Stephanie H. Stack

Stephanie H. Stack

she/her

Marine mammalogist | Humpback whale behavioural ecology & energetics | UAV photogrammetry | Conservation science

Publications

You can also find my articles on my Google Scholar profile.

Journal Articles

Body condition differs among social clusters and across years in endangered false killer whales in Hawaiʻi

Published in Endangered Species Research, 2026

Documents variation in body condition among social clusters and across years in the endangered main Hawaiian Islands insular false killer whale population using aerial photogrammetry.

Citation: Currie, J.J., Stirling, B., Olson, G., van Aswegen, M., Evans, L., Stack, S.H., et al. (2026). Body condition differs among social clusters and across years in endangered false killer whales in Hawaiʻi. Endangered Species Research 60: 1-22. DOI: 10.3354/esr01505
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Why warmer oceans are a problem for humpback whales

Published in Frontiers for Young Minds, 2026

An accessible overview of climate change impacts on humpback whale energetics and population dynamics, published in a peer-reviewed journal for young readers.

Citation: Stack, S.H., von Hammerstein, H., Setter, R.O., van Aswegen, M., and Currie, J.J. (2026). Why warmer oceans are a problem for humpback whales. Frontiers for Young Minds 14: 1581310. DOI: 10.3389/frym.2026.1581310
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First evidence of bidirectional exchange between distant humpback whale breeding populations in eastern Australia and Brazil

Published in Royal Society Open Science, 2026

Documents the longest recorded movement of an individual humpback whale, revealing unprecedented connectivity between the eastern Australian and Brazilian breeding populations.

Citation: Castro, C.*, Stack, S.H.*, Marcondes, M.C.C., Cardoso, J., Cheeseman, T., Currie, J.J., Francisco, A., Olio, M., Righi, B.M., Stuckenbrock, S., and Sousa-Lima, R.S. (2026). First evidence of bidirectional exchange between distant humpback whale breeding populations in eastern Australia and Brazil. Royal Society Open Science. DOI: 10.1098/rsos.260251. *Joint first authors.
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Tending the sick: observations of epimeletic behavior in humpback whales towards conspecifics during entanglement events

Published in PLOS ONE, 2025

First description of epimeletic (care-giving) behaviour directed by humpback whales toward entangled conspecifics, including novel observations of social response to anthropogenic injury.

Citation: Cartwright, R., Lyman, E., Venema, A., Currie, J.J., Stack, S.H., et al. (2025). Tending the sick: observations of epimeletic behavior in humpback whales towards conspecifics during entanglement events. PLOS ONE 20(3): e0321284. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0321284
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Age-specific body length, mass and energetic cost of growth in humpback whales

Published in Marine Ecology Progress Series, 2025

Derives age-specific morphometric and energetic parameters for humpback whales, providing foundational data for bioenergetic modelling of this species.

Citation: van Aswegen, M., Szabo, A., Currie, J.J., Stack, S.H., et al. (2025). Age-specific body length, mass and energetic cost of growth in humpback whales. Marine Ecology Progress Series 770: 171-194. DOI: 10.3354/meps14937
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Prevalence, composition, and behaviour of humpback whale groups containing multiple mother-calf pairs in East Australia

Published in Aquatic Mammals, 2025

Characterises group composition and behaviour of humpback whale aggregations containing multiple mother-calf pairs in eastern Australian waters.

Citation: McGovern, B., Machernis, A.F., McCordic, J.A., Olson, G.L., Sullivan, F.A., Barber-Meyer, S.M., Currie, J.J., Stack, S.H. (2025). Prevalence, composition, and behaviour of humpback whale groups containing multiple mother-calf pairs in East Australia. Aquatic Mammals 51(2): 163-177. DOI: 10.1578/AM.51.2.2025.163
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New northernmost distribution records of the Eastern South Pacific southern right whale

Published in PLOS ONE, 2024

Documents the first confirmed sighting of a southern right whale north of the equator, representing an extraordinary range extension for this species.

Citation: Castro Ayala, C., Garcia-Cegarra, A.M., Uceda-Vega, P., Aguilar, L., Kelez, S., Buchan, S.J., Felix, F., Stack, S.H. and Van Waerebeek, K. (2024). New northernmost distribution records of the Eastern South Pacific southern right whale. PLOS ONE 19(11), e0312528. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0312528
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An observation of sexual behavior between two male humpback whales

Published in Marine Mammal Science, 2024

The first documented observation of male-male sexual behaviour in humpback whales, contributing a novel finding to the understanding of cetacean social and sexual behaviour.

Citation: Stack, S.H., Krannichfeld, L. and Romano, B. (2024). An observation of sexual behavior between two male humpback whales. Marine Mammal Science, e13119. DOI: 10.1111/MMS.13119
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High-resolution projections of global sea surface temperatures reveal critical warming in humpback whale breeding grounds

Published in Frontiers in Marine Science, 2022

Projects future sea surface temperature trajectories for key humpback whale breeding grounds under multiple climate scenarios, identifying locations at highest risk from thermal stress.

Citation: von Hammerstein, H., Setter, R.O., van Aswegen, M., Currie, J.J., Stack, S.H. (2022). High-resolution projections of global sea surface temperatures reveal critical warming in humpback whale breeding grounds. Frontiers in Marine Science 668. DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2022.837772
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Rapid weight loss in free ranging pygmy killer whales and the implications for anthropogenic disturbance of odontocetes

Published in Scientific Reports, 2021

Quantifies dramatic body condition decline in pygmy killer whales following entanglement, with implications for the energetic impacts of human disturbance on cetaceans.

Citation: Currie, J.J., van Aswegen, M., Stack, S.H., West, K.L., Vivier, F. and Bejder, L. (2021). Rapid weight loss in free ranging pygmy killer whales and the implications for anthropogenic disturbance of odontocetes. Scientific Reports 11, 8181. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-87514-2
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The behavioural impacts of commercial swimming with whale tours on humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Hervey Bay, Australia

Published in Frontiers in Marine Science, 2021

Quantifies behavioural responses of humpback whales to commercial swim-with-whale tourism operations, informing management guidelines in Queensland, Australia.

Citation: Stack, S.H., Sprogis, K.R., Olson, G.L., Sullivan, F.A., Machernis, A.F. and Currie, J.J. (2021). The behavioural impacts of commercial swimming with whale tours on humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Hervey Bay, Australia. Frontiers in Marine Science. DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2021.696136
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Identifying spinner dolphin movement and behavioral patterns to inform conservation strategies in Maui Nui, Hawaii

Published in Marine Ecology Progress Series, 2020

Documents movement patterns and daytime resting habitat use by spinner dolphins in Maui Nui, providing the scientific basis for time-area closures under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Citation: Stack, S.H., Olson, G.L., Neamtu, V., Machernis, A.F., Baird, R.W., Currie, J.J. (2020). Identifying spinner dolphin movement and behavioral patterns to inform conservation strategies in Maui Nui, Hawaii. Marine Ecology Progress Series 644: 187-197. DOI: 10.3354/meps13347
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Incidence of odontocetes with dorsal fin collapse in Maui Nui, Hawaii

Published in Aquatic Mammals, 2019

Quantifies rates of dorsal fin collapse across odontocete species in Maui Nui, Hawaii, contributing to understanding of population health indicators.

Citation: Stack, S.H., Currie, J.J., McCordic, J.A., and Olson, G.O. (2019). Incidence of odontocetes with dorsal fin collapse in Maui Nui, Hawaii. Aquatic Mammals 45(3): 257-265. DOI: 10.1578/AM.45.3.2019.257
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Distribution patterns of east Australian humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Hervey Bay, Queensland: a historical perspective

Published in Australian Mammalogy, 2019

Analyses long-term distribution patterns of humpback whales in Hervey Bay using historical data spanning several decades.

Citation: Stack, S.H., Currie, J.J., McCordic, J.A., Machernis, A.F., Olson, G.L. (2019). Distribution patterns of east Australian humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Hervey Bay, Queensland: a historical perspective. Australian Mammalogy 42(1): 16-27. DOI: 10.1071/AM18029
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