Behavioural strategies in humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, in a coastal region of Brazil

The behavioural patterns of humpback whales are known to vary according to the social function of individuals in a group. To identify behavioural patterns related to specific group compositions, we observed events and behavioural states of humpback whales during research cruises in the Abrolhos Bank, Brazil, in the reproductive seasons from 1992 to 2003. We monitored 3022 groups and found a predominance of competitive groups without calves, when compared to competitive groups with calves. A Bayesian network analysis supplied occurrence probabilities for the behaviours analysed, indicating higher probabilities of occurrence for the behavioural patterns designated travelling and socializing. The model, generated from a binomial logistic regression, was able to predict competitive groups in association with the occurrence of the following aggressive behaviours: head-lunging, trumpet and bubblestreams. This study suggests the existence of behavioural patterns associated with specific group compositions and reinforces the concept that there is a clear-cut relation between competitive groups and the occurrence of aggressive behaviours. The preferential association of males to females with high reproductive potential for the following year (i.e. females without a calf) was also identified.