Records of humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae in South Australia

Opportunistic sightings and museum specimens of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in South Australia (n = 116) were collated to the year 2003. Records were made in all months of the year, with 57% during June and July. Timing of this peak and the presence of neonates presumably related to the northward migration from high latitudes to breeding grounds in the tropics. Sightings and beach-washed carcasses were widely distributed, from Head of Bight to the Victorian border, with apparent concentrations in eastern Gulf St Vincent, Kangaroo Island and Victor Harbor regions, and to a lesser extent in the south-east of the State and southern Eyre Peninsula. Most sightings involved single whales or groups of two (range 1 - 4). All five carcasses were neonates or juveniles with total lengths of 3.88 m to approx. 10 m. Estimated lengths (5 - 15 m) were available for 17 live whales. The geological age of one museum specimen is uncertain but may predate European settlement. This and whaling records from Fowler Bay during 1840 indicate that humpback whales have been present, and may not have been uncommon, in South Australia since at least the early 19th century. Research is needed to determine the relationship of South Australian humpback whales to populations migrating off the western and eastern coasts of Australia.