First record of a dwarf sperm whale, Kogia sima (Owen, 1866) stranded alive along the coasts of Italy (*) (original) (raw)
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Marine Mammal Science, 2006
Little is known about the feeding ecology of pygmy sperm whales (Kogia breviceps) in the Northeast Atlantic. Results are presented on the stomach contents of five whales stranded on the Galician coast (NW Spain) between 1995 and 2002 and seven whales stranded on the French Atlantic coast between 1984 and 2001. These results are compared with those obtained from the stomach contents of two pygmy sperm whales (a pregnant female and her calf ) stranded on the Scottish (UK) coast in 1999, the first records of the species in Scotland. In 13 out of 14 cases, food remains consisted almost entirely of cephalopod beaks, although some crustacean and fish remains were also present. In all the Spanish specimens, the identified prey were oceanic species: the cephalopods Histioteuthis reversa, H. bonnellii, Todarodes sagittatus, the viperfish Chauliodus sloani, and the giant mysid Gnatophausia sp. The same cephalopod species were found in the stomachs of the whales stranded in Scotland, although both whales had also consumed neritic cephalopod species such as Rossia macrosoma and other sepiolids. In the French specimens, almost all prey 600 SANTOS ET AL.: PYGMY SPERM WHALES 601 identified were oceanic cephalopods (H. reversa, Brachioteuthis riseii, T. sagittatus, Taonius pavo, etc.), but remains of crustaceans and a neritic squid (Loligo forbesi) were also found. One whale from France had eaten mainly Henslow's swimming crab (Polybius henslowi). Results from the present study are consistent with those found by other authors in the Azores and the Canary Islands in that pygmy sperm whales appear to be mainly teuthophagous, with histioteuthid squids forming an important part of the diet. Strandings records suggest that occurrence of pygmy sperm whales in the NE Atlantic may be seasonal, with most strandings occurring in autumn and winter.
The stomach contents of a male sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus, stranded on Forte dei Marmi beach (Italy, Ligurian Sea) were examined. Food items consisted exclusively of cephalopod hard parts: 233 upper and 291 lower beaks and one fish eye lens. The majority of the identified cephalopod beaks belonged to Histioteuthis bonnellii, but a few beaks of Galiteuthis armata and Octopoteuthis sp. were also found. A new beak size -cephalopod size regression was created for H. bonnellii with specimens caught in the study area. Reconstructed prey weight for the species was much higher when applying this new regression instead of Clarke's, highlighting the need for area-and species-specific regressions for dietary studies. Our analysis represents the second report on the stomach contents of sperm whales from the Mediterranean and the first available information for the Western basin. Combining data from a multi-sensor tag and passive sonar to determine the diving behaviour of a sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus). IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering 28, 13-28.
Animals
We investigated the relationship between age and body length, and age at sexual maturity of Physeter macrocephalus individuals stranded along the Italian coast. Our molecular analysis shows that all our samples belong to the C.001.002 haplotype, shared between Atlantic and Mediterranean populations. We show that males attain sexual maturity at 10 years, similar to those from other marine areas. However, considering the same body length class, Mediterranean males are older than Atlantic ones. Our finding of a Mediterranean pregnant female of only 6.5 m in length and an assessed age of 24–26 years is particularly noteworthy, considering that females reach sexual maturity at about 9 years and 9 m of total length in other regions. Comparing our results with the literature data, we highlight the positive correlation between lifespan, adult body length and weight of males from the Mediterranean and Atlantic Ocean. Regardless of whether the relatively small size of Mediterranean specimens ...
Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 2014
Boat surveys aimed at studying sperm whales in the Tyrrhenian Sea were conducted between 2002 and 2011. During 768 daily surveys, a total effort of 32 602 km was achieved within an area of 8800 km2 resulting in 92 encounters with 229 sperm whale individuals. Average encounter rates of sperm whales was 0.5 groups per 100 km2, with a higher concentration in the vicinity of the submarine canyon of Cuma, confirming the importance for the species of this small hotspot in the Mediterranean Sea. Encounter rates increased with increasing distance from the coast. It is possible that the intense boat traffic and anthropogenic disturbance in the area may be moving animals away from the coast leading to habitat loss. The species–habitat relationship documented in this study has implications for conservation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
First records of dwarf sperm whale (Kogia sima) from the Union of the Comoros
Marine Biodiversity Records, 2016
The world distribution of dwarf and pygmy sperm whales (Cetacea: Kogiidae) [Kogia spp.] is poorly known, and derived mostly from records of stranded animals. At sea, both species are elusive and difficult to identify. We photo-documented the presence of dwarf sperm whale (Kogia sima) in the waters of the Union of the Comoros. All three occurrences were sightings of apparently healthy animals from 2011 to 2013 in and near Itsandra Bay, off the island of Grande Comore. We discuss the importance of the Mozambique Channel and the Agulhas Current Large Marine Ecosystem for the species in the Western Indian Ocean.
Overview of sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus mortality events in the Adriatic Sea, 1555-2009
Mammal Review, 2011
1. In the Mediterranean Sea, the sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus is one of eight regular cetacean species. Poor knowledge of its ecology and status, together with suspected decline in numbers, make studies of historical and present occurrence especially relevant. Long-term time series of stranding events are the most reliable data to provide a scientific framework for testing hypotheses that seek to explain the mechanisms responsible for cetacean strandings. 2. We present a comprehensive overview of cases of sperm whale mortality and human response to such events encompassing five centuries (1555-2009) within a portion of the Mediterranean Sea that offers a wealth of historical information -the Adriatic Sea. 3. A total of 36 mortality events were validated, involving 68 animals. Two findings of skeletal materials are also reported. The geographic distribution of strandings within the basin clearly was uneven: 44% of records (n = 16) were clustered along a 280km portion of the western Adriatic coast. A relatively high number of mortality events occurred along gently sloping sandy beaches away from suitable sperm whale habitat. 4. Until the first half of the 20th century, live-stranded animals were routinely killed: all but one cases with known human response elicited killing attempts. Starting from the 1980s, killing was replaced by efforts to rescue the animals. 5. Mass strandings of sperm whales have occurred since historical times in the Adriatic Sea. Mortality events involving multiple individuals accounted for at least 17% of the total sample (6 of 36 mortality events). At least 29% of live strandings (6 of 21) involved more than one individual.
Mastozoologia Neotropical, 2011
The sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus, is the largest toothed cetacean and one of the best known cetacean species. It has been captured since 19th century and as a result of this, the sperm whale is currently listed as "Vulnerable" by the IUCN (Taylor et al., 2008). This species has a cosmopolitan distribution across the oceans, ranging through the tropics to the ice barrier in both hemispheres (Whitehead, 2009). It shows a strong sexual dimorphism and a high degree of geographical segregation between sexes (Jefferson et al., 1994). Pods of females with calves stay on or near the breeding grounds throughout the NEW RECORD OF A STRANDED SPERM WHALE