DOI

https://doi.org/10.34331/cpops.2022S002

J-STAGE Advance published date: June 9, 2023

DWARF MINKE WHALE (BALAENOPTERA ACUTOROSTRATA SUBSP.) BEHAVIOR IN BRAZILDWARF MINKE WHALE (BALAENOPTERAACUTOROSTRATA SUBSP.) INTERACTIONS WITH
VESSELS OFF THE COAST OF BRAZIL
Lucas MILMANN1*, Júlio CARDOSO2, Arlaine FRANCISCO2,Frank P. SANTOS2, Cecilia SEMINARA3, Daniela R. ABRAS4,
Marina L. MARQUES4, 5, Denis A. HILLE6, Leila S. LEMOS7,
Greicy F. RUENES8, Rachel Ann HAUSER-DAVIS9and Salvatore SICILIANO10*
Grupo de Estudos de Mamíferos Aquáticos do Rio Grande do Sul (GEMARS),
Rua Saldanha da Gama, 937, Tôrres, RS, 95560–000, Brazil
2
Projeto Baleia à Vista, Rua Manuel da Silva Junior 237, Ilhabela, SP, 11630–000, Brazil
3
Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz–UESC, PRODEMA,
Rodovia Jorge Amado, Km 16, Ilhéus, BA, 45662–900, Brazil
4
VIVA Instituto Verde Azul (VIVA), Av. Engenheiro Luiz Carlos Berrini, 550, Conj. 41,
Cidade Monções, São Paulo, SP, 04571–925, Brazil
5
Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz–UESC, PPGZOO,
Rodovia Jorge Amado, km 16, Ilhéus, BA, 45662–900, Brazil
6
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Departamento de Ecologia e Zoologia, Universidade Federal
de Santa Catarina, Laboratório de Mamíferos Aquáticos, Florianópolis, SC, 88040–970, Brazil
7
Institute of Environment, Florida International University,
3000 NE 151st St, North Miami Beach, FL 33181, United States
8
Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e
Recursos Naturais (PGERN), Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense – UENF,
Av. Alberto Lamego, 2000, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, 28013–602, Brazil
9
Laboratório de Avaliação e Promoção da Saúde Ambiental, IOC/Fiocruz,
Av. Brasil, 4365, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21040–360, Brazil
10
Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública/Fiocruz, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Rua Leopoldo Bulhões,1480–sala 10, Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 21040–900 Brazil*Corresponding authors: lcmilmann@gmail.com, gemmlagos@gmail.com
1

Abstract
The dwarf minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata subsp.) is a hard to detect small baleen whale whose behavior towards vessels and man-made structures in South Atlantic waters
is still not well characterized. This study compiles records on the behavior of this species in
Brazil, employing citizen science reports and data from ship and sailboat surveys. A total of 16
records were obtained from 2001 to 2021. The data indicate a consistently curious approach
toward boats (81.25% of all identiﬁed behaviors). Other identiﬁed behaviors included traveling/ﬂeeing (6.25%), and breaching (6.25%). These assessments comprise valuable tools forﬁeld identiﬁcation of this species, as color patterns may become exposed during diﬀerent aerial displays. This is the ﬁrst approach to understand the ephemeral behavior of the dwarf minke
whale along the southeastern coast of Brazil.
Key words:

Mysticetes, dwarf minke whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata subsp., anthropogenic activities, behavioral responses.

Nine baleen whale species comprise the Balaenoptera genus, including the common minke whale(B. acutorostrata) (Wada et al., 2003; Rosel et al., 2021), the smallest of all (Stewart et al., 2002).
This species is further categorized into three subspecies, the North Atlantic common minke whale (B.
acutorostrata acutorostrata), the North Paciﬁc common minke whale (B. acutorostrata scammoni),
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MILMANN ET AL.

and a Southern Hemisphere, still unnamed subspecies generally referred to as the dwarf minke whale(B. acutorostrata subsp., Best, 1985), whose geographical distribution encompasses tropical, temperate, and polar waters of the South Atlantic, South Paciﬁc, and Indian Oceans (NOAA Fisheries, 2022).
A clear taxonomical separation between the dwarf minke whale and the Antarctic minke whale (B.
bonaerensis) is noted, as well as diﬀerences in size and coloration (Best, 1985; Arnold et al., 1987).
Furthermore, genetic evidence suggests a separation between the Western South Atlantic and WesternSouth Paciﬁc dwarf minke whale populations (Pastene et al., 2010; Milmann et al., 2021). However,both species can reach similar sizes, depending on their age class, exhibiting certain common morphological traits, such as a third white shoulder patch near the ﬂuke insertion (da Rocha and Braga, 1982;
Secchi et al., 2009; Milmann et al., 2018) that hinder their ﬁeld identiﬁcation in geographical areas
where they can be sympatric. This is of signiﬁcant interest, as the International Union for Conservation of Nature categorization of “Least Concern” refers to all B. acutorostrata subspecies, with nospeciﬁc separate category assigned to dwarf minke whales, and is based on estimates from parts of thespecies range in the Northern Hemisphere only (The Minke Whale Project, 2022). The species, however, is at risk for several threats common to other whale species, comprising entanglement in ﬁshinggear, ocean noise, vessel strikes and climate change eﬀects (NOAA Fisheries, 2022).
Concerning behavior, common minke whales have been known to swim close to ships (Leatherwood et al., 1976), while dwarf minke whales have been known to voluntarily approach dive tourism
vessels and passengers and maintain contact for prolonged periods oﬀ Australia’s Great Barrier Reef,
in the Western South Paciﬁc (Arnold et al., 1987; Mangott et al., 2011). Very limited information on
this species behavior and reactions to vessels and man-made structures is, however, available, especially for Western South Atlantic waters.
In this regard, dwarf minke whales appear in most lists and reviews concerning stranded or opportunistically sighted cetaceans oﬀ the coast of Brazil (Geise and Borobia, 1988; Simões-Lopes andXiménez, 1993; Magalhães et al., 2008; Zerbini et al. 1996, 1997; Santos et al., 2010; Costa et al.,2017; Mayorga et al., 2020), and dedicated surveys on land, oil platforms and at sea, have proveninvaluable in detecting this species oﬀ the coasts of the states of Rio de Janeiro (Hassel et al., 2003),
Santa Catarina (Cremer et al., 2009), São Paulo (Santos et al., 2019; Figueiredo et al., 2020) and in
Northeastern Brazil (Zerbini and da Rocha, 1999). Incidental dwarf minke whale entanglements inﬁshing gear have also been reported in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil (Secchi etal., 2003). See Milmann et al. (2020) for a recent compilation on minke whale stranding records oﬀ
the coast of Brazil.
Concerning general dwarf minke whale behavior, it has been reported interacting with other species, such as humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) and small odontocetes like bottlenose
dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis) oﬀ the state of Bahia,
Northeastern Brazil (Rossi-Santos et al., 2006). Data on reactions to anthropogenic activities for thisspecies oﬀ the coast of Brazil, however, are sorely lacking. In this regard, one of the few studies available indicates that dwarf minke whales can swim close to oﬀshore structures, as reported by Cremer etal. (2009) for Southern Brazil, as well as near tourist and ﬁshing boats, during feeding in the summer
in coastal waters oﬀ Arraial do Cabo, in Southeastern Brazil (Hassel et al., 2003). Another, ethnobiological approach study conducted oﬀ the central Bahia coast, in Northeastern Brazil, described dwarf
minke whale (locally known as “tauaçu”) interactions with ﬁsheries activities, noting that ﬁshers there
believe that the minke whale attacks people, mainly due to its vessel-approaching behavior, and, in
this regard, they may have negative attitudes reﬂected in behaviors that can harm these animals (Seminara et al., 2019).
In this context, it is relevant to report unpublished records concerning dwarf minke whale approaches to vessels and interactions with other man-made structures oﬀ the coast of Brazil. This study, therefore, compiles unpublished records from multiple sources on dwarf minke whale reactions to humanactivities along the SE and NE Brazilian coastlines. The categorized reactions motivated by human28

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DWARF MINKE WHALE (BALAENOPTERA ACUTOROSTRATA SUBSP.) BEHAVIOR IN BRAZIL

activities follow Watkins (1986) for four baleen whales (common minke whale, ﬁn whale B. physalus,
northern right whale Eubalaena glacialis and humpback whale M. novaeangliae), deﬁned as Positive(P), Uninterested (U) and Negative (N). “Positive” reactions include apparent curiosity to the presenceof the vessel, “Uninterested” reactions comprise events in which stimuli were apparently ignored, andthe whales continued their activities uninterruptedly, and “Negative” reactions include sudden changes in behavior (e.g., activity to inactivity, inactivity to activity, or changes in activity). Behaviors thatwere not clearly identiﬁed as P, U, or N, or that could not be identiﬁed due to lack of information,
were classiﬁed as Undetermined (Und).
A total of 16 dwarf minke whale records concerning reactions to anthropogenic activities wereobtained for Brazil, comprising 13 positives (boat attraction), two negatives (traveling/ﬂeeing andintensive breaching), and one undetermined. These behaviors were identiﬁed by both research (n=9;platform D) and platform of opportunity vessels (n=5; platform C), as well as literature reports (n=2;platform L). Geo-referenced available records are listed in Table 1 and depicted in Fig. 1. Sightingsfrom dedicated surveys were performed by experienced observers when the boats were in motion,
while “platform C” refers to opportunistic sightings with or without the boat in motion. Remarkably,
the only two cases of negative behavior were recorded from opportunistic platforms, which could be
related to a sudden movement of the boat towards the animal or even a sudden stop from the boat for
observation.
Dwarf minke whales oﬀ the coast of Brazil are seemingly very inquisitive, similar to behavior
observed in Australia, where whales voluntarily approach dive tourism vessels and passengers andmaintain contact for prolonged periods of time (Mangott et al., 2011). This behavior was detected in
two areas in Brazil, along the Northeastern coast for both Antarctic and dwarf minke whales, and inCampos Basin, in Southeastern Brazil, where whales approached vessels curiously after perceiving
them and remained immobile while the vessels passed by. This curious approach towards vessels may
comprise a valuable tool to detect and identify dwarf minke whales in the ﬁeld, considering their lower detectability when compared to other baleen whales (Zerbini et al., 2006; Martin et al., 2013) due
to their smaller size and almost undetectable respiratory blow in tropical areas.
The traveling/ﬂeeing behavior reported herein has been described as depending on the number ofwhales in the group and type of group (Argüelles et al., 2022). This behavior has been noted for otherwhale species, such as blue whales (B. musculus) (McKenna et al., 2015), and southern right whale
mother-calf pairs or solitary individuals (Argüelles et al., 2022), where whales dive to deeper depths
when at the surface or delay their surfacing following a diving period when near ships. However,avoidance behavior seems to be species-speciﬁc to a certain extent (Argüelles et al., 2022), and the
low number of records reported herein for this category may seem to indicate low dwarf minke whale
sensitivity to vessels, potentially increasing vessel collision events and comprising a threat to the species.
Finally, the breaching behavior is more frequent in certain species, such as humpback and rightwhales (Segre et al., 2020), and rarer in others, like ﬁn whales (Aguilar and García-Vernet, 2018).
Dwarf minke whales do not usually exhibit this behavior, although some records are available in theliterature (Arnold and Birtles, 1999; Segre et al., 2020). Concerning the present study, breaching wasobserved for one dwarf minke whale individual, which breached 17 times in a period of 15 minutes(13 h35 to 13 h50) on 1 May 2020 oﬀ Ilha de São Sebastião, in SE Brazil (Fig. 2). This high number ofbreaches in such a small period of time is likely to add up to a signiﬁcant amount of spent energy, as
breaching comprises a high energy expenditure in whales (Segre et al., 2020), potentially associatedwith vessel proximity. However, ultimately, the reasons for this behavior are still unknown, althoughsome hypotheses have been put forth, such as courtship, parasite dislodgement, communication, andreactions to nearby activities, including the presence of vessels, noise, and others (Werth and Lemon, 2020). Thus, breaching behavior when noted in association with nearby vessels should be interpreted cautiously. Further, this behavior may comprise a valuable tool for dwarf minke whale identiﬁCetacean Popul. Stud. (CPOPS), Short noteVol. 4, 2023, 27–33

29

30

Platform
L
L
D
D
D
D
C
D
C
C
C
D
C
D
D
D

Location

Pontal do Atalaia, Arraial do Cabo, RJ
NE Brazil continental shelfCampos Basin, RJ
Campos Basin, RJ
Campos Basin, RJ
Campos Basin, RJ
Campos Basin, RJ
Santos Basin, RJ
36 nm oﬀ S. Sebastião, Ilhabela, SP
ca. Parcel da Itapecirica, S. Ilhabela, SP
8 nm oﬀ Ilhéus, BA
Ilha de Búzios, Ilhabela, SP
São Sebastião, Ilhabela, SP
28 nm oﬀ São Sebastião, Ilhabela, SPSE oﬀshore area, RJ
70 nm oﬀ Ilhabela. São Sebastião, SP

2001
1998–2001
13-April-2008
10-May-2008
23-May-2008
28-May-2008
23-Sep-2014
10-Mar-2020
28-April-2020
01-May-2020
04-Jun-2020
23-Jun-2020
09-Jul-2020
20-Jan-2021
27-May-2021
21-Nov-2021

Date/Period
22
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1

No.
sightings
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
Und
N
P
P
N
P
P
P

Behavior
Hassel et al. (2003)
Zerbini and da Rocha (1999)
This study
This study
This study
This study
This study
This study
This study
This study
This study
This study
This study
This study
This study
This study

Source

—
—
—
—
—
—
—
−25.72809−24.39166−23.91270—−23.77620−23.82055−24.18333−23.65395−24.56666Latitude

—
—
—
—
—
—
—
−46.03487−45.47201−45.07871—−45.07871−45.38898−44.90000−40.98630−44.55933

Longitude

Table 1. Records from multiple sources on the ‘reaction’ behavior of dwarf minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata subsp.) to anthropogenic activities. Abbreviations: Positive (P), Uninterested (U), Negative (N), Undetermined (Und), Rio de Janeiro State (RJ), São Paulo State (SP), Northeastern (NE), Bahia State (BA). Platform: C=citizen report, D=direct observation, L=literature.

MILMANN ET AL.

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DWARF MINKE WHALE (BALAENOPTERA ACUTOROSTRATA SUBSP.) BEHAVIOR IN BRAZIL

Fig. 1. Locations of the southeastern Brazil dwarf minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata subsp.) records
concerning reactions to anthropogenic activities reported in this study. The digits indicate number of records
at each position. Five records at Santos Basin are not indicated by a star because location was derived from a
description of the locale instead of geographic coordinates. Abbreviations: Rio de Janeiro State (RJ), São Paulo
State (SP).

Fig. 2. Breaching behavior of a dwarf minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata subsp.) oﬀ Ilha de São
Sebastião, SE Brazil, May 2020. Photos: (A) Jurandir Paulo and (B) Frank Santos.

cation in the ﬁeld, as the white patches present above the pectoral ﬁn in this subspecies become visible
during diﬀerent aerial displays (see Fig. 2).
Changes in dwarf minke whale reactions to stimuli from anthropogenic activities are gradual andvary with increasing exposure periods (Mangott et al., 2011). Therefore, the descriptions concerning
dwarf minke whale behaviors reported herein comprise a starting point to detect potential changes
over time through continuous monitoring eﬀorts. Furthermore, it seems that dwarf minke whales
display slightly more diverse behavior while in the tropics than previously described, seemingly engaging in more positive behaviors while oﬀ the Brazilian coastline, exhibiting interest in boats andpotentially comprising an attraction for the whale watching industry. In addition, breaching behavior
is noted as a potentially valuable tool for dwarf whale minke ﬁeld identiﬁcation.
Cetacean Popul. Stud. (CPOPS), Short noteVol. 4, 2023, 27–33

31

MILMANN ET AL.

Acknowledgements

L. Milmann was ﬁnancially supported by Cetacean Society International (CSI), Ruﬀord, USA (Small Grant No 24023-1),
and Fundação de Apoio a Pesquisa da Bahia (FAPESB), Brazil through a PhD scholarship to the ﬁrst author. G. F. Ruenes is
supported by a PhD scholarship from Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior–CAPES). S. Siciliano
is supported by CNPq (Bolsa de Produtividade em Pesquisa: 306076/2019-5). L. A. Pastene (Institute of Cetacean Research)kindly revised the manuscript and provided valuable comments.

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Received: October 22, 2022
Accepted: January 31, 2023
Published online: June 9, 2023

Cetacean Popul. Stud. (CPOPS), Short noteVol. 4, 2023, 27–33

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