Strandings of Beaked Whales (Ziphiidae) in Galicia (NW Spain) between 1990 and 2013

Author(s):  
Pablo Covelo ◽  
Jose A. Martínez-Cedeira ◽  
Ángela Llavona ◽  
Juan I. Díaz ◽  
Alfredo López

In the coast of Galicia an average of 200 stranded cetaceans are reported annually. From 1990 to 2013, 21 individuals of four species of the family Ziphiidae were found: 15 Cuvier's beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris), two Sowerby's beaked whales (Mesoplodon bidens), one True's beaked whale (Mesoplodon mirus) and one Blainville's beaked whale (Mesoplodon densirostris), as well as two unidentified ones. These were the first records in Galicia for True's beaked whale and Blainville's beaked whale. The study of the distribution of oceanic species considering only stranded animals has limitations, but is a good approach to this not well-known cetacean family. Due to the small number of individuals of the different species, statistical analyses for geographic or seasonal patterns were only carried out for the Cuvier's beaked whales. Between the periods of 1990–2002 and 2003–2013 significant differences were found for geographic and seasonal occurrence patterns. Over the last decade strandings were located only in the north area of the region, mainly during the spring season, while in the previous decade they were located along the three considered areas and only in autumn and winter.

2017 ◽  
Vol 98 (5) ◽  
pp. 1003-1009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luca Bittau ◽  
Mattia Leone ◽  
Adrien Gannier ◽  
Alexandre Gannier ◽  
Renata Manconi

Sowerby's beaked whale (Mesoplodon bidens) was previously known in the Mediterranean Sea from a single live stranding of two individuals in the French Riviera. We report here on two live sightings in the western Mediterranean, central-western Tyrrhenian Sea off eastern Corsica (Montecristo Trough) and off eastern Sardinia (Caprera Canyon) in 2010 and 2012, respectively. In both cases single individuals, possibly the same individual, occurred within groups of Cuvier's beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris) suggesting inter-specific interactions. Based on our close observations of mixed-species groups of Sowerby's and Cuvier's beaked whales, we hypothesize that some previous long-distance sightings of beaked whales in the Mediterranean may not be reliably attributed to Z. cavirostris. The present sightings and previous live stranding indicate that the western Mediterranean Sea is the easternmost marginal area of M. bidens within the North Atlantic geographic range. Notes on behaviour are also provided.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natacha Aguilar de Soto ◽  
Vidal Martín ◽  
Monica Silva ◽  
Roland Edler ◽  
Cristel Reyes ◽  
...  

The True´s beaked whale (Mesoplodon mirus, True 1913) is a poorly studied member of the speciose Ziphiidae family. Its distribution in the North Hemisphere is thought to be restricted to the temperate or warm temperate waters of the North Atlantic, while a small number of stranding records from the Southern Hemisphere suggest a wider distribution, extending from the Atlantic coast of Brazil to South Africa, Australia and the Tasman Sea coast of New Zealand. Here we i) report the first molecular confirmation of the occurrence of True´s beaked whales around the Azores and Canary Islands (Macaronesian ecoregion), the species’ southern limit in the northeast Atlantic; ii) describe a new colouration for this species; and iii) contribute to the sparse worldwide database of live sightings, including the first underwater video, of this species. In November 2012, a 390 cm male True’s beaked whale stranded in El Hierro, Canary Islands. In July 2004, a subadult male True’s beaked whale was found floating dead near Faial, Azores. Species identification was confirmed in both cases using mitochondrial DNA control region and cytochrome b gene markers. The whale that stranded in the Canary Islands had a clearly delimited white area on its head, extending posteriorly from the tip of the beak to cover the blowhole dorsally and the gular grooves ventrally. This colouration contrasts with previous descriptions for the species and it may be rare, but it demonstrates that True´s beaked whales show variable colourations in the North Atlantic. This is confirmed by sightings data. Given the presence of this species around the Azores and the Canary Islands, it would be expected that True´s beaked whales also occur in the area between these archipelagos, including the islands of Madeira.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natacha Aguilar de Soto ◽  
Vidal Martín ◽  
Monica Silva ◽  
Roland Edler ◽  
Cristel Reyes ◽  
...  

The True´s beaked whale (Mesoplodon mirus, True 1913) is a poorly studied member of the speciose Ziphiidae family. Its distribution in the North Hemisphere is thought to be restricted to the temperate or warm temperate waters of the North Atlantic, while a small number of stranding records from the Southern Hemisphere suggest a wider distribution, extending from the Atlantic coast of Brazil to South Africa, Australia and the Tasman Sea coast of New Zealand. Here we i) report the first molecular confirmation of the occurrence of True´s beaked whales around the Azores and Canary Islands (Macaronesian ecoregion), the species’ southern limit in the northeast Atlantic; ii) describe a new colouration for this species; and iii) contribute to the sparse worldwide database of live sightings, including the first underwater video, of this species. In November 2012, a 390 cm male True’s beaked whale stranded in El Hierro, Canary Islands. In July 2004, a subadult male True’s beaked whale was found floating dead near Faial, Azores. Species identification was confirmed in both cases using mitochondrial DNA control region and cytochrome b gene markers. The whale that stranded in the Canary Islands had a clearly delimited white area on its head, extending posteriorly from the tip of the beak to cover the blowhole dorsally and the gular grooves ventrally. This colouration contrasts with previous descriptions for the species and it may be rare, but it demonstrates that True´s beaked whales show variable colourations in the North Atlantic. This is confirmed by sightings data. Given the presence of this species around the Azores and the Canary Islands, it would be expected that True´s beaked whales also occur in the area between these archipelagos, including the islands of Madeira.


2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustavo Cárdenas-Hinojosa ◽  
Mauricio Hoyos-Padilla ◽  
Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho

Cuvier’s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris) is the most widely distributed species of beaked whale, with a cosmopolitan distribution throughout almost all temperate, subtropical and tropical waters of the world as well as subpolar and even polar waters in some areas. Globally, it may also be the most abundant species of beaked whale within the family Ziphiidae. However, there is little information on local distribution in many areas around the world. Before 2009, no dedicated research on beaked whales occurred in Guadalupe Island. In this note, we report opportunistic sightings of Cuvier’s beaked whales recorded during a white shark research project from 2006 through 2008, and the results obtained in 2009 during a pilot study focused on the beaked whales of Guadalupe Island.


Author(s):  
Caroline R. Weir ◽  
Jonathan Stokes ◽  
Clive Martin ◽  
Pablo Cermeño

Three sightings of Mesoplodon beaked whales are reported from the Bay of Biscay, north-east Atlantic. All sightings comprised one or two animals, breaching repeatedly in proximity to the survey vessel, and occurred at between 2200 and 4100 m water depth. Descriptive and photographic data are compared with published accounts of Mesoplodon species in the north-east Atlantic, and the identification of the animals as True's beaked whale (Mesoplodon mirus) concurs with all observed features. Within the north-east Atlantic, True's beaked whale is the only Mesoplodon species that could produce the single, closely-spaced parallel-paired scar observed on one animal. Our observations are consistent with the first live sightings of True's beaked whale in the Bay of Biscay, and only the second documented record worldwide.


2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1961) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma L. Carroll ◽  
Michael R. McGowen ◽  
Morgan L. McCarthy ◽  
Felix G. Marx ◽  
Natacha Aguilar ◽  
...  

The deep sea has been described as the last major ecological frontier, as much of its biodiversity is yet to be discovered and described. Beaked whales (ziphiids) are among the most visible inhabitants of the deep sea, due to their large size and worldwide distribution, and their taxonomic diversity and much about their natural history remain poorly understood. We combine genomic and morphometric analyses to reveal a new Southern Hemisphere ziphiid species, Ramari's beaked whale, Mesoplodon eueu , whose name is linked to the Indigenous peoples of the lands from which the species holotype and paratypes were recovered. Mitogenome and ddRAD-derived phylogenies demonstrate reciprocally monophyletic divergence between M. eueu and True's beaked whale ( M. mirus ) from the North Atlantic, with which it was previously subsumed. Morphometric analyses of skulls also distinguish the two species. A time-calibrated mitogenome phylogeny and analysis of two nuclear genomes indicate divergence began circa 2 million years ago (Ma), with geneflow ceasing 0.35–0.55 Ma. This is an example of how deep sea biodiversity can be unravelled through increasing international collaboration and genome sequencing of archival specimens. Our consultation and involvement with Indigenous peoples offers a model for broadening the cultural scope of the scientific naming process.


PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e7809
Author(s):  
James R. Robbins ◽  
Travis Park ◽  
Ellen J. Coombs

Mesoplodont beaked whales are one of the most enigmatic mammalian genera. We document a pod of four beaked whales in the Bay of Biscay breaching and tail slapping alongside a large passenger ferry. Photographs of the animals were independently reviewed by experts, and identified as True’s beaked whales (Mesoplodon mirus). This is the first conclusive live sighting of these animals in the north-east Atlantic, and adds information to previous sightings that are likely to have been M. mirus. Photographs of an adult male appears to show two supernumerary teeth posterior to the apical mandibular tusks. Whilst analysed museum specimens (n = 8) did not show evidence of alveoli in this location, there is evidence of vestigial teeth and variable dentition in many beaked whale species. This is the first such record of supernumerary teeth in True’s beaked whales.


2015 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne Krisha M. Lacsamana ◽  
Minerva Fatimae H. Ventolero ◽  
Darrell Blatchley ◽  
Mudjekeewis D. Santos

Beaked whales of the Family Ziphiidae are the least known of all cetacean families. Here, using mitochondrial DNA Control Region and Cytochrome B, and supported by morphological comparisons of skull and teeth, we identified a 4.6 m female beaked whale, stranded in Maco, Compostela Valley, Philippines on December 19 2012, as the Deranayigala's beaked whale,Mesoplodon hotaula. This is the first record ofM. hotaulain the Philippines and only the eighth specimen in the world.


Author(s):  
Tran Thi Minh Thi

Abstract After more than four decades since its reunification since 1975, Vietnam has achieved remarkable results in social and economic development. With the rapid speed of recent modernization, society has loosened numerous old values related to the family and promoted individual freedoms. Marriage and family affairs, including divorce, have modernized with liberal characteristics. The paper examines the trends of divorce and reasons for divorce using statistical data from the Vietnam People's Supreme Court and from the government's annual population statistics. The analysis compiled and analysed a database of every divorce case at six urban and rural districts in Can Tho province. The analysis highlights changes in the reasons for divorce in the South in comparison with previous divorce studies in the North of Vietnam, discussed in relation to modernization, individualism and gender equality. The analysis is supported by interview data with thirty male and female divorcees.


Author(s):  
M. Edwards ◽  
A.W.G. John ◽  
H.G. Hunt ◽  
J.A. Lindley

Continuous Plankton Recorder records from the North Sea and north-east Atlantic from September 1997 to March 1998 indicate an exceptional influx of oceanic indicator species into the North Sea. These inflow events, according to historical evidence, have only occurred sporadically during this century. This exceptional inflow and previous inflow events are discussed in relation to their similarity in terms of their physical and climatic conditions.


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