marine mammal migrations Best answer on the web
whales, more emphasis on other marine mammals, e.g.narwhal, dolphin,
porpoise, seal, polar bear, otter.
http://www.aaabooksearch.com/Book/0375411410
hummer
omniscientbeing-ga
GA Researcher
I had hoped to find the information you need, and in a way I have. Unfortunately, the information isn't consolidated in a simple way.
Instead, I've come across an excellent and massive database of all known marine mammals (along with other creatures). It is very simple to use. I've included an example of its contents below. If you would like me to post full information about accessing this database -- and/or purchasing a CD of its contents -- let me know, and I'd be happy to provide that information as an answer to your question.
Let me know what you think.
pafalafa-ga
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As an example, entering "whale" in the search box gives a result of 54 listings like this:
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1. Species Balaena mysticetus (Bowhead whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Mysticeti > Family Balaenidae > Genus Balaena > Species Balaena mysticetus [Display Tree]
2. Family Balaenidae (Right and Bowhead Whales)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Mysticeti > Family Balaenidae [Display Tree]
3. Species Balaenoptera acutorostrata (Minke whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Mysticeti > Family Balaenopteridae > Genus Balaenoptera > Species Balaenoptera acutorostrata [Display Tree]
4. Species Balaenoptera borealis (Sei whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Mysticeti > Family Balaenopteridae > Genus Balaenoptera > Species Balaenoptera borealis [Display Tree]
5. Species Balaenoptera edeni (Bryde's whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Mysticeti > Family Balaenopteridae > Genus Balaenoptera > Species Balaenoptera edeni [Display Tree]
6. Species Balaenoptera musculus (Blue whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Mysticeti > Family Balaenopteridae > Genus Balaenoptera > Species Balaenoptera musculus [Display Tree]
7. Species Balaenoptera physalus (Fin whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Mysticeti > Family Balaenopteridae > Genus Balaenoptera > Species Balaenoptera physalus [Display Tree]
8. Species Berardius arnuxii (Arnoux's beaked whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Ziphiidae > Genus Berardius > Species Berardius arnuxii [Display Tree]
9. Species Berardius bairdii (Baird's beaked whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Ziphiidae > Genus Berardius > Species Berardius bairdii [Display Tree]
10. Species Caperea marginata (Pygmy right whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Mysticeti > Family Neobalaenidae > Genus Caperea > Species Caperea marginata [Display Tree]
11. Order Cetacea (Whales, dolphins and Porpoises)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea [Display Tree]
12. Cultivar Dahlia 'Whale's Rhonda'
Kingdom Plantae > Artificial taxon "Checklist Plantennamen" > Family Asteraceae > Genus Dahlia > Cultivar Dahlia 'Whale's Rhonda' [Display Tree]
13. Species Delphinapterus leucas (White whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Monodontidae > Genus Delphinapterus > Species Delphinapterus leucas [Display Tree]
14. Family Eschrichtiidae (Gray whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Mysticeti > Family Eschrichtiidae [Display Tree]
15. Species Eschrichtius robustus (Gray whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Mysticeti > Family Eschrichtiidae > Genus Eschrichtius > Species Eschrichtius robustus [Display Tree]
16. Species Eubalaena australis (Southern right whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Mysticeti > Family Balaenidae > Genus Eubalaena > Species Eubalaena australis [Display Tree]
17. Species Eubalaena glacialis (Northern right whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Mysticeti > Family Balaenidae > Genus Eubalaena > Species Eubalaena glacialis [Display Tree]
18. Species Feresa attenuata (Pygmy killer whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Delphinidae > Genus Feresa > Species Feresa attenuata [Display Tree]
19. Species Globicephala macrorhynchus (Short-finned pilot whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Delphinidae > Genus Globicephala > Species Globicephala macrorhynchus [Display Tree]
20. Species Globicephala melas (Long-finned pilot whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Delphinidae > Genus Globicephala > Species Globicephala melas [Display Tree]
21. Species Hyperoodon ampullatus (Northern bottlenose whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Ziphiidae > Genus Hyperoodon > Species Hyperoodon ampullatus [Display Tree]
22. Species Hyperoodon planifrons (Southern bottlenose whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Ziphiidae > Genus Hyperoodon > Species Hyperoodon planifrons [Display Tree]
23. Species Kogia breviceps (Pygmy sperm whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Kogiidae > Genus Kogia > Species Kogia breviceps [Display Tree]
24. Species Kogia simus (Dwarf sperm whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Kogiidae > Genus Kogia > Species Kogia simus [Display Tree]
25. Family Kogiidae (Pygmy and Dwarf Sperm Whales)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Kogiidae [Display Tree]
26. Species Lissodelphis borealis (Northern right whale dolphin)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Delphinidae > Genus Lissodelphis > Species Lissodelphis borealis [Display Tree]
27. Species Lissodelphis peronii (Southern right whale dolphin)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Delphinidae > Genus Lissodelphis > Species Lissodelphis peronii [Display Tree]
28. Species Megaptera novaeangliae (Humpback whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Mysticeti > Family Balaenopteridae > Genus Megaptera > Species Megaptera novaeangliae [Display Tree]
29. Genus Mesoplodon (Beaked Whales)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Ziphiidae > Genus Mesoplodon [Display Tree]
30. Species Mesoplodon bidens (Sowerby's beaked whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Ziphiidae > Genus Mesoplodon > Species Mesoplodon bidens [Display Tree]
31. Species Mesoplodon bowdoini (Andrews' beaked whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Ziphiidae > Genus Mesoplodon > Species Mesoplodon bowdoini [Display Tree]
32. Species Mesoplodon carlhubbsi (Hubbs' beaked whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Ziphiidae > Genus Mesoplodon > Species Mesoplodon carlhubbsi [Display Tree]
33. Species Mesoplodon densirostris (Blainville's beaked whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Ziphiidae > Genus Mesoplodon > Species Mesoplodon densirostris [Display Tree]
34. Species Mesoplodon europaeus (Gervais' beaked whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Ziphiidae > Genus Mesoplodon > Species Mesoplodon europaeus [Display Tree]
35. Species Mesoplodon ginkgodens (Ginkgo-toothed beaked whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Ziphiidae > Genus Mesoplodon > Species Mesoplodon ginkgodens [Display Tree]
36. Species Mesoplodon grayi (Gray's beaked whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Ziphiidae > Genus Mesoplodon > Species Mesoplodon grayi [Display Tree]
37. Species Mesoplodon hectori (Hector's beaked whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Ziphiidae > Genus Mesoplodon > Species Mesoplodon hectori [Display Tree]
38. Species Mesoplodon layardii (Strap-toothed whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Ziphiidae > Genus Mesoplodon > Species Mesoplodon layardii [Display Tree]
39. Species Mesoplodon mirus (True's beaked whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Ziphiidae > Genus Mesoplodon > Species Mesoplodon mirus [Display Tree]
40. Species Mesoplodon pacificus (Longman's beaked whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Ziphiidae > Genus Mesoplodon > Species Mesoplodon pacificus [Display Tree]
41. Species Mesoplodon peruvianus (Pygmy beaked whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Ziphiidae > Genus Mesoplodon > Species Mesoplodon peruvianus [Display Tree]
42. Species Mesoplodon stejnegeri (Stejneger's beaked whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Ziphiidae > Genus Mesoplodon > Species Mesoplodon stejnegeri [Display Tree]
43. Family Monodontidae (Narwhal and White Whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Monodontidae [Display Tree]
44. Suborder Mysticeti (Baleen Whales)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Mysticeti [Display Tree]
45. Family Neobalaenidae (Pygmy Right Whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Mysticeti > Family Neobalaenidae [Display Tree]
46. Suborder Odontoceti (Toothed Whales)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti [Display Tree]
47. Species Orcinus orca (Killer whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Delphinidae > Genus Orcinus > Species Orcinus orca [Display Tree]
48. Species Peponocephala electra (Melon-headed whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Delphinidae > Genus Peponocephala > Species Peponocephala electra [Display Tree]
49. Species Physeter macrocephalus (Sperm whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Physeteridae > Genus Physeter > Species Physeter macrocephalus [Display Tree]
50. Family Physeteridae (Sperm Whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Physeteridae [Display Tree]
51. Species Pseudorca crassidens (False killer whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Delphinidae > Genus Pseudorca > Species Pseudorca crassidens [Display Tree]
52. Species Tasmacetus shepherdi (Shepherd's beaked whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Ziphiidae > Genus Tasmacetus > Species Tasmacetus shepherdi [Display Tree]
53. Family Ziphiidae (Beaked Whales)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Ziphiidae [Display Tree]
54. Species Ziphius cavirostris (Cuvier's beaked whale)
Kingdom Animalia > Phylum Chordata > Class Mammalia > Order Cetacea > Suborder Odontoceti > Family Ziphiidae > Genus Ziphius > Species Ziphius cavirostris [Display Tree]
Clicking on any species then takes you to a wonderfully detailed description, that includes information about migration routes. For example, clicking on #15 "gray whale" takes you to a page that includes:
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"Biology and Behaviour"
"Most groups are small, often with no more than 3 individuals, but gray whales do sometimes migrate in pods of up to 16, and larger aggregations are common on the feeding and breeding grounds. Breaching, spy-hopping, and other aerial behaviours are common, especially during migration, and in and near the breeding lagoons of Baja California and mainland Mexico. The migration from winter breeding grounds in Mexico to summer feeding grounds in the Bering, Chukchi, and occasionally Beaufort, seas is witnessed by tens of thousands of people each year along the west coast of North America. Breeding occurs in winter, during migration, and in or near the Baja California breeding lagoons. Gray whales feed primarily on swarming mysids and tube-dwelling amphipods in the northern parts of their range, but are also known to take red crabs, baitfish, and other food opportunistically."
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The full entry looks like this:
Species Eschrichtius robustus
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(Lilljeborg, 1861) - Gray whale
Distinctive Characteristics
Gray whales are easy to identify. They are intermediate in robustness between right whales and rorquals. The upper jaw is moderately arched, and the head is acutely triangular in top view and slopes sharply downward in side view. The flippers are broad and paddle-shaped, with pointed tips. The flukes have smooth S-shaped trailing edges, with a deep median notch. There is a dorsal hump about two-thirds of the way back from the snout tip, followed by a series of 6 to 12 smaller knuckles on the dorsal ridge of the tail stock. There may be several (generally 2 to 5) short, but deep, creases on the throat that allow compression of the throat during feeding.
Although young calves are dark charcoal grey, all other gray whales are brownish grey to light grey. They are nearly covered with light blotches and white to orangish patches of whale lice and barnacles, especially on the head and tail. These patches of ectoparasites are very helpful in distinguishing this species.
The mouth contains 130 to 180 pairs of yellowish baleen plates, with very coarse bristles. The blow is bushy, heart-shaped when viewed from ahead or behind, and rises less than 3 to 4 m.
Can be confused with
Gray whales are unique in body shape and patterning, and there is usually little problem with identification. From a distance, however, they can sometimes be confused with right, bowhead, sperm, or humpback whales.
Size
At birth, gray whales are about 4.5 to 5 m long; adults are 11 to 15 m in length. Maximum body weight is over 35 t.
Geographical Distribution
Gray whales are found only in the North Pacific Ocean and adjacent seas. Gray whales are bottom feeders and are thus restricted to shallow continental shelf waters for feeding. In fact, they are the most coastal of all great whales, living much of their lives within a few tens of kilometres of shore (although they do feed great distances from shore on the shallow flats of the Bering and Chukchi seas). Gray whale stocks which previously occurred in the North Atlantic were wiped out by whalers in the seventeenth or eighteenth century.
Biology and Behaviour
Most groups are small, often with no more than 3 individuals, but gray whales do sometimes migrate in pods of up to 16, and larger aggregations are common on the feeding and breeding grounds. Breaching, spy-hopping, and other aerial behaviours are common, especially during migration, and in and near the breeding lagoons of Baja California and mainland Mexico. The migration from winter breeding grounds in Mexico to summer feeding grounds in the Bering, Chukchi, and occasionally Beaufort, seas is witnessed by tens of thousands of people each year along the west coast of North America. Breeding occurs in winter, during migration, and in or near the Baja California breeding lagoons. Gray whales feed primarily on swarming mysids and tube-dwelling amphipods in the northern parts of their range, but are also known to take red crabs, baitfish, and other food opportunistically.
Exploitation
The North Atlantic stock was apparently wiped-out by whalers in the 18th century. A western North Pacific (Korean) stock may also have been extirpated in the mid 20th century; its continued existence as a small remnant is still debated. The eastern North Pacific (California-Chukotka) stock nearly suffered the same fate twice, once in the late 1800s and again in the early 1900s. Both times, a respite in commercial whaling allowed the population to recover. About 170 to 200 from this latter stock are killed annually under special permit by commercial whalers on behalf of Soviet aborigines, and one or a few are taken in some years by Alaskan Eskimos. Since receiving IWC protection in 1946 and the end of research harvests in the late 1960s, this population has increased, and now apparently equals or exceeds pre-exploitation numbers.
IUCN Status
Not listed.
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So...if this looks to be of interest, let me know, and I'm happy to provide the full details.
pafalafa-ga
omniscientbeing-ga
Here I will present you with the migration routes and patterns for many of the marine mammals for which this information is known. Per your Question’s instructions, I will de-emphasize whales and emphasize dolphin, porpoise, seal, polar bear, otter and others. Also,in reference to your Clarification (“What I want is reference to the MIGRATION or NON-MIGRATION of all marine mammals”), I will also mention those mammals that are known definitively to have no migration patterns.
1)NARWHALS (Monodon monoceros)
The narwhal is a most intriguing subject (and one of the more difficult ones to research due to scarcity of available data), so let’s consider them first. You’re going to want a good map of the Arctic Sea handy for this (and the next few mammals as well). Here’s a link to one, from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI): [http://www.whoi.edu/media/arctic_map.html ].
From Arctic Kingdom Marine Expeditions, Inc.’s website [http://www.arctickingdom.com/animals_narwhal_migration.htm]:
“Like many arctic mammals, narwhals migrate throughout the year according to the advance and retreat of glacial ice. During the winter, the narwhal vacates most of its range, wintering in Baffin Bay, the northern Davis straight, and the mouth of the Hudson Straight. From March through May, most narwhals follow the receding pack ice up toward Greenland and Thule. In June and July, some continue on into Smith Sound, while most move south and west towards Jones and Lancaster sounds. In the autumn most retrace their spring and summer migration route.”
Unfortunately, not all that much is known about narwhal migration patterns, but it is known that they do migrate generally according to the description above. They are known as “circumpolar” species, because they travel all around the north polar region throughout the Arctic Ocean, basically in a big circle. Narwhals live in the Arctic Sea, north of Russia and Canada. They have occasionally been sighted as far south as the Bering Sea, but not very often. Their migrations take them along the circle of sea around the North Pole—from Greenland to Baffin Bay (Northern Canada), and even as far as Eastern Siberia and back. Little is known about what time of year these migrations occur.
Some of the information in the above paragraph was compiled from two book sources:
1. Cousteau’s “Ocean World,” World Pub., N.Y., 1984.
2. “The Marine Mammals of the Northwestern Coast of North America,” Charles M. Scammon [of Scammon’s Lagoon—grey whale southern migratory destination-- fame!], Dover publications, Inc., N.Y., 1968.
Here’s a link to a Canadian Biodiversity webpage showing a map of the arctic with the narwhal distribution colored in blue, as well as some information on migration:
[http://www.canadianbiodiversity.mcgill.ca/english/species/mammals/mammalpages/Mon_mon.htm .
In fact, there is a current need recognized for further research on narwhal migrations, as is exemplified by the following passage, from a recent North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (NAMMCO)Press release [http://www.nammco.no/fi-pr-re.htm ] :
“West Greenland Narwhal
The Scientific Committee provided research recommendations for West Greenland narwhal to answer questions about catch statistics, stock identity and abundance. The Council requested that the Scientific Committee evaluate the migration patterns of narwhal in Baffin Bay and Davis Strait.”
FYI: Davis Strait is “the narrowest point, between Greenland and Baffin Island, NE Canada, connecting the Atlantic Ocean and Baffin Bay.” (From Encyclopedia.com: [http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/D/DavisS1tr.asp ].
Here’s information on a journal article published on narwhal migration routes (although I don’t have the text of the actual paper):
“Palsb ll, Per Jakob, Mads Peter Heide-J rgensen and Rune Dietz. 1997. Population structure and seasonal movements of narwhals, Monodon monoceros, determined from mtDNA analysis. Heredity 78(3):284-292. REPRINT FILE.” From: a NOAA page, [http://nmml.afsc.noaa.gov/Accessibility/AccLibJun98Acquisitions.html ].
Here’s another journal article reference:
“Born, E. W., R. Dietz, and R. R. Reeves, eds. Studies of White Whales (Delphinapterus leucas) and Narwhals (Monodon monoceros) in Greenland and Adjacent Waters. Meddr Gronland, Bioscience 39, [1995].” From [http://www.physics.helsinki.fi/whale/literature/nfiction/nfic_b.html ].
2)BELUGA WHALES (Delphinapterus leucas)
From Arctic Kingdom Marine Expeditions, Inc.’s website [http://www.arctickingdom.com/animals_beluga_migration.htm ]:
“Beluga's migration patterns are difficult to categorize, as there are no distinct trend in their behaviour. Different populations seem to exhibit different migratory patterns. While some populations stay in small areas year round. It is known that many populations travel to shallow river estuaries where they use the river bottoms to rub their bodies against fine gravel during moulting season.”
Belugas are in the same family as narwhals (Monodontidae). They are found in the Arctic Ocean and adjacent seas, in both deep offshore and coastal waters.
From a University of Vermont webpage [http://www.uvm.edu/whale/BelugaRangeHabitat.html]:
“Beluga whales are most commonly found in coastal waters of circumpolar, primarily arctic regions of the northern hemisphere. Some isolated populations however, extend into subarctic regions as far south as the St. Lawrence River of Canada. Since belugas are extremely difficult to monitor, population sizes are known from only certain localities… Throughout their distribution range belugas inhabit cold Arctic waters, living amongst pack ice in winter and in shallow bays and estuaries of large northern rivers in the summer… Belugas are adapted to cold and ice and frequently inhabit areas where pack ice is common, although they are limited seasonally to areas where they can maintain breathing holes.”
So, Belugas are similar to the narwhals, except that the narwhals can endure iced-over water since they have the large tusk to break through the ice. This certainly affects their migratory behavior.
Here is NOAA’s overview on beluga while migratory behavior:
“Beluga whales are distributed throughout seasonally ice-covered arctic and subarctic waters of the Northern Hemisphere (Gurevich 1980) and are closely associated with open leads and polynyas in ice-covered regions (Hazard 1988). Five stocks of beluga whales are recognized within U.S. waters: 1) the Cook Inlet stock, 2) the Bristol Bay stock, 3) the Eastern Bering Sea stock, 4) the Eastern Chukchi Sea stock, and 5) the Beaufort Sea stock. During the winter, beluga whales occur in offshore waters associated with pack ice. In the spring, they migrate to warmer coastal estuaries, bays, and rivers for molting (Finley 1982) and calving (Sergeant and Brodie 1969). Annual migrations may cover thousands of kilometers (Reeves 1990). Some, if not all, of the Cook Inlet stock may inhabit Cook Inlet year-round (Hansen and Hubbard 1999), while the other stocks winter in the Bering Sea."
Here’s a link to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) “Beluga Whale Home Page”:
[http://nmml.afsc.noaa.gov/CetaceanAssessment/BelugaWhale.html ].
Let’s stick with the Arctic for now, and go to #3 on my list,
3)POLAR BEARS(Ursus maritimus)
Here’s a concise description of polar bears’ migratory patterns, from Arctic Kingdom Marine Expeditions, Inc.’s website [http://www.arctickingdom.com/animals_polarbear_migration.htm]:
“Polar bears spend much of their lives traveling, sometimes traveling as far as three thousand miles in search of food. During the summer months, bears follow the shifting pack ice, roaming up to 125 miles offshore. In the autumn, polar bears move south with the advancing ice. In October or November, pregnant females enter their dens. Some dens are used over and over, and some females will even return to the dens they were born in. Family groups remain in their dens until March or April.”
Polar bears range throughout the coastal areas and islands of the Arctic, polar bears live in harsh conditions with temperatures well below freezing. Their habitat spans Greenland, Norway, Russia, Canada and Alaska. [From http://216.239.33.104/search?q=cache:VxIouu2diDwJ:www.nwf.org/productions/bears/pdfs/polarbear.pdf+Ursus+maritimus++migratory+routes&hl=en&ie=UTF-8 ].
Also, keep in mind that polar bears are indeed bears, even though they are highly aquatic, and so they do hibernate. From the same site:
“Polar bears hollow out winter dens in protected snowbanks, where females den from November to March, during which time they give birth. Males den for much shorter periods, usually from late November to late January, but may be up and about occasionally at any time of the year. Cubs remain with their mother about a year and a half, denning with her the winter after their birth.” So, their migratory patterns are based on their hibernation behavior.
4)WALRUS (Odobenus rosmarus)
From Arctic Kingdom Marine Expeditions, Inc.’s website [http://www.arctickingdom.com/animals_walrus_migration.htm]:
“Walruses are migrating animals. Their spring migration follows the pack ice and the animals search out open water areas while heading north. The animals mostly migrate by swimming but they may also catch a ride on an ice floe once in a while. The Atlantic walrus is thought to travel less than the Pacific walrus.”
So, walrus migration patterns can be influenced by ice floe drift patterns, which throws a monkeywrench, so to speak, into efforts that attempt to precisely calculate their collective movements season after season.
5) BOWHEAD WHALES (Balaena mysticetus)
From Arctic Kingdom Marine Expeditions, Inc.’s website [http://www.arctickingdom.com/animals_bowhead_migration.htm]:
“Bowheads migrate according to the formation and movement of sea ice, travelling north in the summer and south in the winter. Bowheads prefer to live and feed amongst the ice. Baby bowheads are born during the spring migration, and must therefore be able to follow the herd from birth.”
Alright, let’s move down to somewhat warmer waters.
6) SEA OTTERS (Enhydra lutris)
From an Alaska Forestry Service webpage [ http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/ro/naturewatch/species/seaotter_frame.html ]:
“Sea otters usually do not migrate. They seldom travel far unless an area has become overpopulated and food is scarce. They are gregarious and may become concentrated in an area, sometimes resting in pods of fewer than 10 to more than 1,000 animals. Breeding males will drive nonbreeding males out of areas where females are concentrated.”
And, from the same page:
“Perhaps as few as 2,000 total animals existed in 1911, but by the mid-1970s the Alaska population numbered between 110,000 and 160,000. Most of the sea otter habitat in Alaska has now been repopulated. The principal exception is Southeast Alaska where numbers are increasing rapidly and otters are moving into new areas. Smaller populations exist in the Commander and Kurile islands, British Columbia, Washington, and California.”
So, sea otters don’t really migrate in the true sense, but may be driven to relocate long distances in extreme circumstances, but this is not a true “migration,” which implies seasonality.
7) ATLANTIC BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS (Tursiops truncatus):
Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, and indeed all bottlenose dolphins are not a migrating species. They are found in all world oceans except the Arctic, and may travel long distances in response to prey distribution or sea temperature changes, but there is no regular seasonality to these types of movements.
From a “WhaleNet” message board [http://whale.wheelock.edu/archives/ask00/0191.html ] :
(Note: the following description is also a very good treatment of the concept of “migration” in general as it applies to any animals, including marine mammals).
“As a species, bottlenose dolphins do not migrate like many
baleen whales do. When we talk about movement patterns of dolphins, we do not say that they migrate, but that they 'move'. Migration implies that its something done every year by the whole species, which is not what happens with bottlenose dolphins. But, this is usually a matter of preference, and depends on the scientist.
At the northern limit of the bottlenose dolphin's range in the western North Atlantic, bottlenose dolphins are seasonally migratory, with a more
southerly distribution in the winter. Along the California coastline, bottlenose dolphins respond to changes in distribution of prey and move along the coastline.
We know that bottlenose dolphins are capable of making very long trips. For example, a bottlenose dolphin in Argentina made a 600-km roundtrip. Recently, two bottlenose dolphins that stranded in Florida were satellite-tagged and tracked. One dolphin covered 2,050 km in 43 days, whereas the other dolphin covered 4,200 km in 47 days.
Honestly, we really don't understand bottlenose dolphin movements all that way, but we're getting a better handle on it. But, again, bottlenose
dolphins are not like a baleen whale, moving from one big geographic
location to another.”
Here’s a link to the WhaleNet home page (it offers a wealth of information on whales in general, including migration):
[http://whale.wheelock.edu/Welcome.html ].
8) NORTHERN OR STELLER SEA LION (Eumetopias jubatus)
Many sea lions and seals are not truly migratory, but the Stellar sea-lion is one of the few that does exhibit some migratory behavior.
From [http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jaap/sealion1.htm#Top ]:
“The range of this species is from the Sea of Japan at 43 N, north to the Pacific rim at 66 N and then south the North American Pacific coast to San Miguel Island at 34 N. Some migration seems to occur. On the Oregon coast, Northern sea lions and California sea lions live together in caves.”
The following link is to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service page for Steller sea-lions, and offers extensive links to further resources:
[ https://ecos.fws.gov/species_profile/SpeciesProfile?spcode=A0FS ].
9) CALIFORNIA SEA LIONS (Zalophus californianus)
The males of these animals are migratory. Here is more detailed information, from [http://www.imma.org/pinnipeds/Californiasealn.htm ], an International Marine Mammal Association (IMMA) webpage:
“California sea lions are found in nearshore waters along the Pacific coast with rookeries off the west coast of Vancouver Island, to Baja California. Two offshore hauling out islands also exist off the tip of Guadalupe Island and Rocas Alijos. Hauling out grounds north of southern California are occupied by males only, who migrate north for the winter. During the migration, some animals also enter the lower reaches of coastal rivers in northern California, Oregon and Washington. Another population inhabits the Gulf of California..”
Here’s a link to IMMA’s home page (for future reference):
[http://www.imma.org/ ].
10) HARBOR SEALS
Special Note: there are two sub-species of “Harbor Seals,” one U.S. west Coast species, and one U.S. east coast and European species. Interestingly enough, the western sub-species is non-migratory, while the eastern sub-species is migratory to some extent. The following link is to M.L. Torok’s ( biology graduate student) Geocities website dedicated to both sub-species of Harbor Seals:
[http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/4562/hsinfo.html ].
a) Phoca vitulina richardsi (Pacific Ocean)
Harbor seals are a true seal found along the California coast, and do not migrate.
The following paragraph is from the Bergen County Technical School’s “Harbor Seal Home Page” [http://www.bergen.org/Smithsonian/HarborSeal/HSBehavior.htm ]:
“Harbor seals are not migratory. Despite the ability to travel great distances, most Harbor seals stay near their birthplace. Tagging studies indicate that at least some animals may move long distances, both along shore and off-shore. They haul out on remote beaches, tidal mud flats, offshore rocks and reefs, glacial and sea ice, and objects such as buoys and log booms to rest, pup, and molt.”
Excerpt from [http://pt-lobos.parks.state.ca.us/nathis/MarineMam.htm ]:
“Harbor seals are here [California] year-round and do not migrate. They pup in April. Mating occurs when the pup is weaned, up to 6 weeks after birth.”
Here’s a comprehensive general info page on harbor seals, including photos (from : [http://www.cresli.org/cresli/seals/hbrseals.html ].
b) Phoca vitulina concolor (Atlantic Ocean)
Here’s a summary of Phoca vitulina concolor migration activity, from this Coastal Research and Education Society of Long Island, Inc. (CRESLI) webpage: [http://www.cresli.org/cresli/seals/hbrseals.html ]:
“Harbor seals, like most other seal species, migrate southward every winter, returning to New England and Canada in the summer. On Long Island a large influx of these seals arrive in November and remain through mid- May, although some are thought to stay throughout the year."
Note it references “most other seals” as being migratory in general.
11) DALL'S PORPOISE (Phocoenoides dalli)
This animal is not truly migratory, but moves over extremely vast expanses of ocean. The following information was obtained from the American Cetacean Society’s Dall’s Porpoise Fact Sheet page [http://www.acsonline.org/factpack/DallsPorpoise.htm ]:
“DISTRIBUTION AND MIGRATION
Dall's porpoise is found only in the North Pacific, ranging from Baja California north to Alaska and the Bering Sea and across into Japanese waters, seemingly confined to colder waters with temperatures of less than 60 degrees F (15 C). Many are year-round residents over much of their range.”
By itself, I would take this to mean that they’re not truly migratory, although they have a very large range and travel extensively through it, probably driven by prey distribution. However, as we’ve seen with other marine mammals, there are observations to support that *some* regional-specific groups of the species exhibit migratory patterns in certain parts of the range, but not all. From a Walker’s Mammal’s of the World webpage [http://www.press.jhu.edu/books/walker/cetacea/cetacea.phocoenidae.phocoenoides.html ]:
“In the western Pacific there is a well-defined annual migration in which most Japanese animals shift northward for the summer to the Sea of Okhotsk and the Kuril Islands. In the eastern Pacific there are apparently no large-scale migrations, and large numbers of Phocoenoides remain throughout the year from Alaska to California. There is, however, a tendency for concentration near the shore and to the south during the fall and winter, and offshore and to the north in the spring and summer. Such seasonal movements are probably related to distributional changes in prey organisms (Kasuya 1978; Leatherwood and Reeves 1978; E. D. Mitchell 1975a; Morejohn 1979; U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service 1978).”
So, one can see how this can get to be quite a complex topic.
12) NORTHERN ELEPHANT SEALS (Mirounga angustirostris)
These incredibly large marine mammals have some of the most spectacular migrations of all! The following passage is from a NOAA sanctioned website on Northern Elephant Seals [http://nmml.afsc.noaa.gov/education/pinnipeds/nelephant.htm ]:
“The northern elephant seal is the only mammal known to make two long distance migrations in a year. They travel from their breeding colonies in Mexico and California to Alaska or the north Pacific Ocean to feed and then return to their breeding colonies to molt 2 to 6 months after breeding. After they molt they travel back to their feeding areas and return again to their breeding colonies to breed 6 months later. They may travel up to 21,000 miles in a year, the longest migration known for any mammal.”
Now, be sure and visit the actual link I pasted above, because the word “migrations” in the first sentence of the paragraph above is a link which displays a pop-up migration map detailing Elephant Seal Movements as an example of their migratory routes.
Here’s a link directly to the pop-up migration map (Note: I can’t guarantee the pop-up map link will work outside of their site, so if you have any trouble, go to the main link above and click on the “Migrations” hyperlink from there):
[ http://nmml.afsc.noaa.gov/education/pinnipeds/popnemigration.htm ].
13) MANATEES (Trichechus manatus), (Order Sirenia)
This is the so-called Caribbean or West Indian Manatee. There are also African and South American (Amazon River) species as well. These animals do migrate.
From the Florida Power & Light (FPL) Manatee Page [because manatees like to congregate around the plant’s hot-water effluent areas]--[http://www.fpl.com/environment/endangered/contents/the_west_indian_manatee.shtml ]:
“In the winter months, cold weather shortens their northernmost range to Florida, while in the summer, some swim as far north as Virginia and as far west as Texas. In a few cases, manatees have been observed to cover over 520 miles, each way, during their migrations. One manatee was known to swim 143 miles in only four days! The West Indian manatee lives primarily in shallow, slow-moving river, saltwater bays, canals and coastal areas - especially where sea grass beds can be found. But in winter months, where the temperature dips below 68 F, manatees seek warm-water locales such as FPL's Riviera plant.”
Here is a link to a highly scientific treatment of manatee migrations, titled, “Seasonal Residency and Movements of Manatees Near Sarasota, Florida”: [http://members.aol.com/adrcnet/1998/1998sp32.html ].
Okay, by now we’ve journeyed around the world, and in the process covered over a dozen marine mammals representing all the major types (whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, sea-lions, walrus, manatees and even polar bears). At this point I’ll cover the search strategies I’ve used, and in the process point you to additional resources.
Google search strategy:
Keywords:
If you’re looking for more information or data on a particular species (such as those I’ve covered here), I’ve found that what gets the best results is to enter both the common name AND the scientific name followed by the word, “migration” into the search box. For example, “Manatees Trichechus manatus migration,” or “narwhals Monodon monoceros migration.” That’s why I provided the scientific name for each species I’ve treated here (in addition to clarifying exactly which animal I’m referring to, and giving you more complete information). Also, clicking the “similar links” gray colored link next to each search result main link will bring you to more content similar to that of the last link.
If you ever need extremely detailed data on something very specific, it’s best to email an authoritative source directly and request the information, such as someone at NOAA. Many of the links I’ve provided here are to various NOAA pages.
Now, for some other keyword searches that proved useful to me and may to you:
“marine mammal migrations”:
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%E2%80%9Cmarine+mammal+migrations%E2%80%9D&btnG=Google+Search ,
“marine mammal migratory routes”:
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&safe=off&q=marine+mammal+migratory+routes&btnG=Google+Search ,
“marine mammal migration data”:
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&safe=off&q=marine+mammal+migration+data&btnG=Google+Search ,
I hope this information is what you’re looking for. If anything I’ve written here is unclear, or if I’ve left anything out that’s important to you, such as information for a particular species, please let me know and I’ll Clarify the answer.
Sincerely,
omniscientbeing-ga
Google Answers Researcher
This book includes migratory routes and is available for $18.00:
National Audubon Society Guide to Marine Mammals of the World
(National Audubon Society Field Guide Series.)
Author: Pieter Folkens , Randall R. Reeves , Brent S. Stewart , Phillip J. Clapham , James A. Powell Format: Paperback
Pub. Date: 02 April, 2002
Publisher: Knopf
ISBN: 0375411410
"The National Audubon Society Guide to Marine Mammals of the World describes in fascinating detail all 120 species of the world's whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals and sea lions, manatees, Marine and Sea Otters, and the Polar Bear. Written by a team of experts and featuring more than 320 illustrations, 418 photographs, and 123 maps, this new guide offers more authoritative, up-to-date, and accessible information than any book previously published on the subject."
Regards,
hummer
- simple listing A to B will do
- patterns like northern hemisphere v. southern hemisphere
- yes, VIRTUALLY all will do
- I need this info to assist in preparing a paper to present to a study group of Third Agers.
I'm looking forward to tackling your question, but I'd like to ask for a bit more detail first.
-What do you want to know about migration routes? Are you looking for a simple listing like Mammal X migrates from A to B? Or are you looking for something more specific/detailed?
--You mentioned "patterns". What do you have in mind there, exactly?
--I'm not sure I would classify a polar bear as a marine mammal, but I'm happy to include them in an answer here. Are there other mammals I should be aware of that you specifically want on the list?
--Lastly, you mentioned "all" marine mammals. While I think I can give you a pretty comprehensive overview, I'm not sure I (or any researcher) can promise you that we'll touch each and every marine mammal species on the planet. Would you settle for virtually all major species?
Any additional clarification you can provide will help me in focusing my research to give you the best possible answer that I can.
Thanks.
pafalafa-ga
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