Distribution and biological characteristics of Humpback whales in the Northwest region of the Indian Ocean according to data from the Soviet whaling fleet

Abstract

The distribution and biological condition of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae Borowski, 1781) caught during the 1960s by Soviet whaling flotillas in the relatively poorly studied Northwest region of the Indian Ocean, from the Asian coast to 40°S, and from the east coast of Africa to 80°E, were analyzed. Two distinct clusters were identified: South of Madagascar (Southern region); and off the coast of the Arabian Peninsula (Northern region). The humpbacks of the Southern region do not differ significantly from humpbacks from the higher latitudes of the Southern Ocean, and the humpbacks of the Northern region are similar to the humpbacks of the Northern Hemisphere, not only geographically, but also in their biological characteristics.