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. 2025 Jul 14:13:e19614.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.19614. eCollection 2025.

Intraspecific and spatial variation in habitat use by sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) along the west coast of Martinique

Séréna Laurent  1 , Marion Poupard  1 , Célia Ortolé  1 , Céline Valin  1 , Benjamin de Montgolfier  1   2   3
Affiliations

Intraspecific and spatial variation in habitat use by sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) along the west coast of Martinique

Séréna Laurent et al. PeerJ. .

Abstract

For a deep-diving cetacean species like the sperm whale, acoustics is a vital tool for research. This need is especially pressing in the eastern Caribbean, where the habitat of marine mammals overlaps with heavy maritime traffic, leading to noise pollution and an increased risk of vessel collisions. To mitigate this risk, understanding their habitat use is essential. Mature males are generally solitary and migrate over long distances, while females and immatures form stable social units in subtropical and tropical waters. In this study, we examined intraspecific variation in distribution and habitat use among individuals along the Caribbean coast of Martinique, using both visual and acoustic data. Over the course of 24 surveys, 19 aggregations involving a total of 74 individual sightings were characterised, recognizing that some individuals may have been recorded multiple times. Using the inter-pulse interval (IPI) of clicks, we estimated individual size, which provided insights into the age and/or sex of each individual. Habitat characteristics included bathymetry, distance from the coast, and seabed slope. Our results on social structure are in line with previous literature: 37% of the aggregations were made up of females and/or juveniles, immatures, with a mature male nearby, with temporal changes in aggregations linked to male migration patterns. Spatial distribution and habitat use appeared consistent across aggregation types, regardless of group size, average individual size, or the presence of immatures. However, specific areas were identified for hunting and socialising based on bathymetry. This study highlights the importance of bathymetry and/or distance from the coast and temporal dynamics related to variations in weather conditions and movements of breeding males, in understanding habitat use by sperm whales in the eastern Caribbean. The lack of observed influence of seabed slope suggests that our spatial scale may have been too limited, or that finer details regarding seabed characteristics are needed. These findings could inform traffic management strategies to reduce the risk of vessel collisions with sperm whales.

Keywords: Caribbean; Cetacean; Conservation; Habitat; Sperm whale.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Sperm whale observations since 2013 and acoustic points made along the 1,500 m isobath from south to north during the study.
The density of maritime traffic was given in routes/0.08 km2 inspired by MarineTraffic data for 2024.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Oscillogram and spectrogram of the audio signal of clicks from two different individuals.
The oscillogram (top) shows the signal amplitude in the time domain. The spectrogram (bottom) shows the frequency energy distribution of the signal as a function of frequency (Hz) (overlap = 400, NFFT = 450). The decibel scale is added.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Sperm whale observations distinguishing between additional data from 28 April 2013 to 26 March 2024 (including observations from the whale-watcher and study data from 12 January to 15 May 2024).
A total of 27 aggregations were found, but GPS coordinates were not taken for one of them.
Figure 4
Figure 4. By release date of ship surveys, number of aggregations and total number of acoustically identified individuals.
The absence of a bar means that no sperm whales were observed or listened to.
Figure 5
Figure 5. Distribution of animal sizes, highlighting the three sperm whale classes (Nad.male = 27, Nad.female/juv.male = 31, Nimmature = 16).
Figure 6
Figure 6. Mean and standard deviation of animal size by aggregation size.
Figure 7
Figure 7. Aggregation size (A) and average size of individuals in the aggregation (B) according to the presence or absence of immature(s).
Medians and standard deviations are represented.
Figure 8
Figure 8. Bathymetry (A) and slope of the seabed (B) according to the different behaviours.
Medians and standard deviations are represented. Different letters indicate significant differences and identical letters indicate no significant difference.
Figure 9
Figure 9. AS between the two periods. Medians and standard deviations are represented.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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