3.2 Seasonal movements
A seasonal pattern in the movements of the whales was observed between
the wet and dry seasons. Sixteen individuals were observed during the
wet season from December to March (Fig. 2a) and the tracks of 14 whales
were available during the dry season from April to November (Fig. 2b).
The male tracked in 2018 (#50681b) was the only one migrating southward
(Fig. 2a). The kernel densities showed a core of activity in shallow
waters near Mauritius for both seasons. During the wet season, the core
home range (50% kernel contour) was located south-west of Mauritius
(Fig. 2c). During the dry season, the resident whales exhibited strong
site fidelity by inhabiting shallow waters along the west coast of the
island (Fig. 2d). The core home ranges were also located on variable
topography for both seasons, e.g. high slopes (Fig. 2e, f).