V. V. Andrianov, A. A. Lebedev, L. R. Lukin, T. Yu. Lisitsina - Adaptive behavior of the white whales Delphinapterus leucas (Pallas, 1776) in the southern herd of the White Sea under conditions of the local habitat during the breeding season

BIOLOGIYA MORYA, 2018, Vol. 44, No. 1, pp. 41-50

Adaptive behavior of the white whales Delphinapterus leucas (Pallas, 1776) in the southern herd of the White Sea under conditions of the local habitat during the breeding season

¹Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, Arkhangelsk 163000;
²A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119071

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The research of a southern herd of the white whales, conducted during the summer seasons of 2003-2006 in the southeastern part of the Onega Bay, revealed the specific behavioral features that allow the white whales to sustain their habitation in the local hydrological conditions. It has been shown that once the white whales occur in some area of habitation with complicated hydrological conditions, the animals develop the whole complex of behavioral adaptations that ensure their comfort and their successful reproduction in the habitat.

Key words: the White Sea, white whales, local herd, hydrological conditions, adaptive behavior, reproduction.