Quem canta outras baleias encontra: distribuição e habitats críticos da baleia- jubarte (Megaptera novaeangliae) na Bacia de Santos, sudeste do Brasil.

Abstract

Behavioral patterns and environmental conditions affect the distribution of humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae throughout breeding areas. Thus, habitat use tools are crucial in understanding the relationship between them and the environment. We investigated the environmental causes that led to different distribution of visual and acoustic records, in addition to the relationship between acoustic and visual records in the Bacia de Santos. Data collected between 2016 and 2019 were considered by means of ship-based cruises of Passive Acoustic Monitoring and Sighting of the Bacia de Santos Cetacean Monitoring Project (PMC-BS / PETROBRAS). In this period there were 183 visual and 88 acoustic registers. Kernel density analysis showed areas of concentration near Cabo Frio (RJ) and Ilhabela (SP), both for visual and acoustic records with moderate-high overlap for both local records. Linear regression with Generalized Least Squares was used to investigate the relationship between visual and acoustic records with environmental variables, considering the spatial autocorrelation of the residuals. Although the model with only spatial autocorrelation but without explanatory variables was the most parsimonious, 81% of sightings and 86% of acoustic records are on the continental shelf, corroborating the pattern, which the species tends to occupy shallow regions and close to the coast during their breeding season.