title: Straight as an arrow: humpback whales swim constant course tracks during long-distance migration.
abstract: Humpback whale seasonal migrations, spanning greater than 6500 km of open ocean, demonstrate remarkable navigational precision despite following spatially and temporally distinct migration routes. Satellite-monitored radio tag-derived humpback whale migration tracks in both the South Atlantic and South Pacific include constant course segments of greater than 200 km, each spanning several days of continuous movement. The whales studied here maintain these directed movements, often with better than 1° precision, despite the effects of variable sea-surface currents. Such remarkable directional precision is difficult to explain by established models of directional orientation, suggesting that alternative compass mechanisms should be explored.
authors.affiliation: Geological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand. travis.horton@canterbury.ac.nz
authors.forename: Travis W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Horton
authors.forename: Richard N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Holdaway
authors.forename: Alexandre N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Zerbini
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hauser
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Garrigue
authors.forename: Artur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Andriolo
authors.forename: Phillip J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Clapham
mesh_terms: D025041:Animal Migration; D000818:Animals; D050640:Humpback Whale / Q000502:physiology*; D013550:Swimming