ABSTRACT The majority of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) undertake an annual migration from high latitude feeding grounds to tropical/subtropical breeding grounds. Suitable calving habitat for this species includes warm (typically 19°C to 28°C), shallow, sheltered waters in tropical and subtropical waters. Here, we investigated occurrence of calving beyond the primary recognised breeding grounds (16° to 24°S) of the east Australian humpback whale population (E1). We examined location, depth (m), and SST (⁰C) associated with newborn observations in Gold Coast Bay, in southern Queensland, Australia from 2013 to 2016. A total of 74 newborns were recorded in the study area, with the majority observed in July and August. These findings may signify that the Gold Coast Bay provides an apparently suitable habitat for calving for this humpback whale population. As the area has not been classified as calving habitat, these findings will assist conservation managers in making informed management decisions regarding this species.

中文翻译：

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澳大利亚黄金海岸湾出现新生座头鲸 (Megaptera novaeangliae) 幼崽

摘要 大多数座头鲸 (Megaptera novaeangliae) 每年都会从高纬度觅食地迁徙到热带/亚热带繁殖地。该物种适合的产犊栖息地包括热带和亚热带水域中温暖（通常为 19°C 至 28°C）、浅水、避风水域。在这里，我们调查了澳大利亚东部座头鲸种群 (E1) 在主要公认繁殖地（16°至 24°S）之外产犊的发生情况。我们检查了 2013 年至 2016 年与澳大利亚昆士兰州南部黄金海岸湾的新生儿观察相关的位置、深度 (m) 和 SST (⁰C)。研究区域共记录了 74 名新生儿，其中大部分在七月和八月。这些发现可能意味着黄金海岸湾为这种座头鲸种群提供了一个明显适合产犊的栖息地。由于该地区未被归类为产犊栖息地，因此这些发现将有助于保护管理者就该物种做出明智的管理决策。