : 3D dive profile and manoeuvres during bursts of speed (2012)
  • Author(s): Aoki, K., M. Amano, K. Mori, A. Kourogi, T. Kubodera and N. Miyazaki
  • Journal Title: Marine Ecology Progress Series Volume: 444 Pages: 289-301
  • DOI: DOI:10.3354/meps09371
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Age determination and reproductive traits of killer whales entrapped in the ice off Hokkaido (2011)
  • Author(s): Amano, M., T. K. Yamada, Y. Uni and R. L. Brownell, Jr.
  • Journal Title: Japan. Journal of Mammalogy Volume: 92 Pages: 275-282
  • DOI: DOI:10.1644/10-MAMM-A-276.1.
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Swim speed and acceleration measurements of short-finned pilot whales(Globicephala macrorhynchus) in Hawai' I (2011)
  • Author(s): Sakai, M., K. Aoki, K. Sato, M. Amano, R. W. Baird, D. L. Webster, G. S. Schorr and N. Miyazaki
  • Journal Title: Mammal Study Volume: 36 Pages: 55-59
  • URL: http://www.bioone.org/toc/jmam/36/1.
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Scaling of swim speed in breath-hold divers (2011)
  • Author(s): Watanabe, Y., K. Sato, Y. Watanuki, A. Takahashi, Y. Mitani, M. Amano, K. Aoki, T. Narazaki, T. Iwata, S. Minamikawa and N. Miyazaki.
  • Journal Title: Journal of Animal Ecology Volume: 80 Pages: 57-68
  • DOI: DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2656.2010.01760.x.
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Presentation] アカボウクジラによる連続潜水と旋回浮上行動 (2012)
  • Author(s): 青木かがり・天野雅男・森恭一・岡本亮介・窪寺恒己・佐藤克文
  • Organizer: 平成24年度日本水産学会春季大会
  • Place of Presentation: 東京海洋大学
  • Year and Date: 20120326-30
• [Presentation] Diurnal horizontal movement of sperm whales in the Nemuro Strait, (2011)
  • Author(s): Amano, M., Y. Sueishi, A. Kourogi, H. Sato.
  • Organizer: 19th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals
  • Place of Presentation: Tampa, Florida
  • Year and Date: 20111127-1202
• [Presentation] Association patters o female Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins off Amakusa (2011)
  • Author(s): Nishita, M., M. Shirakihara, and M. Amano
  • Organizer: 19th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals
  • Place of Presentation: Tampa, Florida
  • Year and Date: 20111127-1202
• [Presentation] アカボウクジラが行なっていた深度1000mを超える潜水の特徴 (2011)
  • Author(s): 青木かがり・天野雅男・森恭一・岡本亮介・窪寺恒己.佐藤克文
  • Organizer: 平成23年度日本水産学会春季大会
  • Place of Presentation: 東京海洋大学
  • Year and Date: 20110327-31
• [Presentation] 根室海峡におけるマッコウクジラの分布と移動 (2011)
  • Author(s): 天野雅男・末石幸世・興梠あや
  • Organizer: 平成22年度知床世界自然遺産地域生態系調査報告会
  • Place of Presentation: 札幌市教育文化会館
  • Year and Date: 2011-02-23
• [Presentation] Two forms of short-finned pilot whales off Japan (2009)
  • Author(s): Amano, M. and T. Kasuya
  • Organizer: Workshop on defining subspecies : developing guidelines for marine mammals
  • Place of Presentation: Quebec, Canada
  • Year and Date: 20091000
• [Presentation] Difference of sperm whale coda between two waters off Japan (2009)
  • Author(s): Amano, M., A. Kourogi, K. Aoki, M, Yoshioka, and K. Mori
  • Organizer: 18th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals
  • Place of Presentation: Quebec, Canada
  • Year and Date: 20091000
• [Presentation] Turning radius of sperm whales estimated from speed and accelerations obtained by 3D data logger (2009)
  • Author(s): Aoki, M. K. Sato, M. Amano, K. Mori, and N Miyazaki
  • Organizer: 18th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals
  • Place of Presentation: Quebec, Canada
  • Year and Date: 20091000
• [Book] The wild mammals of Japan (2009)
  • Author(s): Mori, K., M. Yoshioka and M. Amano
  • Total Pages: 1758
  • Publisher: Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus
• [Remarks]
  • URL: http://web.mac.com/masaoamano/