Mother-Infant Interaction and Behavioral Development in Southern Right Whales, Eubalaena Australis

MOTHER-INFANT INTERACTION AND BEHAVIORAL DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALES, EUBALAENA AUSTRALIS by PETER O. THOMAS and SARA M. TABER1) (Animal Behavior Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, Ca., U.S.A., and Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, Ma., U.S.A., respectively) (With 4 Figures) (Acc. 27-VI-1983) Introduction The sheltered waters of Peninsula Valdes, Argentina (42°23' S, 64°03' W) are a major gathering place of southern right whales, Eubalaena australis, during the austral winter and spring (June-December). Right whale calves are born in or near the region from late June to mid-September, with the peak of births in August (WHITEHEAD & PAYNE, 1981). Adult and subadult right whales are also in the region, and are seen solitarily and in groups engaged in social activity (CLARK, 1982; PAYNE, 1972, 1976, 1980). PAYNE et al. (1981) have fol- lowed life histories of individual right whales since 1970, using distinctive callosity patterns to identify more than 580 individuals frequenting the Peninsula Valdes area (PAYNE, 1981). PAYNE and his coworkers have documented some of the major parameters of the right whale life cycle. Reproductive females usually calve once every three years (PAYNE, 1980). They remain with the calves 1) We would like to thank Dr Roger S. PAYNE and the New York Zoological Society for material support throughout all phases of the project. We thank Dr H. B. GRAVES for help with methodology and Cindy ZABEL and Jim TAGGART for help with computing. We thank Jim BIRD for sending literature to us in the field and Katy PAYNE, Vicky ROWNTREE, Dr Chris CLARK, and Janie CLARK for advice and support throughout the research. We are particularly grateful to Dr Kenneth NORRIS who reviewed early drafts of the manuscript and to Dr Bernd WÜRSIG, Melany WÜRSIG, Dr Joan SILK, Dr W. John RICHARDSON, and Dr Jerry A. HOGAN who also provided comments. Dr Mike MILLER of the University of California, Davis provided statistical consulting. We thank the Chubut Department of Tourism, Juan Carlos LOPEZ, Diana LOPEZ, Carlos GARCIA, Pepe and Sara FERRERO, Phil and Florence LONG, and Fiona REID for support in Argentina and Dr Ricardo BASTIDA and Victoria BASTIDA for translating the summary.