Do lunar cycles influence male humpback whale singing behavior?
Conference Year
January 2021
Abstract
Previous research in Brazil has found evidence that the interaction between phases of the moon and time of day influence male humpback whale singing behavior. Humpback whales are thought to be acoustically activity at night and shift to visual competitive tactics during the day. Here we study the potential influence of moon phases and time of day on the singing activity of humpback whales at Las Marias, an important breeding area in Panama. We use data collected from passive acoustic monitoring efforts in this area and generated a presence-absence matrix of song detections for Marias from October to December 2020 noting time of day and phase categories (4 levels) based on NOAA Astronomical online data. Based on previous studies we hypothesize that there will be a decrease in singing activity from first to last quarter. This study will provide a better understanding of the acoustic behavior of male humpback whales in this breeding ground.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Laura May-Collado
Faculty/Staff Collaborators
Laura May-Collado (Faculty Mentor), Kristen Rasmussen
Status
Undergraduate
Student College
College of Arts and Sciences
Program/Major
Biology
Primary Research Category
Biological Sciences
Do lunar cycles influence male humpback whale singing behavior?
Previous research in Brazil has found evidence that the interaction between phases of the moon and time of day influence male humpback whale singing behavior. Humpback whales are thought to be acoustically activity at night and shift to visual competitive tactics during the day. Here we study the potential influence of moon phases and time of day on the singing activity of humpback whales at Las Marias, an important breeding area in Panama. We use data collected from passive acoustic monitoring efforts in this area and generated a presence-absence matrix of song detections for Marias from October to December 2020 noting time of day and phase categories (4 levels) based on NOAA Astronomical online data. Based on previous studies we hypothesize that there will be a decrease in singing activity from first to last quarter. This study will provide a better understanding of the acoustic behavior of male humpback whales in this breeding ground.