Comportamentos de mães e filhotes de baleias-franca-austrais, Eubalaena australis (Desmoulins, 1822), em Santa Catarina, Brasil

Abstract

The mothers and calves relations in cetaceans are compound by complex behaviors elements. Right whales migrate on fall to breeding areas were mothers and calves spend for four moths nursing and in an important contact. Behaviors patterns, spacials interactions between mother and calf, breath frequencies and learning procedures were examined. Were observed 49 mother and calves pairs for 37,5 hours in Rosa’s and Ibiraquera’s beaches, in Santa Catarina, at right whale breeding season in 2006 and 2007. Mothers spent more time resting and swimming, both low energy behaviors. Calves were seen resting, swimming, making expositions and aerial behaviors, important to their learning process and physiologic development. The imitation made by the calves is most seen in October, where they have motor coordination to imitate their mothers. The calves breathe more than the mothers in August and September, and synchronizing their breathing with the mothers in October and November. During the breeding season, both maintaining a close proximity, that decrease in September and October and increase in November, probably because of the migration event. The calves’ size is important in the behaviors expressions. Calves size two are seen making more expositions than the others, and calves size one making less aerial behaviors than the others calves.