Distribution and behaviour of male sperm whales on the Scotian Shelf, Canada

Male Physeter macrocephalus were found principally along the edge of the Shelf, although there were some encounters in water <100 m deep. Within the Gully, a prominent submarine canyon, sperm whales showed a consistent pattern of distribution between years, distinct from that of northern bottlenose whales Hyperoodon ampullatus. Some male sperm whales were individually identified in the Gully after 2-47 days, and in one case, after 2 yr. Male sperm whales showed little evidence of social organization and rarely performed aerial behaviour, but their diving behaviour was similar to that observed from female sperm whales in the tropics. -from Authors