First acoustic recordings of narwhals (Monodon monoceros) in winter

摘要

Among the arctic top predators that inhabit the Baf?n Bay pack ice, the narwhal (Monodon monoceros) is perhaps the most conspicuous. The largest abundance of narwhals is found in the eastern Canadian High Arctic and in West Greenland (Heide-J?rgensen et al. 2010, Richard et al. 2010). In summer, narwhals spend approximately 2 mo between June and September in High Arctic ice-free shallow bays and fjords (Dietz et al. 2008). The winter period between November and March is spent in offshore, deep, ice-covered habitats along the continental slope in Baf?n Bay and Davis Strait (Heide-J?rgensen and Dietz 1995). These disjunct seasonal distributions are connected by extensive annual migrations (over 1,000 km), which last approximately 2 mo (Heide-J?rgensen et al. 2002, 2003).