RBMO 46(3): 483-490 | 2011
Research Note

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Surface feeding behavior of humpback whales in the Magellan Strait

Jorge Acevedo^1,2*, Jorge Plana³, Anelio Aguayo-Lobo⁴ & Luis A. Pastene⁵

¹Laboratorio de Centro Regional de Estudios del Cuaternario de Fuego Patagonia y Antártica (Fundación CEQUA), 21 de Mayo 1690, Casilla 737, Punta Arenas, Chile

²Universidad de Magallanes, Av. Bulnes 01855, Punta Arenas, Chile

³Independent Researcher, Ramón Menéndez Pidal 0294, Punta Arenas, Chile

⁴Instituto Antártico Chileno, Plaza Muñoz Gamero 1055, Punta Arenas, Chile

⁵Institute of Cetacean Research, Toyomi-cho 4-5, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0055, Japan

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Surface feeding behavior of 37 identified humpback whales in the Magellan Strait are reported with the aim of describing feeding behavior and investigating whether differences in prey type determine the feeding strategy in this area. A total of three lunging and one bubbling behaviors are reported, of which two ('single straight-line bubble curtain' and 'sub-surface skimming') are novel behaviors for this species and each feeding behavior tended to be consistent in regards to the prey species available at a given time. However, our data set did not contain a sufficient sample size to fully interpret this association with the available prey species. 

Key words: Lunging behavior, bubbling behavior, Eastern South Pacific, Megaptera novaeangliae 

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