Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus) Diel Dive Patterns in a Shallow Fragmented Foraging Habitat
Dana L. Adcock, Douglas P. Nowacek, Susan E. Parks · 2026
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Description
Dana Adcock and co-authors track fin whale dives in a busy coastal habitat in a 2026 study. Twenty-seven whales wore high-resolution tags south of the United States east coast, in water so shallow that a whale's body can span much of the depth. The team asked when and how deep the whales feed, rest, and travel.
Whales fed mostly by day and stayed very shallow at night while resting and moving, likely tracking prey that shifts depth with the light. Two thirds of their time was spent near the surface, inside the draft depth of large ships. That pattern, safe for most of whale history, now courts ship strikes in lanes where crews can barely spot whales at night. The authors argue that knowing baseline dive habits is key to protecting whales in fragmented seas.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Dana L. Adcock, Douglas P. Nowacek, Susan E. Parks |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 31 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |