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diff --git a/33527.txt b/33527.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0a5d684 --- /dev/null +++ b/33527.txt @@ -0,0 +1,9458 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises of the +Western North Atlantic, by Stephen Leatherwood and David Caldwell and Howard Winn + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises of the Western North Atlantic + A Guide to Their Identification + +Author: Stephen Leatherwood + David Caldwell + Howard Winn + +Release Date: August 25, 2010 [EBook #33527] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WHALES, DOLPHINS, AND *** + + + + +Produced by Chris Curnow, Simon Gardner, Joseph Cooper and +the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at +http://www.pgdp.net + + + + + +Transcriber's Notes: + +This is a Plain Text Version. It uses the Latin-1 Character set, but +note that the only non-ASCII character used is the degree symbol. + +Italic typeface in the original is indicated with _underscores_. Bold +typeface in the original is indicated with UPPER CASE. + +A list of other publications (NOAA Technical Reports) appears on the +front cover of the original book, before the title page. This list has +been retained, but has been moved to join the continuation of the list +inside the back cover. + +Other changes to the text have been listed after the end of the book. + + * * * * * + + + + + NOAA Technical Report NMFS CIRC-396 + + + + Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises of the Western North Atlantic + + A Guide to Their Identification + + + STEPHEN LEATHERWOOD, DAVID K. CALDWELL, + and HOWARD E. WINN + + with special assistance by + William E. Schevill and Melba C. Caldwell + + + SEATTLE, WA + AUGUST 1976 + + UNITED STATES + DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE + Elliot L. Richardson, Secretary + / NATIONAL OCEANIC AND + / ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION + / Robert M. White, Administrator + / National Marine + / Fisheries Service + / Robert W. Schoning, Director + + [Illustration: NOAA logo] + + For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office + Washington, D.C. 20402 + + Stock No. 003-020-00119-0 / Catalog No. C 55.13: NMFS CIRC-396 + + + +PREFACE + + +In March 1972, the Naval Undersea Center (NUC), San Diego, Calif. in +cooperation with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Tiburon, +Calif. published a photographic field guide--_The Whales, Dolphins and +Porpoises of the Eastern North Pacific. A Guide to Their Identification +in the Water_, by S. Leatherwood, W.E. Evans, and D.W. Rice (NUC TP +282). This guide was designed to assist the layman in identifying the +cetaceans he encountered in that area and was intended for use in two +ongoing whale observer programs, NUC's Whale Watch and NMFS's Platforms +of Opportunity. The rationale of these programs was that since +oceanographers, commercial and sport fishermen, naval personnel, +commercial seamen, pleasure boaters, and coastal aircraft pilots +together canvas large areas of the oceans which scientists specializing +in whales (cetologists) have time and funds to survey only occasionally, +training those persons in species identification and asking them to +report their sightings back to central data centers could help +scientists more clearly understand distribution, migration, and seasonal +variations in abundance of cetacean species. For such a program to work, +a usable field guide is a requisite. Because the many publications on +the whales, dolphins, and porpoises of this region were either too +technical in content or too limited in geographical area or species +covered to be of use in field identification, and because conventional +scientific or taxonomic groupings of the animals are often not helpful +in field identification, the photographic field guide took a different +approach. Instead of being placed into their scientific groups, species +were grouped together on the basis of similarities in appearance during +the brief encounters typical at sea. Photographs of the animals in their +natural environment, supplemented by drawings and descriptions or tables +distinguishing the most similar species, formed the core of the guide. + +Despite deficiencies in the first effort and the inherent difficulties +of positively identifying many of the cetacean species at sea, the +results obtained from the programs have been encouraging. Many seafarers +who had previously looked with disinterest or ignorance on the animals +they encountered became good critical observers and found pleasure in +the contribution they were making. The potential for the expansion of +such observer programs is enormous. + +Because of these initial successes and the large number of requests for +packets from persons working at sea off the Atlantic coast of North +America, this guide was planned. Many of the errors and deficiencies of +the Pacific Guide have been corrected, and the discussions of the ranges +of many of the species have been expanded with considerations of the +major oceanographic factors affecting their distribution and movements. +While the present volume, like the Pacific Guide, is intended as an aid +to the identification of living animals at sea, new materials have been +provided to aid in the identification and reporting of stranded +specimens, a major source of data and study material for museums. This +new dimension is expected to assist the U.S. National Museum, various +regional museums, and other researchers actively collecting cetacean +materials for display and study in the implementation of their stranded +animal salvage programs. Through a cooperative effort of this kind, the +best possible use can be made of all materials that become available. + +As a part of continuing research, this guide will be revised whenever +possible. Suggestions for its improvement will at all times be welcome. + + * * * * * + +Funds for the preparation of this guide were provided by a grant to +Stephen Leatherwood from the Platforms of Opportunity Program, National +Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric +Administration, Tiburon, Calif., Paul Sund, Coordinator. + + + + +CONTENTS + + Introduction 1 + Classification of cetaceans 1 + Dolphin or porpoise 5 + Organization of the guide 5 + How to use the guide 7 + To identify animals at sea 7 + To identify stranded animals 7 + To record and report information 7 + Directory to species accounts: + Large whales: + With a dorsal fin 10 + Without dorsal fin 13 + Medium-sized whales: + With a dorsal fin 14 + Without dorsal fin 15 + Small whales, dolphins, and porpoises with a dorsal fin 16 + Species accounts: + Large whales with a dorsal fin: + Blue whale 19 + Fin whale 26 + Sei whale 32 + Bryde's whale 37 + Humpback whale 40 + Large whales without dorsal fin: + Bowhead whale 49 + Right whale 52 + Sperm whale 57 + Medium-sized whales with a dorsal fin: + Minke whale 63 + Northern bottlenosed whale 67 + Goosebeaked whale 70 + Other beaked whales 74 + True's beaked whale 77 + Antillean beaked whale 78 + Dense-beaked whale 80 + North Sea beaked whale 82 + Killer whale 84 + False killer whale 88 + Atlantic pilot whale 91 + Short-finned pilot whale 94 + Grampus 96 + Medium-sized whales without dorsal fin: + Beluga 99 + Narwhal 102 + Small whales, dolphins, and porpoises with a dorsal fin: + Atlantic spotted dolphin 104 + Bridled dolphin 108 + Spinner dolphin 110 + Striped dolphin 113 + Saddleback dolphin 116 + Fraser's dolphin 120 + Atlantic white-sided dolphin 123 + White-beaked dolphin 126 + Atlantic bottlenosed dolphin 128 + Guiana dolphin 132 + Rough-toothed dolphin 135 + Pygmy killer whale 138 + Many-toothed blackfish 142 + Pygmy sperm whale 144 + Dwarf sperm whale 148 + Harbor porpoise 150 + Acknowledgments 152 + Selected bibliography 152 + + Appendix A, Tags on whales, dolphins, and porpoises 154 + + Appendix B, Recording and reporting observations of cetaceans + at sea 160 + + Appendix C, Stranded whales, dolphins, and porpoises; with a key + to the identification of stranded cetaceans of the western + North Atlantic 163 + + Appendix D, Recording and reporting data on stranded cetaceans 169 + + Appendix E, List of institutions to contact regarding stranded + cetaceans 171 + + + The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) does not approve, + recommend or endorse any proprietary product or proprietary material + mentioned in this publication. No reference shall be made to NMFS, + or to this publication furnished by NMFS, in any advertising or + sales promotion which would indicate or imply that NMFS approves, + recommends or endorses any proprietary product or proprietary + material mentioned herein, or which has as its purpose an intent to + cause directly or indirectly the advertised product to be used or + purchased because of this NMFS publication. + + + + Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises of the Western North Atlantic + + A Guide to Their Identification + + + STEPHEN LEATHERWOOD,[1] DAVID K. CALDWELL,[2] and HOWARD E. WINN[3] + + with special assistance by + William E. Schevill[4] and Melba C. Caldwell[2] + +[Footnote 1: Biomedical Division, Undersea Sciences Department, Naval +Undersea Center, San Diego, CA 92132.] + +[Footnote 2: Biocommunication and Marine Mammal Research Facility, C. V. +Whitney Marine Research Laboratory of the University of Florida, St. +Augustine, FL 32084.] + +[Footnote 3: Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode +Island, Kingston, RI 02881.] + +[Footnote 4: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543 +and Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA +02138.] + + +ABSTRACT + +This field guide is designed to permit observers to identify the +cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) they see in the western +North Atlantic, including the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and the +coastal waters of the United States and Canada. The animals described +are grouped not by scientific relationships but by similarities in +appearance in the field. Photographs of the animals in their natural +environment are the main aids to identification. + +A dichotomized key is provided to aid in identification of stranded +cetaceans and appendices describe how and to whom to report data on live +and dead cetaceans. + + +INTRODUCTION + +All whales, dolphins, and porpoises belong to an order or major +scientific group called the Cetacea by scientists. They are all mammals +(air-breathing animals which have hair in at least some stage of their +development, maintain a constant body temperature, bear their young +alive, and nurse them for a while) which have undergone extensive +changes in body form (anatomy) and function (physiology) to cope with a +life spent entirely in the water. The breathing aperture(s), called a +blowhole or blowholes, has (have) migrated to the top of the head to +facilitate breathing while swimming; the forward appendages have become +flippers; the hind appendages have nearly disappeared, they remain only +as small traces of bone deeply imbedded in the muscles. Propulsion is +provided by fibrous, horizontally flattened tail flukes. + +Scientists recognize two suborders of living cetaceans: the whalebone +whales, suborder Mysticeti, and the toothed whales, suborder Odontoceti. +The two groups are separated in the following ways: + +BALEEN OR WHALEBONE WHALES. These animals are called whalebone whales +because when fully formed instead of teeth they have up to 800 or more +plates of baleen or whalebone depending from the roof of the mouth. They +use these plates to strain their food, which consists of "krill" +(primarily small crustaceans) and/or small schooling fish, by taking +water into the mouth and forcing it out through the overlapping fringes +of the baleen plates. Baleen whales are externally distinguishable from +toothed whales by having paired blowholes. There are eight species of +baleen whales in the western North Atlantic, ranging in size from the +minke whale (just over 30 feet [about 9.1 m])[5] to the blue whale (85 +feet [25.9 m]). + +[Footnote 5: Throughout this guide, measurements are given first in feet +or inches, followed in parentheses by their equivalents in meters or +centimeters. It is recognized that field estimates cannot be as precise +as most of the conversions used.] + +TOOTHED WHALES. Unlike the baleen whales, the toothed whales do have +teeth after birth. The teeth vary in number from 2 to over 250, though +they may sometimes be concealed beneath the gum. In addition, toothed +whales have only a single blowhole. This group includes the animals +commonly called dolphin or porpoise as well as some commonly called +whales (for example, the sperm whale). There are currently about 30 +species of toothed whales known from the western North Atlantic, ranging +in maximum adult size from the common or harbor porpoise, which is +approximately 5 feet (1.5 m) long, up to the sperm whale which reaches a +length of 68 feet (20.7 m). Several other species which are expected to +be found in this region, though they have not yet been reported, are +also included in this guide. + + +CLASSIFICATION OF CETACEANS + +In addition to the two suborders (Mysticeti and Odontoceti), the +cetacean order contains numerous families, genera, and species. Each of +these groupings represents a progressively more specialized division of +the animals into categories on the basis of similarities in their +skulls, postcranial skeletons, and external characteristics. The +discipline which concerns itself with naming an animal and assigning it +to its appropriate scientific category is known as taxonomy. An example +of the classification of a cetacean species is shown in the following: + +SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION OF THE +ATLANTIC BOTTLENOSED DOLPHIN + + Kingdom: Animalia all animals + + Phylum: Chordata having at some stage a notochord, + the precursor of the backbone + + Subphylum: Vertebrata animals with backbones--fishes, + amphibians, reptiles, birds, + and mammals + + Class: Mammalia animals that suckle their young + + Order: Cetacea carnivorous, wholly aquatic + mammals: whales, including + dolphins and porpoises + + Suborder: Odontoceti toothed whales as distinguished + from Mysticeti, the baleen whales + + Family: Delphinidae dolphins + + Genus: Tursiops bottlenosed dolphins + + Species: truncatus Atlantic bottlenosed dolphin + +Modern taxonomy had its origin with the Swedish naturalist Linnaeus, +whose tenth edition of the _Systema Naturae_ in 1758 forms the official +starting point. Following Linnaeus, modern scientific names consist of +two words, a generic name, which has an initial capital, and a species +name, which rarely does, occasionally in botany (some species names +deriving from a person's name are capitalized). Both names are usually +of Latin origin (sometimes Greek) and are italicized or underlined. +These scientific names are of particular importance because, although +common names of species often are different in different countries or +even in different regions of the same country, the scientific name +remains the same. For example, the right whale is universally known as +_Eubalaena glacialis_ though its common names include black right whale, +nordcaper, sletbag, Biscay whale, and Biscayan right whale. + +Although classification of many species is still in a state of flux, the +classification of western North Atlantic cetaceans followed in this +guide is as follows: + + Page of + synoptic account + of the species + + Order Cetacea + + Suborder Mysticeti--Baleen whales + + Family Balaenopteridae--Rorquals + + _Balaenoptera acutorostrata_ Lacepede 1804 Minke whale 63 + + _Balaenoptera physalus_ (Linnaeus 1758) Fin whale 26 + + _Balaenoptera musculus_ (Linnaeus 1758) Blue whale 19 + + _Balaenoptera borealis_ Lesson 1828 Sei whale 32 + + _Balaenoptera edeni_ Anderson 1879 Bryde's whale 37 + + _Megaptera novaeangliae_ (Borowski 1781) Humpback whale 40 + + Family Balaenidae--Right whales + + _Balaena mysticetus_ Linnaeus 1758 Bowhead whale 49 + + _Eubalaena glacialis_ (Borowski 1781) Right whale 52 + + Suborder Odontoceti--Toothed whales + + Family Ziphiidae + + _Mesoplodon bidens_ (Sowerby 1804) North Sea + beaked whale 82 + + _Mesoplodon densirostris_ (Blainville in Dense-beaked + Desmarest 1817) whale 80 + + _Mesoplodon europaeus_ (Gervais 1855) Antillean beaked whale 78 + + _Mesoplodon mirus_ True 1913 True's beaked whale 77 + + _Ziphius cavirostris_ G. Cuvier 1823 Goosebeaked whale 70 + + _Hyperoodon ampullatus_ (Forster 1770) Northern bottlenosed + whale 67 + + Family Physeteridae + + _Physeter catodon_ Linnaeus 1758 Sperm whale 57 + + _Kogia breviceps_ (Blainville 1838) Pygmy sperm whale 144 + + _Kogia simus_ (Owen 1866) Dwarf sperm whale 148 + + Family Monodontidae + + _Monodon monoceros_ Linnaeus 1758 Narwhal 102 + + _Delphinapterus leucas_ (Pallas 1776) Beluga 99 + + Family Stenidae + + _Steno bredanensis_ (G. Cuvier in Rough-toothed dolphin 135 + Lesson 1828) + + _Sotalia guianensis_ (P. J. van Guiana dolphin 132 + Beneden 1864) + + Family Delphinidae + + _Peponocephala electra_ (Gray 1846) Many-toothed blackfish 142 + + _Feresa attenuata_ Gray 1874 Pygmy killer whale 138 + + _Pseudorca crassidens_ (Owen 1846) False killer whale 88 + + _Globicephala melaena_ (Traill 1809) Atlantic pilot whale 91 + + _Globicephala Gray 1846 Short-finned pilot whale 94 + macrorhynchus_ + + _Orcinus orca_ (Linnaeus 1758) Killer whale 84 + + _Lagenorhynchus Gray 1846 White-beaked dolphin 126 + albirostris_ + + _Lagenorhynchus acutus_ (Gray 1828) Atlantic white-sided + dolphin 123 + + _Lagenodelphis hosei_ Fraser 1956 Fraser's dolphin 120 + + _Tursiops truncatus_ (Montagu 1821) Bottlenosed dolphin 128 + + _Grampus griseus_ (G. Cuvier 1812) Grampus 96 + + _Stenella longirostris_ Gray 1828 Spinner dolphin 110 + + _Stenella frontalis_ (G. Cuvier 1829) Bridled dolphin 108 + + _Stenella coeruleoalba_ (Meyen 1833) Striped dolphin 113 + + _Stenella plagiodon_ (Cope 1866) Spotted dolphin 104 + + _Delphinus delphis_ Linnaeus 1758 Saddleback dolphin 116 + + Family Phocoenidae + + _Phocoena phocoena_ (Linnaeus 1758) Harbor porpoise 150 + +This tentative classification follows an unpublished list by W.E. +Schevill and E.M. Mitchell currently under review. The scientific names +are followed by the name of the individual who named the species and the +year of naming, and then by the common name most often used in the +western North Atlantic.[6] It may be noted that some of the authors are +in parentheses. This indicates that though the species name has remained +the same since the date of naming the species has since been assigned to +another genus. Because the species are not arranged in taxonomic order +in this field guide, the page of the synoptic account of each is +provided in the column to the right. + +[Footnote 6: Most common names are based on some characteristic of the +species (e.g., spotted dolphin, striped dolphin, rough-toothed dolphin); +others are the names of authors of the species (e.g., True's beaked +whale) or of habitats or macrohabitats which they inhabit (e.g., North +Sea beaked whale and harbor porpoise); the origins of some common names, +however, are less obvious (e.g., dense-beaked whale), and of less use in +field references.] + +[Illustration: Figure 1.--The western North Atlantic, from lat. +35 deg.N-65 deg.N.] + +[Illustration: Figure 2.--The western North Atlantic, from lat. 37 deg.N +south to eastern Venezuela.] + +[Illustration: Figure 3.--A baleen whale (humpback) showing the main +body parts referred to in the text.] + +[Illustration: Figure 4.--A fin whale in the North Atlantic with the +paired blowholes open during respiration. The paired blowholes +distinguish this animal as a baleen whale. (_Photo by W. A. Watkins._)] + + +DOLPHIN OR PORPOISE + +There is still considerable controversy over the correct usage of the +terms dolphin and porpoise. As mentioned in the preceding section, +common names of any species may vary from locale to locale and even from +individual to individual. Some persons argue for the use of the term +porpoise for all small cetaceans. Others insist on the term dolphin. +Still others either randomly use the terms or call members of the family +Delphinidae dolphins and members of the family Phocoenidae porpoises. +The evidence supporting any one of these positions is confusing at best +and no usage of terms appears to be without problems. We see no wholly +satisfactory resolution to the problem at this time. For all these +reasons, we have little desire to defend our decision to follow the last +of these practices in this guide, referring to all members of the family +Delphinidae for which the term dolphin or porpoise appears in the common +name as dolphins, and to the one member of the family Phocoenidae +represented in the western North Atlantic, _Phocoena phocoena_, as the +harbor porpoise. Although all cetaceans may be regarded as whales, the +term "whale" most commonly applies to the larger animals. For all +species treated, other common names by which they may be known are also +listed. + +Detailed treatment of the relative merits of the various terminologies +is inappropriate here. Furthermore, it is our opinion that the usage of +the terms dolphin, porpoise, and whale as part of the common names of +cetaceans is largely a matter of personal preference. + + +ORGANIZATION OF THE GUIDE + +The differences between baleen and toothed whales are easy enough to see +in animals washed up on the beach or maintained in a tank at a zoo or +aquarium. But since an animal at sea can seldom be examined that +closely, its most obvious characteristics may be its overall size, the +presence or absence of a dorsal fin, its prominent coloration or +markings, its general behavior, or its swimming, blowing, and diving +characteristics. For that reason, regardless of their scientific +relationships, all the whales, dolphins, and the one porpoise covered in +the main text of this guide are divided into three groups. Those over 40 +feet (12.2 m) long are discussed in the section on Large Whales, those +from 13 to 40 feet (4.0 to 12.2 m) in the Medium-Sized Whale, and those +less than 13 feet (4.0 m) in the Small Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoise +(with a dorsal fin). There are no small whales, dolphins, or porpoises +in this region without a dorsal fin. Each section is further divided +into those animals with a dorsal fin and those without. From that point, +animals likely to be confused in the field are grouped together and the +important differences between them are discussed. + +The synoptic accounts of the species are followed by five appendices: +Appendix A discusses and illustrates man-made and applied tags and +natural markings on cetaceans and their importance in studies of natural +history. Appendix B discusses the data which are most important to +record in observations of cetaceans at sea, gives examples, and provides +blank sighting forms. Appendix C discusses possible causes of cetacean +strandings and the manner in which stranded animals should be handled +and adds a key and tables to aid in identifying stranded cetaceans. +Appendix D provides guidelines for collecting data on stranded cetaceans +and provides forms and specific instructions for taking standard +measurements. Appendix E lists institutions to be contacted in the event +of a cetacean stranding or for information. + +A bibliography of useful references on cetaceans in general and +cetaceans of this region in particular and a directory to species +accounts are included. + +[Illustration: Figure 5.--A humpback whale lying on its left side on the +deck of a Canadian whaling station. Note the fringes of baleen suspended +from the roof of the mouth. (_Photo by J. G. Mead_.)] + +[Illustration: Figure 6.--Atlantic bottlenosed dolphin mother and calf +from northeastern Florida. Note the single open blowhole, a +characteristic that marks these animals as toothed whales. (_Photo +courtesy of Marineland of Florida._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 7.--The open mouth of an Atlantic bottlenosed +dolphin from the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. All toothed whales have +teeth, which are used primarily for grasping rather than for chewing. +The number varies from 2 to over 250, though they are buried beneath the +gums in females and immature animals of several species, take peculiar +form in one (narwhal), and are extensively worn in others. (_Photo by D. +K. Caldwell._)] + + +HOW TO USE THE GUIDE + + +To Identify Animals at Sea + +The three major sections of the guide (i.e., large, medium, and small +whales) are preceded by a directory to species accounts, which is a +summary of the most obvious characteristics of each species and in which +summary statements about each characteristic are arranged in parallel +order. To use the guide to identify living animals observed at sea, a +person or persons should: + + +1. First estimate the animal's size and determine whether or not it has +a dorsal fin. + +2. Note also any distinctive features of body shape and coloration and +observe its general behavior, including swimming, blowing, and diving +characteristics. It should be noted that coloration may vary somewhat at +sea, depending on light conditions and water clarity. For example, +animals which appear dark gray or black at the surface or when dead may +appear brown in good light or when submerged. Making a brief sketch at +this point may aid in identifying the animal or in later recalling its +distinctive features. + +3. Using the directory, locate the section to which the animal probably +belongs. + +4. Then, for more detailed information, consult the section indicated. +There you will find a more complete discussion of the animal's range, +size, and distinctive characteristics. In addition, you will find a +brief discussion distinguishing it from animals with which it is likely +to be confused in the field. + + * * * * * + +This guide will probably work best if, in advance of attempting to use +the key in the field, the reader will familiarize himself with the +general outline, with characters or behaviors to note, and with the +locations of the various species accounts. It will also help if he +schools himself to ask a series of questions about the animal(s) he sees +at the time of the encounter rather than depending on his recall at a +later time (see p. 160). As we have emphasized several times in this +guide, positive identification of cetaceans at sea can only occasionally +be made on the basis of a single characteristic. Therefore, the greater +the amount of pertinent evidence an observer obtains, the greater the +likelihood he can make a reliable identification. + + +To Identify Stranded Animals + +Stranded animals can best be identified by referring to Appendix C and +its associated tables, making a preliminary determination and then +consulting the species accounts in the main body of the book for +verification of the identification. As noted in that appendix, if the +animal is recently stranded, identification can be made using any of the +externally visible characteristics described for the living species at +sea. But even if the animal is in an advanced stage of decomposition, it +can usually be identified by referring to the key and to the numbers and +descriptions of baleen plates, for all baleen whales, and the numbers +and relative lengths of ventral grooves, for all balaenopterine whales +(Table 1), or to the tables on the numbers and descriptions of teeth, +for toothed whales (Table 2). + + +To Record and Report Information + +As discussed in the preface, though learning to identify the whales, +dolphins, and porpoises one sees may be exciting in itself, many persons +may want to participate in the accumulation of data on these interesting +animals by routinely reporting their observations to scientists who are +actively studying them and who can make immediate use of the +information. The following may help these persons: + + +Suggestions for making and recording observations of cetaceans at sea +and sample data forms are included in Appendix C. Similar suggestions +for taking and recording data on stranded cetaceans are included in +Appendix D. For both types of data, blank data forms located after the +appendices may be photocopied in bulk for use in the field. + +Completed data forms and all associated information for sightings at sea +should be forwarded to the Platforms of Opportunity Program, National +Marine Fisheries Service, Tiburon, CA 94920, or to one of the authors of +this guide. From there, they will be made available to scientists +actively studying the cetaceans of a given species or geographical area. + +Completed data forms and all associated information for observations of +stranded cetaceans should be forwarded to the Division of Mammals, U.S. +National Museum, Washington, DC 20560, to one of the authors of this +guide, or to one of the regional laboratories listed in Appendix E. +These persons have, in turn, been encouraged to keep a free flow of +information among them. + +Table 1. Ranges in Numbers of Teeth in Each Upper and Lower Jaw of +Western North Atlantic Odontocetes. + + [P] = Page of species account + ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ + | | |Ranges in | + | | | tooth + | | | counts | + | Species | |-----+-----| + Species common name |scientific name |[P]|Upper|Lower| Remarks + --------------------+----------------+---+-----+-----+------------------------ + Sperm whale |_Physeter_ | 57| 0 |18-25|Ten to sixteen upper + | _catodon_ | | | | teeth _rarely_ emerge; + | | | | | lower teeth fit into + | | | | | sockets in upper jaw. + Northern |_Hyperoodon_ | 67| 0 | 2(2)|At tip of lower jaw; + bottlenosed whale | _ampullatus_ | | | [A] | sometimes second + | | | | | pair behind first. + Goosebeaked whale |_Ziphius_ | 70| 0 | 2[A]|At tip of lower jaw.[B] + | _cavirostris_ | | | | + True's beaked whale |_Mesoplodon_ | 77| 0 | 2[A]|At tip of lower jaw.[B] + | _mirus_ | | | | + Antillean beaked |_Mesoplodon_ | 78| 0 | 2[A]|At suture of mandible. + whale | _europaeus_ | | | | One-third of way + | | | | | from tip of snout to + | | | | | gape.[B] + Dense-beaked whale |_Mesoplodon_ | 80| 0 | 2[A]|On prominences near + | _densirostris_| | | | corner of mouth; + | | | | | oriented backwards.[b] + North Sea beaked |_Mesoplodon_ | 82| 0 | 2[A]|About halfway from + whale | _bidens_ | | | | tip of snout to + | | | | | gape.[B] + Killer whale |_Orcinus orca_ | 84|10-12|10-12|Prominent; curved and + | | | | | oriented backwards + | | | | | and inwards; pointed. + False killer whale |_Pseudorca_ | 88| 8-11| 8-11|Prominent; pointed + | _crassidens_ | | | | and curved. + Atlantic pilot whale|_Globicephala_ | 91| 8-10| 8-10| -- -- + | _melaena_ | | | | + Short-finned pilot |_Globicephala_ | 94| 7-9 | 7-9 | -- -- + whale | _macrorhyncha_| | | | + Grampus |_Grampus_ | 96| 0 | 0-7 |Near front of jaw; + | _griseus_ | | | | may have fallen out + | | | | | in older specimens; + | | | | | sometimes teeth in + | | | | | upper jaw. + Beluga |_Delphinapterus_| 99| 8-11| 8-9 | -- -- + | _leucas_ | | | | + Narwhal |_Monodon_ |102| 2 | 0[A]|One (rarely both) + | _monoceros_ | | | | grows up to 9 ft + | | | | | (2.5 m) tusk which + | | | | | has left-hand + | | | | | (sinestral) spiral. + Spotted dolphin |_Stenella_ |104|30-36|28-35| -- -- + | _plagiodon_ | | | | + Bridled dolphin |_Stenella_ |108|29-34|33-36| -- -- + | _frontalis_ | | | | + Spinner dolphin |_Stenella_ |110|46-65|46-65| -- -- + | _longirostris_| | | | + Striped dolphin |_Stenella_ |113|43-50|43-50| -- -- + | _coeruleoalba_| | | | + Saddleback dolphin |_Delphinus_ |116|40-50|40-50| -- -- + | _delphis_ | | | | + Fraser's dolphin |_Lagenodelphis_ |120|38-44|38-44| -- -- + | _hosei_ | | | | + Atlantic white-sided|_Lagenorhynchus_|123|30-40|30-40|Some specimens have + dolphin | _acutus_ | | | | more teeth in upper + | | | | | than in lower jaw. + White-beaked dolphin|_Lagenorhynchus_|126|22-28|22-28| -- -- + | _albirostris_ | | | | + Atlantic bottlenosed|_Tursiops_ |128|20-26|18-24| -- -- + dolphin | _truncatus_ | | | | + Guiana dolphin |_Sotalia_ |132|26-35|26-35| -- -- + | _guianensis_ | | | | + Rough-toothed |_Steno_ |135|20-27|20-27|Crown is sometimes + dolphin | _bredanensis_ | | | | marked with many + | | | | | fine vertical + | | | | | wrinkles. + Pygmy killer whale |_Feresa_ |138| 8-13|10-13|Many specimens have. + | _attenuata_ | | | | fewer teeth on right + | | | | | than on left side. + Many-toothed |_Peponocephala_ |142|22-25|21-24| -- -- + blackfish | _electra_ | | | | + Pygmy sperm whale |_Kogia_ |144| 0 |12-16|Rarely 10 or 11; + | _breviceps_ | | | | curved back and + | | | | | inwards; fit into + | | | | | sockets in upper jaw. + Dwarf sperm whale |_Kogia simus_ |148| 0-3 | 8-11|Rarely 13; curved + | | | | | back and in; sharply + | | | | | pointed; fit into + | | | | | sockets in upper jaw. + | | | | | Rarely has 1-3 upper + | | | | | teeth as well. + Harbor porpoise |_Phocoena_ |150|22-28|22-28|Spade shaped, laterally + | _phocoena_ | | | | compressed, and + | | | | | relatively small. + ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ + +[Footnote A: Usually erupted from gums only in adult [MALES].] + +[Footnote B: May have toothpick size vestigial teeth in either jaw.] + +Table 2. Body Size; Numbers, Maximum Dimensions and Descriptions of +Baleen Plates; and Numbers and Relative Lengths of Ventral Grooves of W. +N. Atlantic Mysticetes. + + ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- + | | | | | Maximum dimensions| + | | | | | of plates | + | | | | |-------------------| + | | | |Number | | Width | + | | | Maximum | of | Length | base | + | |Page of| body |baleen |----+----+----+----| + Species | Species |species| size[C] |plates/ | ft/| | ft/| | + common name |scientific name|account| ft(m) | side | in.| cm | in.| cm | + -------------+---------------+-------+---------+--------+----+----+----+----| + Blue whale |Balaenoptera | 19 |85 (26.0)|270-395 | 33"| 84| 12"| 30 | + | musculus | | | | | | | | + Fin whale |Balaenoptera | 26 |79 (24.0)|262-473 | 29"| 72| 12"| 30 | + | physalus | | | | | | | | + Sei whale |Balaenoptera | 32 |62 (19.0)|318-340 | 31"| 78| 15"| 39 | + | borealis | | | | | | | | + Bryde's whale|Balaenoptera | 37 |46 (14.0)|250-300?| 17"| 42| 10"| 24 | + | edeni | | | | | | | | + Humpback |Megaptera | 40 |53 (16.0)|270-400 | 24"| 60| 5"| 13 | + whale | novaeangliae | | | | | | | | + Bowhead whale|Balaena | 49 |65 (19.8)|325-360 | 14'| 414| 14"| 36 | + | mysticetus | | | | | | | | + Right whale |Eubalaena | 52 |53 (16.0)|250-390 |7.3'| 223| 12"| 30 | + | glacialis | | | | | | | | + Minke whale |Balaenoptera | 63 |31 (10.0)|300-325 | 8"| 21| 4"| 10| + | acutorostrata| | | | | | | | + ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- + + ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- + | |Mean No.|Numbers | + | | of | of | + Species | |bristles|ventral | Relative lengths + common name | Color of baleen | /cm. |grooves |of ventral grooves + --------------+------------------------+--------+---------+------------------ + Blue whale |All black with black | 10-30 | 55-88 |At least to navel. + | bristles. | | | + Fin whale |Dark gray to bluish | 10-35 | 56-100 |At least to navel. + | gray; one-fifth to | | | + | one-third of right | | | + | front is whitish. | | | + Sei whale |Ash black with blue | 35-60 | 38-56 |End far short of + | tinge and fine, light | | | navel. + | bristles; some near | | | + | front may be light. | | | + Bryde's whale |Slate gray with dark | 15-35 | 40-50 |At least to navel. + | bristles. | | | + Humpback whale|Ash black to olive | 10-35 | 14-22 |At least to navel. + | brown; sometimes | | | + | whitish; bristles | | | + | grayish white. | | | + Bowhead whale |Black; anterior | ? | None | XX + | side of some is | | present.| + | whitish; bristles | | | + | black. | | | + Right whale |Dirty or yellowish gray;| 35-70 | None | XX + | some anterior plates | | present.| + | all or part white. | | | + Minke whale |White to yellowish | 15-25 | 50-70 |End short of + | white. Posterior plates| | | navel; often just + | may be brown or black. | | | behind flippers. + ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- + +[Footnote C: As stated in the Index to the species, these figures +represent maximum sizes recorded for the W. N. Atlantic. For all species +exploited by whaling industries' current maximum sizes will be +substantially smaller than these figures (see species accounts).] + + + + +DIRECTORY TO SPECIES ACCOUNTS + + +LARGE WHALES + +(40-85 feet [12-26 m] maximum overall length) + + +With a Dorsal Fin + +All five species of large whales with a dorsal fin belong to the same +major baleen whale group, the balaenopterid whales or rorquals. All are +characterized by the presence of a series of ventral grooves, usually +visible on stranded specimens and the length and number of which are +diagnostic to species. In addition, all species, with the exception of +the humpback whale, have at least one distinctive (though often not +prominent) ridge along the head from just in front of the blowhole to +near the tip of the snout. (The humpback whale, on the other hand, is +distinguished by numerous knobs, some of which are located along the +line of the head ridge, with others scattered on the top of the head.) +In Bryde's whale, the single head ridge characteristic of the other +rorquals is supplemented by two auxiliary ridges, one on each side of +the main ridge. + +At sea, these whales often appear very similar and must be examined +carefully before they can be reliably identified. + +In general, though the characteristics of behavior may vary from one +encounter to the next, based on the activities in which the animal is +engaged, whales in this group may be distinguished from each other on +the basis of differences in 1) the size, shape, and position of the +dorsal fin and the timing of its appearance on the surface relative to +the animal's blow (in general, the larger the whale, the smaller the +dorsal fin--the further back its position and the later its appearance +on the surface after the animal's blow); 2) the height of body in the +area of the dorsal fin, relative to the size of the dorsal fin, which is +exposed as the animal sounds; 3) sometimes the blow rate and movement +patterns; and 4) the shape and color of the head. + +Despite variability in behavior by members of the same species from one +encounter to the next, an observer can greatly increase the reliability +of his identification by forming the habit of working systematically +through a set of characteristics for the species rather than depending +on any single characteristic. + +[Sidenote: BLUE WHALE + +_Balaenoptera musculus_ + +p. 19] + + Body very large, up to 85 feet (25.9 m) long.[7] + Body basically bluish with mottlings of grayish white. + Baleen all black. + Head broad and nearly U-shaped, viewed from above. + Head flat in front of blowhole, viewed from side. + Dorsal fin small (to 13 inches [33 cm]), triangular to moderately + falcate, in the last one-third of back. + Distribution primarily from temperate seas to pack ice; rare in + tropics. + Distribution more northerly during summer. + Flukes occasionally raised slightly on long dive. + +[Footnote 7: These figures are all near maximum sizes recorded for the +North Atlantic. For all species which have historically been exploited +by whale fisheries present maximum sizes may be significantly less than +these figures. + +It should also be noted that differences in methods of measurements +often account for discrepancies in reported lengths.] + +[Sidenote: FIN WHALE + +_Balaenoptera physalus_ + +p. 26] + + Body large, up to 79 feet (24 m) long. + Body mostly dark gray or brownish gray; undersides of flukes and + flippers and belly white; grayish-white chevron frequently on + back behind head. + Right lower lip white; right upper lip sometimes white; left lip + dark. + Head V-shaped, viewed from above. + Right front one-third to one-fifth of baleen plates, yellowish + white. + Other baleen bluish gray with yellowish-white stripes. + Dorsal fin to 24 inches (61 cm), slightly more than one-third + forward from tail; forms angle of less than 40 deg. with back. + Distribution extensive but not very common near pack ice and in + tropics. + Distribution more northerly during summer. + Flukes not raised on dive. + +[Sidenote: SEI WHALE + +_Balaenoptera borealis_ + +p. 32] + + Body up to 62 feet (19 m) long. + Body appears shiny; dark gray on back, often with ovoid + grayish-white scars; white on front of belly; undersides of + flippers and flukes dark. + Baleen grayish or ash black with fine, light-gray bristles. + Dorsal fin to 24 inches (61 cm), strongly falcate, well more than + one-third forward from tail; forms angle of more than 40 deg. with + back. + Distribution extensive; are not very common in cold waters and + may have a greater tendency than fin whales to enter tropical + waters. + Distribution more northerly in summer. + Flukes not raised on dive. + +[Sidenote: BRYDE'S WHALE + +_Balaenoptera edeni_ + +p. 37] + + Body up to 46 feet (14 m) long. + Body dark gray overall. + Head has series of three ridges from area of blowhole to snout. + Baleen slate gray with coarse dark bristles. + Dorsal fin to 18 inches (45.7 cm), falcate, well more than + one-third forward from tail, often irregularly worn on rear + margin. + Distribution primarily tropical and southern temperate. + Flukes not raised on dive. + +[Sidenote: HUMPBACK WHALE + +_Megaptera novaeangliae_ + +p. 40] + + Body up to 53 feet (16.2 m) long. + Body dark gray with irregular white area on belly; flippers + white; underside of flukes often has varying amounts of white. + Head in front of blowhole flat and covered with knobs. + Baleen dark gray to black with olive-black bristles. + Dorsal fin small, quite variable in shape, usually hooked, + located on a step or hump, in last one-third of back. + Flippers very long (to nearly one-third of body length), white, + and scalloped on leading edge. + Distribution at least New England to Iceland and Greenland during + summer. + Distribution to shallow tropical banks, winter and spring. + Flukes often scalloped on trailing edges and sometimes raised on + dive. + +NOTE: Because of its small adult size, usually less than 30 feet (9.1 m), +another member of the rorqual family, the minke whale, is included with +the medium-sized whales in this guide. Features by which it may be +distinguished from all other rorquals are discussed in the species +account. + +Further, inasmuch as the dorsal fin of the humpback whale is highly +variable in shape, positive identification may require reference to the +sperm whale (p. 57), which, though the sperm whale has been classified +with species without dorsal fin, has a rather distinct dorsal hump, +particularly noticeable when the animal arches the back and tail to +begin a long dive. + +[Illustration: Figure 8a.--Swimming, blowing, and diving characteristics +of blue, fin, sei, and Bryde's whales.] + +[Illustration: Figure 8b.--Swimming, blowing, and diving characteristics +of humpback, bowhead, right, and sperm whales.] + + +(40-65 feet [12-20 m] maximum overall length) + + +Without a Dorsal Fin + +There are three species of large whales without a dorsal fin in the +western North Atlantic Ocean. Two of these, the bowhead or Greenland +whale, and its more widely distributed close relative the right whale, +are baleen whales. The third, the sperm whale, is a toothed whale. The +first two have relatively smooth backs without even a trace of a dorsal +fin. The sperm whale has a humplike low, thick, dorsal ridge, which, +from certain views, particularly when the animal is humping up to begin +a dive, may be clearly visible and look like a fin. But because the +profile of that hump and the knuckles which follow it are often not very +prominent in this species, it has been classified with the finless big +whales. + +All three species are characterized by very distinctive blows or spouts. +In both the bowhead and the right whales, the projection of the blow +upward from two widely separated blowholes assumes a very wide V-shape +with two distinct columns, which may be seen when the animals are viewed +from front or back. Though this character may be visible under ideal +conditions in many of the other baleen whales species as well, it is +exaggerated and uniformly distinct in the bowhead and right whales and +may be used as one of the primary key characters. In the sperm whale, +the blow emanates from a blowhole which is displaced to the left of the +head near the front and projects obliquely forward to the animal's left. +This blow seen under ideal conditions positively labels a large whale as +a sperm whale. + +Remember, however, that wind conditions may affect the disposition and +duration of the blow of any species and that a single character alone is +seldom sufficient to permit positive identification. + +[Sidenote: BOWHEAD WHALE + +_Balaena mysticetus_ + +p. 49] + + Body to 65 feet (19.8 m) long.[8] + Body dark; back smooth. + Chin and belly often white. + Head lacks callosities. + Baleen dark gray with gray fringes; to 12 feet (3.7 m) or more. + Upper jaw and lower lip strongly arched. + Two blowholes clearly separated. + Blow projects upward in wide V-shape. + Distribution restricted to Arctic waters south to Davis Straits. + Flukes raised on longer dives. + +[Footnote 8: These figures are near maximum sizes recorded for the North +Atlantic. All three species have been heavily exploited by whale +fisheries. Therefore maximum sizes today may be significantly less than +these figures (see text). + +It should also be noted that differences in methods of measurements +often account for discrepancies in reported lengths.] + +[Sidenote: RIGHT WHALE + +_Eubalaena glacialis_ + +p. 52] + + Body to 53 feet (16.2 m) long. + Body from dark to light gray and mottled; back smooth; chin and + belly usually white. + Head and lower jaw covered with callosities (the largest of which + is called the bonnet and is set on top of the snout). + Baleen usually dark gray with dark fringes; to 7.2 feet (2.2 m). + When animals swim, mouth agape, near surface; baleen sometimes + appears pale brownish to yellowish gray in color. + Upper jaw and lower lip strongly arched. + Two blowholes clearly separated. + Blow projects upward in wide V-shape. + Distribution extends from Iceland south at least to Florida and + reported from Texas. + Flukes raised on longer dives. + +[Sidenote: SPERM WHALE + +_Physeter catodon_ + +p. 57] + + Body to 69 feet (20.9 m) long; males grow significantly larger + than females. + Body dark grayish brown to brown; wrinkled in appearance. + Back has rounded hump followed by knuckles. + Head boxlike, comprises up to 40% of body length. + From 18 to 25 functional teeth in each side of narrow lower jaw. + Single blowhole on left of head at front. + Blow projects forward obliquely from head and to left. + Distribution extends from tropics to Arctic; adult males + distributed farther north. + Flukes raised on longer dives. + + +MEDIUM-SIZED WHALES + +(13-32 feet [4-10 m] maximum overall length) + + +With a Dorsal Fin + +There are 11 species of medium-sized whales with a dorsal fin known from +the western North Atlantic. These species, taking many diverse forms, +range in maximum adult size from about 13 feet (4.0 m) (grampus) to +about 33 feet (10.1 m) (the minke whale). This group includes such +widely distributed and frequently encountered species as the pilot +whales, false killer whales, and minke whales, and such rarely +encountered and poorly known species as the various "beaked whales" +(_Mesoplodon_ spp. and the goosebeaked whale). + +Aside from their common inclusion within the stated size range and the +presence of a dorsal fin in all species (which ranges from only a small +nubbin in some of the beaked whales to a substantial 5- to 6-foot [1.5- +to 1.8-m] sail on adult male killer whales), these species have no +diagnostic field characteristics in common. Therefore, each is discussed +in detail and is placed in the text in near proximity to those species +with which it is likely to be confused in the field. + +[Sidenote: MINKE WHALE + +_Balaenoptera acutorostrata_ + +p. 63] + + Body to 30 feet (9.1 m), or more, long. + Body black or dark gray; area of gray shading on each side just + in front of and below dorsal fin. + Flippers have transverse white band. + Head very sharply V-shaped viewed from above. + Dorsal fin falcate and distinct; usually appears simultaneous + with blow. + Blow often low and indistinct. + Distribution polar, temperate, and tropical; frequently coastal. + Often curious about boats. + Flukes not raised on dive. + +[Sidenote: NORTHERN BOTTLENOSED WHALE + +_Hyperoodon ampullatus_ + +p. 67] + + Body to 32 feet (9.8 m) long. + Body of young uniformly chocolate brown; body of adults brown + with cream or yellow blotches. + Head bulbous in adults and white in larger animals; has distinct + beak. + Dorsal fin falcate and distinct, in last one-third of back. + Distribution north temperate and Arctic-offshore. + Often curious about boats. + Flukes large, rarely notched; occasionally raised on long dive. + +[Sidenote: GOOSEBEAKED WHALE + +_Ziphius cavirostris_ + +p. 70] + + Body to at least 23 feet (7 m) long. + Body from dark gray or brown to rust or fawn and splotched with + white; eyes dark. + Head of large males white. + Back frequently scarred with numerous scratches, presumably tooth + marks. + Dorsal fin falcate and distinct, in last one-third of back. + Distribution primarily tropical; extends to temperate. + Flukes light beneath, sometimes shallowly notched; often raised + on dive. + +[Sidenote: ALL OTHER WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC BEAKED WHALES + +_Mesoplodon_ spp. + +p. 74] + + Body to 16-22 feet (4.9-6.7 m) long. + Body color black to dark gray. + Back frequently scarred. + Dorsal fin position varies with species. + Distribution varies with species. + Flukes not usually distinctly notched. + +[Sidenote: KILLER WHALE + +_Orcinus orca_ + +p. 84] + + Body to at least 30 feet (9.1 m) long. + Body black with sharply demarcated white belly and oval white + patch above and behind eye; gray saddle behind dorsal fin. + Body chunky. + Dorsal fin in males can be very tall, sometimes 6 feet (1.8 m). + Dorsal fin in females and immature animals up to 3 feet (0.9 m), + distinctly falcate. + Distributed from tropics to Arctic; most common in colder waters. + Often seen in shallow bays and rivers and near shore. + Flukes may be raised on dive. + +[Sidenote: FALSE KILLER WHALE + +_Pseudorca crassidens_ + +p. 88] + + Body to at least 18 feet (5.5 m) long. + Body black (faint gray blaze on belly between flippers). + Body slender. + Head small, tapering. + Large prominent teeth frequently visible at sea. + Flippers have distinct hump on leading edge. + Dorsal fin to 14 inches (35.6 cm), falcate, and from rounded to + pointed on tip. + Distribution pelagic tropical to warm temperate seas. + Frequently ride bow waves. + +[Sidenote: ATLANTIC PILOT WHALE + +_Globicephala melaena_ + +p. 91] + + Body to at least 22 feet (6.7 m) long. + Body black with light gray, anchor-shaped area on chest; gray + saddle sometimes seen behind dorsal fin. + Head becoming more bulbous with age, somewhat squarish in adult + males viewed from above. + Tail humped. + Flippers long (to one-fifth of body length), sickle-shaped. + Dorsal fin broad-based, falcate to flaglike, in front half of + back. + Distribution primarily north temperate--about Hatteras north. + Flukes not usually raised on dive. + +[Sidenote: SHORT-FINNED PILOT WHALE + +_Globicephala macrorhynchus_ + +p. 94] + + Body to at least 17.5 feet (5.3 m) long. + Body black with indistinct light gray area on chest; saddle + behind dorsal fin. + Head becoming more bulbous with age; square in large adult males + viewed from above. + Flippers relatively short (to less than one-sixth of body + length). + Dorsal fin broad-based, falcate to flaglike, in front half of + back. + Distribution tropical and warm temperate; from about Hatteras + south. + Flukes not usually raised on dive. + +[Sidenote: GRAMPUS + +_Grampus griseus_ + +p. 96] + + Body to at least 13 feet (4.0 m) long. + Body of newborn light gray; darkens with age. + Body of adults light gray or white; scarred with numerous + scratches. + Head blunted, not beaked. + Forehead has vertical crease in center. + Dorsal fin less than 15 inches (38.1 cm), rather erect and + distinct, and dark even in light adults. + Distribution tropical to temperate. + Rarely ride bow wave. + + +(13-16 feet [4-5 m] maximum overall length) + + +Without a Dorsal Fin + +The only two species of medium-sized cetaceans in the western North +Atlantic which have no dorsal fin, the Beluga or white whale and the +Narwhal, share such limited common range, well outside the theater of +normal boating traffic, that they are generally infrequently +encountered. + +Both species are easily identifiable when seen. + +[Sidenote: BELUGA + +_Delphinapterus leucas_ + +p. 99] + + Body to 16 feet (4.9 m) long. + Body of adults all white; young slate gray. + Small row of bumps along back ridge near midpoint, sometimes dark + brown. + Distribution usually near coast from Arctic waters to St. + Lawrence Gulf and into Hudson Bay. + +[Sidenote: NARWHAL + +_Monodon monoceros_ + +p. 102] + + Body to 16 feet (4.9 m) long. + Body of adult brownish with grayish spots; body of young dark + bluish gray fading to white belly. + Head small; adults may have tusks up to 9 feet long (2.7 m). + Small row of bumps along back ridge. + Distribution usually in coastal waters from Arctic waters south + to Labrador coast. + + +SMALL WHALES, DOLPHINS, AND PORPOISES + +(less than 13 feet [4 m] maximum overall length) + + +With a Dorsal Fin + +The species in this group are not discussed in order of length; instead +the species of the genus _Stenella_ are treated together and then they +and other species are placed in near proximity to those animals with +which they are likely to be confused in the field. + +[Sidenote: ATLANTIC SPOTTED DOLPHIN + +_Stenella plagiodon_ + +p. 104] + + Body to 7.5-8 feet (2.3-2.4 m) long. + Body dark purplish gray on back, lighter gray on sides and belly; + becomes increasingly spotted with increase in size. + Body has spinal blaze and light line from flipper to eye. + Beak white on tip. + Rides bow waves. + Distribution usually in tropical and warm temperate waters; most + common inside 100-fathom curve of continents. + +[Sidenote: BRIDLED DOLPHIN + +_Stenella frontalis_ + +p. 108] + + Body to at least 7 feet (2.1 m) long. + Body dark gray on back; lighter gray on sides and belly. + Body has no spinal blaze. + Cape on top of head distinct. + Bridle: dark lines from eye to rostrum and from flippers to + corner of mouth. + Rides bow waves. + Distribution in tropical waters, primarily in West Indies. + +[Sidenote: SPINNER DOLPHIN + +_Stenella longirostris_ + +p. 110] + + Body to at least 7 feet (2.1 m) long. + Body dark gray on back; tan on sides; white on belly. + Beak often long and slender, usually black above, white below. + Tip of snout and lips distinctly black. + Dorsal fin moderately falcate to triangular and very erect. + Rides bow waves. + Often jumps and spins on longitudinal axis. + Distribution in oceanic and coastal tropical waters. + +[Sidenote: STRIPED DOLPHIN + +_Stenella coeruleoalba_ = _Stenella styx_ + +p. 113] + + Body to about 9 feet (2.7 m) long. + Body dark gray or bluish gray on back; gray on sides; gray or + white on belly. + Distinctive black stripes from: 1) eye to anus, 2) eye to + flipper. + Distinctive black blaze from behind dorsal fin to side above + flipper. + Rides bow waves. + Distribution temperate, subtropical, and tropical; seldom close + to shore. + +[Sidenote: SADDLEBACK DOLPHIN + +_Delphinus delphis_ + +p. 116] + + Body to 8.5 feet (2.6 m); usually less than 7.5 feet (2.3 m) + long. + Body brownish gray to black; belly and chest white; crisscross + (hourglass) pattern of yellow tan on sides. + Distinct black stripe from center of lower jaw to flipper. + Rides bow waves. + Distribution temperate and tropical; seldom close to shore. + +[Sidenote: FRASER'S DOLPHIN + +_Lagenoldelphis hosei_ + +p. 120] + + Body to at least 8 feet (2.4 m) long. + Body very robust in front of dorsal fin, resembling cross between + saddleback dolphin and Atlantic white-sided dolphin. + Beak very short and indistinct. + Distinct black stripe from beak to area of anus. + Dorsal fin and flippers small. + Distribution tropical (not yet recorded in western North + Atlantic). + +[Sidenote: ATLANTIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHIN + +_Lagenorhynchus acutus_ + +p. 123] + + Body to about 9 feet (2.7 m) long. + Dorsal fin part gray, part black; tall and distinctly falcate. + Distinctive patch of white on side; tan or yellow coloration + below and behind dorsal fin, often visible on swimming animal. + Beak short; all dark. + Does not usually ride bow waves. + Distribution Cape Cod to southern Greenland. + +[Sidenote: WHITE-BEAKED DOLPHIN + +_Lagenorhynchus albirostris_ + +p. 126] + + Body to about 10 feet (3.1 m) long. + Dorsal fin all black, tall, and distinctly falcate. + Two pale areas: one in front, another behind and below dorsal + fin; visible on swimming animal. + Beak short, sometimes brushed with white blaze. + May ride bow waves. + Distribution Newfoundland north in summer, Cape Cod north in + winter; common close to shore at Cape Cod in spring. + +[Sidenote: ATLANTIC BOTTLENOSED DOLPHIN + +_Tursiops truncatus_ + +p. 128] + + Body to 12 feet (3.7 m) long. + Body dark gray on back; lighter gray on sides; belly white to + pink. + Snout robust and short. + Dorsal fin tall; back curved. + Ride bow waves; often turn head downwards or to the sides as they + do so. + Distribution temperate and tropical, usually within 20 miles of + shore (often in bays, lagoons, and larger rivers) but extending + off the continental shelves. + +[Sidenote: GUIANA DOLPHIN + +_Sotalia guianensis_ + +p. 132] + + Body to approximately 5.6 feet (1.7 m) long. + Body steel blue to dark brown on back; white on belly. + Dorsal fin nearly triangular; curves only slightly backward. + Distribution in Lake Maracaibo and the rivers of Guiana and in + the nearshore coastal waters of northeastern portion of South + America. + +[Sidenote: ROUGH-TOOTHED DOLPHIN + +_Steno bredanensis_ + +p. 135] + + Body to about 8 feet (2.4 m) long. + Body dark gray to purplish gray on back with white or pink + blotches on sides; belly white. + Body frequently shows numerous white scars. + Head tapers gradually; beak long and slender; no clear separation + of beak from forehead. + May ride bow waves. + Distribution in deep tropical waters. + +[Sidenote: PYGMY KILLER WHALE + +_Feresa attenuata_ + +p. 138] + + Body to 8-9 feet (2.4-2.7 m) long. + Body black with white belly patch which may extend up sides in + area of anus. + Head rounded; no beak; lips white; lower jaw and chin may be + white. + Dorsal fin to 15 inches (38 cm) tall, falcate; located near + midpoint of back. + Distribution tropical and subtropical. + +[Sidenote: MANY-TOOTHED BLACKFISH + +_Peponocephala electra_ + +p. 142] + + Body to about 9 feet (2.7 m) long. + Body black on back; light gray on belly. + Head rounded; no beak; underslung jaw; lips white. + Dorsal fin to 10 inches (25.4 cm), tall, distinctly back curved. + Distribution tropical (not yet reported in western North + Atlantic). + +[Sidenote: PYGMY SPERM WHALE + +_Kogia breviceps_ + +p. 144] + + Body to about 11 feet (3.4 m) long. + Body dark steel gray on back; lighter gray on sides; pinkish to + white on belly (older animals speckled on belly). + Head blunt; jaw underslung; false gills or bracket marks on side + of head. + Dorsal fin small; located in last one-third of body. + Has not been reported to ride bow waves. + Distribution in tropical and temperate waters. + +[Sidenote: DWARF SPERM WHALE + +_Kogia simus_ + +p. 148] + + Body to about 9 feet (2.7 m) long. + Body dark steel gray on back; lighter gray on sides; pinkish to + white on belly. + Head blunt; jaw underslung; false gills or bracket marks on side + of head. + Body has two small creases on throat. + Dorsal fin like that of Atlantic bottlenosed dolphin; located + near midpoint of back. + Has not been reported to ride bow waves. + Distribution poorly known; at least from Georgia to the tropical + seas. + +[Sidenote: HARBOR PORPOISE + +_Phocoena phocoena_ + +p. 150] + + Body to 5 feet (1.5 m) long. + Body dark brown above and white below; transition zone on sides + often speckled or streaked; ventral white extends high onto + side in front of dorsal fin. + Head rounded; beak small and indistinct. + Dorsal fin short and triangular. + Distribution in shallow waters from at least Delaware north; + generally found inshore; often in bays, river mouths and + inlets. + Does not approach boats. + + + + +SPECIES ACCOUNTS + + +Large Whales With a Dorsal Fin + + + + +BLUE WHALE (B)[9] + +_Balaenoptera musculus_ (Linnaeus 1758) + +[Footnote 9: The letter in parentheses indicates whether the species is +a baleen (B) or a toothed (T) whale.] + + +Other Common Names + +Sulphur-bottom. + + +Description + +Blue whales are the largest living mammals. Though reports of maximum +length and weight vary from one account to another, Antarctic blue +whales are known to have reached lengths to 100 feet (30.5 m) and +weights of over 150 tons (136,363 kg)[10] before stocks were severely +depleted by whaling operations. North Atlantic blue whales may be +expected to reach lengths of 80-85 feet (24.4-25.9 m). In all known +populations of blue whales, females are slightly larger than males of +the same age. + +[Footnote 10: The largest measured specimen was "just over" 100 feet +(30.5 m); the largest specimen weighed, the 150-ton individual noted +above, was 89 feet (27.1 m) long.] + +Viewed from above, the blue whale's rostrum is broad, flat, and nearly +U-shaped (actually shaped like a Gothic arch, slightly flattened on the +tip), with a single ridge extending from the raised area just in front +of the blowholes towards but not quite reaching the tip of the snout. + +The dorsal fin is extremely small [to only 13 inches (33 cm)] and +variable in shape from nearly triangular to moderately falcate. In all +cases, it is located so far back on the animal's tail stock that it is +seldom visible until the animal is about to begin a dive. + +Blue whales are light bluish gray overall, mottled with gray or grayish +white. Some animals may have yellowish or mustard coloration, primarily +on the belly, the result of the accumulation of diatoms during long +stays in the cooler waters to the north. The undersides of the flippers +are light grayish blue to white. + +The baleen plates are all black. + + +Natural History Notes + +The blow or "spout" is tall, to perhaps 30 feet (9.1 m), slender, +vertical, and not bushy, as is the blow of humpback whales, for +instance. + +Although the blowing and diving patterns of blue whales may vary, +depending on the speed of movement and the activity of the whale when it +is encountered, they may be generally described as follows: If the +animal is moving slowly, the blowhole and part of the head may still be +visible when the dorsal fin breaks the surface, and the animal may +settle quietly into the water without exposing the last portion of the +tail stock or the tail flukes. If the animal is moving more quickly, +however, or is about to begin a long dive, the blowhole disappears below +the surface, a broad expanse of the back is exposed and disappears, and +the dorsal fin emerges briefly just before the animal lifts its tail +stock and flukes slightly above the surface before slipping out of +sight. + +In this species it can be generally stated that the maximum height of +back in the area of the dorsal fin which is exposed above the surface as +the animal sounds is approximately four times the height of the dorsal +fin itself. The exposure of the tail flukes is unlike that of the +humpback whale (Fig. 39), the right whale (Fig. 50), or the sperm whale +(Fig. 57) in that when beginning a long dive all these other species +raise the flukes high out of the water and usually descend at a steep +angle. Blue whales lift the flukes only slightly, if at all. + +Blue whales are relatively shallow feeders, feeding as they do almost +exclusively on "krill" (small shrimplike crustaceans), most of which are +distributed in the surface 330 feet (100 m). Blue whales usually occur +singly or in pairs. + + +May Be Confused With + +At sea, blue whales may be confused with fin whales (p. 26) and though +the two are sometimes difficult to distinguish from a distance, the +following key differences permit identification at close range: + + BLUE WHALE FIN WHALE + + COLORATION + + Mottled bluish gray above Gray above, white below; frequently + and below. grayish-white chevron + behind head, right lower + lip white. + + BALEEN + + All black. Bluish gray with yellowish-white + strips; front fifth to + third of baleen on right side + all white. + + HEAD + + Broad and nearly U-shaped; Narrower, more V-shaped; + all dark. right lower lip white. + + DORSAL FIN + + To 13 inches (33 cm); triangular To 24 inches (61 cm); falcate; + to moderately falcate; in located slightly more than a + last third of back; visible well third forward from tail + after blow. flukes; usually visible shortly + after blow. + + SURFACING AND PREPARING TO DIVE + + Often shows head and blowholes; Usually rolls higher out of + broad expanse of back water, particularly on long + and much later, dorsal fin. dive; dorsal fin visible shortly + after blow. + + DIVING + + Dives for 10-20 min; surfaces Dives 5-15 min (most often + and blows 8-15 times, making 6-7); surfaces steeply for 3-7 + a series of 12- to 15-s dives blows then dives rather + between blows, then disappears steeply again; does not show + again; sometimes raises flukes on dive: on sounding, + flukes slightly on last dive; the maximum height of back + on sounding, the maximum in the area of dorsal fin which + height of back in the area of is exposed is approximately 2 + dorsal fin which is exposed is times the height of the dorsal + approximately 4 times the fin. + height of the dorsal fin. + + GROUPING + + Usually found singly or in Occasionally found singly or + pairs. in pairs, more often found in + pods of six or seven individuals; + many pods, consisting of + as many as 50 animals, may + be found in small area. + +See also comparison of fin whale and sei whale (p. 26). + + +Distribution + +Though blue whales have been reported from the pack ice to Cristobal +Harbor, Panama Canal Zone, their normal range in the western North +Atlantic is more limited. In spring and summer months (about April +through at least August) they can be expected in the northern portion of +their range, at least as far north as the Arctic Circle, feeding on the +krill abundant in those waters. A small portion of the population may +venture north, beyond the Circle. In fall and winter the population +moves south, presumably into temperate and perhaps to tropical waters. +Reliable records include animals from observations off Long Island and +Ocean City, Md. + +Though southern limits of the species are poorly known, there are no +records from Florida or the West Indies and no verified records from the +Gulf of Mexico. + +Summaries of blue whale distribution based on records when the species +was more numerous indicate that they were found during spring and summer +months in some abundance on the Nova Scotian Banks, the St. Lawrence +Gulf and estuary, the Strait of Belle Isle, Grand Bank, and in the +waters off the coasts of Iceland, southern Greenland, and the Davis +Straits and Baffin Bay. (Some individuals have entered the Hudson Strait +but not apparently Hudson Bay itself.) + +Historically, a few animals apparently appeared off the coast of +southeastern Canada as early as February. It was speculated that from +there a portion of the population underwent a migration from the Strait +of Belle Isle north through the Davis Straits to the waters off western +Greenland. Some individuals entered the Gulf of St. Lawrence after the +ice was clear and remained behind until as late as November. In the fall +months, certainly by November, the northern portion of the population +had begun retreating to the south in front of the advancing ice. The +remainder apparently also underwent this migration as well, since blue +whales have historically been nearly absent from Canadian waters during +midwinter. + +Many of the migrating individuals were assumed to continue south to +temperate and, less frequently, to tropical water where they calved. It +should be emphasized that though all of the southward and the subsequent +northward migrations were presumed to be along pelagic routes, details +were poorly documented. + +Blue whales have been reported in both shallow inshore and deep oceanic +zones. + +Despite considerable attention in the popular literature to the plight +of the blue whale populations and frequent statements that they are near +extinction, blue whale stocks in the western North Atlantic appear more +abundant than has been usually reported. While present stocks are far +short of previous population sizes, which may have exceeded 200,000 +individuals worldwide, they should be sufficiently large for the +species to continue their increase, barring renewed exploitation. + + +Stranded Specimens + +Stranded blue whales can be readily identified by 1) the large body size +(to 85 feet [25.9 m]); 2) the broad flat head; 3) the all-black baleen +plates (270-395 in number), which are usually barely more than twice as +long as they are wide; and 4) the 55-88 ventral grooves extending to the +navel or beyond (Table 2). + +Depending on the state of decay and the position of the stranded +specimen, any of the body characteristics described for living animals +may also be used to positively identify the specimen. + +[Illustration: Figure 9.--Closeup views of swimming blue whales off +British Columbia (top) and Baja California (bottom). In both photos note +the broad rounded appearance of the head and the single, prominent +central head ridge. In the animal on the top note also the black baleen +plates, barely visible at the front of the slightly open mouth. In the +animal on the bottom note the pattern of light grayish-white mottling +along the back and the raised areas around the blowholes. These features +clearly mark these animals as blue whales. (_Photos by R. M. Gilmore +(top) and K. C. Balcomb (bottom)._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 10.--The dorsal fins of blue whales may vary from +distinctly triangular (top) to broadly rounded (middle and inset) to +smoothly falcate in appearance (bottom). Regardless of its shape, +however, the fin is always located well back on the tail and does not +become visible until long after the animal's blow. (_Photos by Japanese +Whales Research Institute, courtesy of H. Omura, mid-Pacific (top); S. +Leatherwood, southern California (middle and inset); and F. W. True, +northern North Atlantic, courtesy of U.S. National Museum (bottom)._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 11.--A blue whale swimming leisurely at the +surface off San Clemente Island, Calif. Note that the blowholes, marked +by the raised areas on the top of the head, are still exposed after the +dorsal fin has become visible. Note also the very small size and the +shape of the dorsal fin and its position well back towards the tail. +(_Photo by S. Leatherwood._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 12.--A sequence showing fast-swimming blue whales +off southern California. The animal rises rather steeply to the surface +(a), emits a tall, vertical blow (b, c), shows its broad bluish back, +mottled with grayish white, and its small dorsal fin (d, e), and then +dives out of sight (f). When swimming in this manner, blue whales +sometimes raise their tail flukes slightly above the surface before +beginning their long dives (g). (_Photos by J. F. Fish (a-f) and K. C. +Balcomb (g)._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 13.--Two views of blue whales on the ramps of +whaling stations in Japan (top) and at Hermitage Bay, Newfoundland +(bottom). Note the broad rounded appearance of the head, the single +central head ridge, and the dark bluish-gray coloration, interrupted +only by mottlings of grayish white. In the animal on the bottom note the +all-black baleen plates, which are very broad relative to their length. +(_Photos by Japanese Whales Research Institute, courtesy of H. Omura +(top); and F. W. True, courtesy of U.S. National Museum (bottom)._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 14.--Dead blue whales, harpooned and afloat off +the stern of a factory ship in the Antarctic (top), and on the deck of a +whaling station in western Canada (bottom). In both, note the numerous +ventral grooves (from 55 to 85 or more) extending to the region of the +navel and sometimes beyond, and the light coloration of the undersides +of the flippers. Even though grooves are often present above the +flippers, and occasionally even on the side of the head, counts of +ventral grooves are usually made between the flippers. (_Photos by +Japanese Whales Research Institute, courtesy of H. Omura (top); and G. +C. Pike, courtesy of I. MacAskie (bottom)._)] + + + + +FIN WHALE (B) + +_Balaenoptera physalus_ (Linnaeus 1758) + + +Other Common Names + +Finback whale, finner, razorback, common rorqual. + + +Description + +Fin whales have been reported to reach 79 feet (24 m). Females are +slightly larger than males of the same age. + +The back is distinctly ridged towards the tail, prompting the common +name "razorback" whale. + +The rostrum is narrower and more V-shaped than that of the blue whale +and has the same sort of single distinctive head ridge. The top of the +head is flat, though slightly less than that of the blue whale. + +The dorsal fin is up to 24 inches (61 cm) tall; angled less than 40 deg. on +the forward margin, located slightly more than one-third forward from +the tail, and appears on the surface shortly after the blow. + +All individuals are dark gray to brownish black on the back and sides +with none of the mottling present on blue whales and are rarely as +heavily scarred as sei whales. Along the back, just behind the head, +there is a grayish-white chevron, with the apex along the midline of the +back and the arms of the chevron oriented posteriorly, which is +sometimes distinctive and may be visible as the animals surface to +breathe. The undersides, including the undersides of the flukes and +flippers, are white. On the head, the dark coloration is markedly +asymmetrical, reaching farther down on the left than on the right side. +The right lower lip, including the mouth cavity, and the right front +baleen (approximately one-fifth to one-third) are yellowish white. +Occasionally the right upper lip is also white. The remainder of the +plates on the right side and all those on the left side are striped with +alternate bands of yellowish white and bluish gray. The fringes of the +plates are brownish gray to grayish white. + + +Natural History Notes + +Fin whales are one of the most common baleen whale species in the world +and constitute a major portion of the whaling catch. They are reportedly +one of the fastest of the big whales (sei whales may be slightly faster) +possibly reaching burst speeds in excess of 20 knots, and were not an +important commercial species until the comparatively recent development +of fast catcher boats and the depletion of blue whale stocks. + +A fin whale's blow can be from 15 to 20 feet (4.6 to 6.1 m) tall and has +been described as an inverted cone or an elongated ellipse. + +Fin whales dive to at least 755 feet (230.1 m). This depth is probably +deeper than that of either blue or sei whales, a factor usually +reflected in differences among the surfacing, blowing, and diving +characteristics of these three species. When they are moving leisurely +at the surface, fin whales expose the dorsal fin shortly after the +appearance of the blowholes, slightly later than that of the sei whales. +When they are surfacing from a deeper dive, however, they surface at a +steeper angle, blow, submerge the blowholes, and then arch the back and +dorsal fin high into the air before beginning another long dive. In this +species it can be generally stated that the maximum amount of the back +in the area of the dorsal fin which is exposed above the surface as the +animal sounds is approximately 2 times the height of the dorsal fin. Fin +whales do not show their tail flukes when beginning a dive. + +Unlike blue or sei whales, fin whales do breach on occasion. When they +do leap clear of the water, fin whales usually reenter with a resounding +splash, like that made by humpback and right whales and not smoothly, +head first, as minke whales often do. + +Fin whales are sometimes found singly or in pairs but more often occur +in pods of six or seven individuals and many pods consisting of as many +as 50 animals may be concentrated in a small area. + +Fin whales calve and breed in winter, mostly in temperate waters. + +Atlantic fin whales eat a wide variety of foods, including krill, +capelin, squid, herring, and lanternfish. + + +May Be Confused With + +Fin whales may be confused with blue whales, sei whales, and, in the +southernmost portion of their range, with Bryde's whales. They may be +distinguished from the blue whales by differences in overall coloration, +coloration and shape of the head, and the size, position, and time of +appearance of the dorsal fin at the surface (see p. 19). After close +examination they may be distinguished from Bryde's whales by the +presence of three ridges along the head (of the Bryde's whale) and by +the smaller, more sharply pointed falcate dorsal fin of the Bryde's +whale (see Fig. 31). They may be distinguished from sei whales in the +following similar ways: + + FIN WHALE SEI WHALE + + DORSAL FIN + + Slightly falcate, forms angle Sharply pointed and falcate: + of less than 40 deg. with back forms angle of greater than + slightly more than one-third 40 deg. with back well more than + forward from tail. one-third forward from tail. + + SURFACING BEHAVIOR + + Usually rise obliquely so top Primarily skimmer feeders; + of head breaks surface first; usually rise to surface at + after blowing, animal arches shallow angle so that dorsal + its back and rolls forward fin and head are visible + exposing the dorsal fin on the almost simultaneously; when + long dive; on sounding, the starting the long dive does + maximum amount of back in not usually arch the back as + the area of the dorsal fin much as the fin whale; on + which is exposed is approximately sounding, the maximum + 2 times the height of amount of back in the area of + dorsal fin. the dorsal fin which is + exposed is approximately 1 + times the height of the dorsal + fin. + + BLOW + + Tall (to 20 feet [6.1 m]); Similar shape but smaller--rarely + inverted cone (point down) taller than 10-15 feet + or elongated ellipse. (3.1-4.6 m). + + DIVING + + Dive for 5-15 (usually 6-7) Dive for 3-10 min; usually + min; blow 3-7 times or more blow at even intervals over + at intervals of up to several long periods of time; often + minutes, then dive again. visible just below the surface, + even on longer dives. + + COLOR OF UNDERSIDES + + White higher up on right Mostly gray; irregular whitish + than on left side. area on belly. + + COLOR OF LOWER LIP + + White on right, gray on left. Gray. + + BALEEN PLATES + + Right one-fifth to one-third Ash black with a blue tinge + in front white; all others and fine grayish bristles. + alternate bands of yellowish + white and bluish gray; bristles + grayish white. + +Distribution + +Fin whales are probably the most numerous and widely distributed large +whale species in the western North Atlantic. + +Fin whales summer from below the latitude of Cape Cod, Mass., north to +the Arctic Circle. (They are frequently seen between New York and +Bermuda this time of year.) Within this zone they may sometimes be seen +very close to shore and appear to be concentrated between shore and the +1,000-fathom curve from at least lat. 41 deg.20' to 57 deg.00' N. In recent +years they have been reported in relatively large numbers in the Gulf of +Maine from March through June, off Newfoundland as early as June but +increasing to August, and entering Davis Straits and beyond in +substantial numbers in midsummer to late summer. There is some evidence +that the animals venturing farthest north are the largest individuals of +the species. Movements of the population(s) southward have usually begun +by October, though some fin whales sometimes remain in the northern seas +sufficiently long to become trapped in the ice and killed. + +During winter the range of fin whales spreads out from the advancing ice +southward, reaching at least to the coast of Florida, into the Gulf of +Mexico, and to the Greater Antilles, though fin whales are not at all +common in tropical waters. During the winter many fin whales move into +offshore waters. Northward migrations probably begin in midspring. + +Fin whales may be found in Cape Cod waters all year long. + +There may be two or possibly three separate stocks of fin whales in the +western North Atlantic, one more northern cold-adapted stock and another +more southern stock. The ranges of the two stocks appear to overlap, +such that the winter range of the northern stock probably becomes the +spring and summer range of the more southern stock. The third stock may +consist of an isolated population in the northern Gulf of Mexico. + + +Stranded Specimens + +Stranded fin whales may be most readily identified by 1) the +yellowish-white coloration of the right front baleen and the right white +lower lip; 2) the numerous baleen plates (262-473 in number); 3) the +numerous ventral grooves (56-100 in number) extending to the navel and +beyond (Table 2); and 4) the broad, flat sharply pointed head with only +a single head ridge. + +[Illustration: Figure 15.--The heads of fin whales surfacing to breathe +off Japan and in the northern North Atlantic (inset). When they can be +approached from the right side, fin whales can be positively +distinguished from the other large balaenopterine species by the white +coloration of the right lower lip and the flat, narrow head. Note also +the single central head ridge. (_Photos by Japanese Whales Research +Institute, courtesy of H. Omura, and K. C. Balcomb_ (_inset_).)] + +[Illustration: Figure 16.--A small group of fin whales off British +Columbia. Fin whales may be found in groups of up to six or seven +individuals and these groups may congregate in feeding grounds. (_Photo +by G. C. Pike, courtesy of I. MacAskie._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 17.--The back of a harpooned fin whale in the +eastern North Pacific (left) and in the North Atlantic (right). In both +note the light grayish-white chevrons just behind the head. These +chevrons are not usually very distinctive in North Atlantic fin whales. +In the animal in the left photo note also the prominent ridge along the +back behind the dorsal fin--a characteristic which prompted the common +name "razorback." (_Photos courtesy of_ Los Angeles Examiner (_left_) +_and K. C. Balcomb_ (_right_).)] + +[Illustration: Figure 18.--Surfacing fin whales show the head and blow, +then the wheellike silhouette of the back, and then the dorsal fin. Note +that in this species the dorsal fin is smaller and located farther back +than that of the sei whale and appears on the surface later after the +animal's blow. (_Photo from the northern North Atlantic by K. C. +Balcomb._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 19.--As they begin a long dive, fin whales +frequently arch the tail stock high into the air, exposing the dorsal +fin. Even on a long dive, however, this species is not known to throw +its tail flukes high into the air or even to raise them slightly, as +blue whales sometimes do when beginning a long dive. (_Photo from off +Virginia by J. G. Mead._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 20.--Probably a fin whale (perhaps a Bryde's +whale) breaching in the eastern tropical Pacific. This type of behavior +has been described for humpback, minke, and fin whales but is far more +common for the first two species. Breaching fin whales often reenter the +water with a resounding splash, much like humpback whales, but sometimes +smoothly, head first, as minkes sometimes do. (_Photo by K. D. Sexton, +courtesy of National Marine Fisheries Service._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 21.--A head-on view of a fin whale stranded at +Ormond Beach, Fla. Note the flat narrow appearance of the head and the +single, central head ridge. (_Photo by F. Essapian, courtesy of +Marineland of Florida._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 22.--In this partly flensed fin whale, at +Blanford, Nova Scotia, note the white lower lip and the white baleen in +the right front. The inset photo shows the right upper jaw of a fin +whale with the baleen intact. (_Photos by H. E. Winn, and from the North +Pacific by Japanese Whales Research Institute, courtesy of H. Omura +(inset)._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 23.--A fin whale on the ramp of the whaling +station also at Blanford, Nova Scotia. Note the ventral grooves, 56 to +100 and extending at least to the navel. (_Photo by L. Rigley._)] + + + + +SEI WHALE (B) + +_Balaenoptera borealis_ Lesson 1828 + + +Other Common Names + +Pollack whale, sardine whale, Rudolphi's rorqual. + + +Description + +Sei (pronounced "say") whales have been reported to reach 62 feet (19 +m). + +The snout is less acutely pointed than that of the fin whale but when +viewed from the side appears slightly arched. In general, the head is +intermediate in shape between that of the blue whale and that of the fin +whale. The dorsal fin, which is from 10 to 24 inches (25.4 to 61 cm) +tall and strongly falcate in adult animals, is located about two-thirds +of the way back on the back, farther forward than that of the blue or +fin whales. Sei whales are dark steel gray on the back and sides, and on +the posterior portion of the ventral surface. The body often has a +galvanized appearance due to scars possibly resulting from lamprey bites +inflicted during migrations into warmer waters. These scars may be dark +gray to almost white in color. On the belly there is a region of grayish +white that is confined to the area of the ventral grooves. Neither the +flippers nor the tail flukes are white underneath. The right lower lip +and the mouth cavity, unlike those of the fin whale, are uniformly gray. +The baleen plates are uniformly grayish black with fine grayish-white +fringes. (A small number of sei whales have been noted to have a few +half-white plates near the front of the mouth, a feature which might +result in their confusion with fin whales.) + + +Natural History Notes + +The blow of sei whales is an inverted cone rarely taller than 15 feet +(4.6 m). + +Sei whales are generally skimmer feeders and do not usually dive very +deeply. For that reason they usually surface at a shallower angle than +fin whales. The head rarely emerges at a steep angle (except when the +whales are chased). Instead, the blowholes and a major portion of the +back, including the dorsal fin, become visible almost simultaneously and +remain visible for relatively long periods of time. In this species it +can be generally stated that the amount of the back in the area of the +dorsal fin which is exposed above the surface as the animal sounds is +approximately the same height as the dorsal fin. When they begin another +dive, sei whales do not arch the tail stock or flukes high. Instead, +they normally submerge by slipping quietly below the surface, often +remaining in view only a few feet down and leaving a series of tracks or +swirls on the surface as they move their tail flukes. When they are +feeding in this manner, sei whales may exhibit a highly regular blowing +and diving pattern over long periods of time. + +Sei whales usually travel in groups of from two to five individuals, +though they may concentrate in large numbers on the feeding grounds. + +In the northern portion of their range, sei whales feed on copepods. +Throughout the remainder of the range, however, their food is more +varied and also includes krill and a variety of small schooling fishes. +The species derived its common name, in fact, from its frequent +occurrence with or near sei fish. + + +May Be Confused With + +The sei whale's smaller size and decidedly taller, more falcate dorsal +fin located well more than one-third forward from the tail should +prevent confusion with the blue whale. At a distance, however, sei +whales are difficult to distinguish from either fin whales or Bryde's +whales. The primary clues for distinguishing them from fins are the +differences in swimming, blowing, and diving characteristics tabularized +in detail on p. 26 and the asymmetrical coloration of the fin whale. + +Sei whales may be distinguished from Bryde's whales only upon close +examination. The dorsal fin of Bryde's whales is small, to 18 inches +(45.7 cm), sharply pointed, and often worn on the rear margin. If close +examination is possible, the sei whale will be seen to have only a +single head ridge. Bryde's whales have two additional ridges--one on +each side of the main ridge. Bryde's whales are primarily fish feeders +and their diving behavior more closely resembles that of a fin whale +than that of a sei whale. (See p. 37). + + +Distribution + +The distribution and migrations of the sei whale during most of the year +are rather poorly known. The species is known to avoid the colder +regions near the pack ice and to range from Iceland south to the +northeast Venezuelan coast and the northeast and southwest Gulf of +Mexico. There are also records from Cuba and the Virgin Islands. Along +the northeast United States and eastern Canadian coasts, where most +research on sei whales has been conducted, the species migrates from New +England through the Blanford, Nova Scotia area in June and July, is +found in small numbers off eastern Newfoundland in August and September +(abundant in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland in August), and continues +northward to the Davis Straits in September and October. An offshore +stock may be found year-round in the Labrador Sea. The summer range (May +to September or October) extends from New England to southern Arctic +waters. Though some individuals remain behind through November, the +southward movement of the bulk of the population presumably begins in +October. In general, sei whales do not venture as far north as fin +whales but may have a greater tendency to enter tropical waters. + + +Stranded Specimens + +Stranded sei whales are most likely to be confused with fin whales or +Bryde's whales. The three head ridges of the Bryde's whale (sei whales +have only one) assist in distinguishing sei whales from Bryde's whales. +They may be distinguished from fin whales and all other rorquals by the +following characteristics: 1) The color of the baleen plates--uniformly +ash black with a blue tinge and fine white bristles (Table 2). 2) The +density of bristles on the plates--sei whales have from 35 to 60 baleen +fringes per centimeter; all other rorquals have far fewer (less than +35). 3) The relative lengths of the ventral grooves--the grooves of sei +whales end well before the navel; those of blue, fin, and Bryde's whales +extend at least to the navel. 4) The relatively small numbers of ventral +grooves (38-56)--both blue and fin whales have more; Bryde's whales have +approximately the same number. + +If the animal is not in an advanced state of decomposition, the region +of white coloration of the belly may also be visible. + +[Illustration: Figure 24.--The head of a sei whale is intermediate in +shape between that of the blue whale and that of the fin whale. When +viewed from the side it is slightly arched. Note the single central head +ridge, from just in front of the blowholes to near the tip of the snout. +Bryde's whales, with which sei whales are most likely to be confused in +the tropical and subtropical portions of their range, have two auxiliary +ridges, one on each side of the top of the head, in addition to this +main central ridge. (_Photo from the North Pacific by Japanese Whales +Research Institute, courtesy of H. Omura._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 25.--Sei whales are dark gray on the right lower +lip. They can be distinguished from fin whales, which have a white right +lower lip, by approaching them from the right side. (_Photo from the +North Pacific by Japanese Whales Research Institute, courtesy of H. +Omura._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 26.--Three views of swimming sei whales. In all +three, note the tall, distinctly falcate dorsal fin (which has been +described as sickle or scimitar in shape) positioned farther forward on +the back than the fins of either the fin whale or the blue whale. In the +photo in the middle, note that the dorsal fin has appeared on the +surface while the blowholes are still open. Sei whales, generally +skimmer feeders and rather shallow divers, often show the dorsal fin and +much of the back for relatively long periods as they surface to breathe. +(_Photos from off central California, courtesy of National Marine +Fisheries Service_ (_middle_); _northeast of Hawaii by S. Ohsumi_ (_left +inset_); and _from off Japan by Japanese Whales Research Institute, +courtesy of H. Omura_ (right inset).)] + +[Illustration: Figure 27.--A freshly dead sei whale from the Pacific +(top) and a stranded specimen in an advanced stage of decomposition at +Cape Island, S.C. (bottom and inset). Note that even though the +distinctive coloration of the fresh specimen has faded on the rotting +specimen, the numbers and lengths of the ventral grooves (38 to 56 in +number and stopping well short of the navel) still permit the specimen +to be distinguished from fin, blue, and Bryde's whales, in all of which +the grooves extend at least to the navel. (_Photos by Japanese Whales +Research Institute, courtesy of H. Omura (top); and J. G. Mead (bottom +and inset)._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 28.--Dorsal view of a sei whale on the deck of a +whaling ship in the North Pacific. Note the numerous scars on the body +and the otherwise dark gray coloration of the back. (_Photo by Japanese +Whales Research Institute, courtesy of H. Omura._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 29.--The right upper jaw of the sei whale stranded +at Cape Island, S.C. The baleen plates, here partly buried in the sand, +numbering from 318 to 340 per side and uniform dark gray with fine +lighter gray bristles, continue to serve as identifying characteristics +even on a badly decomposed specimen. (_Photo by J. G. Mead._)] + + + + +BRYDE'S WHALE (B) + +_Balaenoptera edeni_ Anderson 1879 + + +Other Common Names + +None known. + + +Description + +Bryde's whales reach a maximum length of approximately 46 feet (14 m). +They closely resemble sei whales in external appearance. At a distance, +the head of this species is similar in profile and general appearance to +that of the sei whale. The most distinctive field characteristic of the +species, however, is the presence of three ridges along the head +anterior to the blowhole. In addition to the medial ridge characteristic +of all the other balaenopterid species, Bryde's whales have two +secondary ridges on the top of the head--one along each side even with +the blowhole running forward towards the tip of the snout. If they can +be examined at close range, Bryde's whales can be positively identified +by this character alone. + +The dorsal fin of Bryde's whales is up to 18 inches (45.7 cm) tall, +extremely falcate, pointed on the tip, located well more than one-third +forward from the tail, and is often irregularly notched or frayed on the +rear margin from unknown causes. Bryde's whales are dark gray overall, +though some individuals, like some minke whales, have a small region of +gray on each side just forward of the dorsal fin. + + +Natural History Notes + +Bryde's whales, like minke whales, reportedly often approach close to +vessels as if curious about them. During this time they may be examined +carefully and their identifying characteristics seen. + +Though euphausiids may be an important food for this species in limited +areas, Bryde's whales often feed on schooling fish (including pilchards, +anchovies, herring, and mackerel). This food preference is reflected in +the diving behavior of the species. Bryde's whales are not "skimmer" +feeders; they are deeper divers. When they surface to breathe, they +often rise more steeply to the surface, exposing much of the head, roll +the body sharply, and hump up the tail stock before beginning another +dive. In this species, as in the fin whale, it can be generally stated +that the amount of the back which is exposed above the surface as the +animal sounds is approximately twice the height of the dorsal fin. They +apparently do not raise the tail flukes when beginning a dive. + + +May Be Confused With + +At sea Bryde's whales may be confused with sei whales, fin whales, and +perhaps minke whales. + +They may be most readily distinguished from sei whales by the +characteristics discussed on p. 32 and by differences in diving +behavior. The shallow-feeding sei whales surface and blow at regular +intervals over long periods of time. Bryde's whales are deeper divers, +less likely to surface, and blow at evenly spaced intervals. If they are +seen only briefly or at a distance, however, the two species may be +impossible to differentiate. + +During the winter months, when fin whales may venture into tropical +waters, they may also be confused with Bryde's whales. But fin whales +seldom exhibit curiosity about boats. In addition, the dorsal fin of the +fin whale is larger, is located farther back on the back than that of +Bryde's whale, and does not become visible as soon after the blow. It is +also less likely to be worn on the rear margin than that of a Bryde's +whale. + +The head of the fin whale is more acutely pointed. Furthermore, the +right lower lip and the right front baleen of the fin whale are white. +The baleen and the right lower lip of Bryde's whales are dark gray. If +the animals can be approached closely from the right side, positive +identification is possible using these differences in color. + +Like Bryde's whales, minke whales often approach close to vessels. But +minke whales have an acutely pointed snout, a single head ridge, and a +white band on each flipper. Further, minke whales rarely reach 30 feet +(9.1 m) in maximum length. + + +Distribution + +The distribution of Bryde's whales is rather poorly known, no doubt in +part, because the species is difficult to positively identify at sea, +and records of its occurrence may have often been confused with those of +sei whales, fin whales, or minke whales. From stranded animals and +confirmed sightings at sea, the species appears to be found primarily +near shore in areas of high productivity in tropical or subtropical +waters, though it ventures into warmer temperate waters as well. It has +been reported from Virginia south into the northeast Gulf of Mexico and +the southeast Caribbean, and southern West Indies (Curacao and Granada). +To date no migration has been described for the species. + + +Stranded Specimens + +Stranded Bryde's whales can be positively identified by the three ridges +along the top of the head from the area of the blowhole to the tip of +the snout. All other species of balaenopterid whales, except humpback +whales have but a single ridge. If the head of a stranded specimen is +buried in sand, is decomposed beyond recognition, or is otherwise +inaccessible for identification, Bryde's whales can still be +distinguished from sei whales by differences in the relative lengths of +the ventral grooves (Table 2) and from both the fin whale and the sei +whale by differences in the characteristics of the baleen plates (Table +2). + +[Illustration: Figure 30.--On the head of this Bryde's whale off La +Jolla, Calif. two of the three head ridges characteristic of the +species, the main ridge and the left auxiliary ridge, are clearly +visible. These ridges permit this animal to be positively identified as +a Bryde's whale. (_Photo by F. Morejohn._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 31.--Bryde's whales in the Gulf of California and +north of Hawaii (inset). In both, note the tall, sickle-shaped +appearance of the dorsal fin, much like that of the sei whale. In the +animal in the larger photo note the ragged rear margin of the dorsal +fin, a frequently observed characteristic in Bryde's whales. In the +animal on the left note also the region of gray on the sides in front of +the dorsal fin. (_Photos by W. C. Cummings and S. Ohsumi_ (_inset_).)] + +[Illustration: Figure 32.--Stranded Bryde's whales at Walnut Point, Va. +(top) and Panacea, Fla., Gulf of Mexico (bottom). In both animals note +the head shape similar to that of the sei whale, and the three distinct +head ridges. In the animal on the bottom, note that the two outermost +ridges have their origin in grooves beside the blowholes. In the animal +on the top, note also the baleen plates, up to at least 300 per side and +dark gray with coarse gray bristles. There is infrequently a rather wide +interval at the front of the mouth between the left and right rows of +baleen. (_Photos by U.S. National Museum, courtesy of J. G. Mead (top) +and M. B. Rank, courtesy of Wide World Photos (bottom)._)] + + + + +HUMPBACK WHALE (B) + +_Megaptera novaeangliae_ (Borowski 1781) + + +Other Common Names + +Humpbacked whale, bunch, hump whale, or hunchbacked whale. + + +Description + +Humpback whales reach a length of 53 feet (16.2 m). + +The body is robust, narrowing rapidly on the tail stock. The head is +quite broad and rounded, somewhat like that of the blue whale. The head +ridge characteristic of other balaenopterid species is indistinct and is +replaced in prominence by a string of fleshy "knobs" or protuberances, +many more of which are randomly distributed on the top of the head and +on the lower jaw. There is a distinctive rounded projection near the tip +of the lower jaw. Humpback whales carry many barnacles and whale lice. +The baleen plates are all black with black or olive-black bristles. + +The flippers are very long (nearly a third as long as the body), are +scalloped on at least the leading edge, and are nearly all white. + +The dorsal fin, located slightly more than two-thirds of the way back on +the back in approximately the same position as that of the fin whale, is +small and varies in size and shape from a small, triangular nubbin to a +more substantial, sharply falcate fin. The dorsal fin frequently +includes a step or hump, which is quite distinct when the animal arches +its back to begin a dive and from which the species derives its common +name. + +Humpback whales are basically black in color with a white region of +varying size on the belly, which upon close examination may often be +seen to be crosshatched with thin dark lines; the flippers and the +undersides of the flukes also are white. + + +Natural History Notes + +The blow of humpback whales is from 8 to 10 feet (2.4 to 3.1 m) tall and +has been described as balloon-shaped. It is wide relative to its height. +Feeding humpback whales habitually blow 4-8 times at intervals of 15-30 +s after a long dive. In the tropics they habitually blow 2-4 times in +succession when beginning a long dive. In diving, humpback whales throw +the tail flukes high into the air, exposing the sometimes white +undersurface and the rippled rear margin. + +Humpback whales often leap clear of the water, raise a flipper, and slap +it against the water, or "lobtail," raising the tail high into the air +and bringing it crashing back to the water in a loud report. Often, +particularly when they are encountered on their tropical breeding +grounds, humpback whales will be found lying on their sides with a long +flipper in the air. + +Humpback whales feed on krill and schooling fish. + + +May Be Confused With + +From a distance humpback whales may be confused with any of the other +large balaenopterid (rorqual) whales--blue, fin, sei, or Bryde's. +Although it is highly variable, the dorsal fin most closely resembles +that of the blue whale. However, it is located farther forward on the +back. Humpback whales distinguish themselves from the remainder of the +rorquals by their habit of raising the flukes high into the air when +starting a long dive. (In very shallow water they may not raise the +flukes at all.) The only other rorqual to do so--the blue whale--raises +the flukes slightly or not at all. + +Under some conditions humpback whales may be confused with sperm whales +at a distance. When arching the back to begin a dive, both may show a +distinct hump. Both species frequently raise their flukes nearly +vertically when beginning a long dive but differ in several ways. The +flukes of humpback whales show varying amounts of white beneath, are +pointed on the tips, and are distinctly concaved and irregularly rippled +on the rear margin. Those of sperm whales are all dark and more +flattened and even along the rear margin. Further the species can be +distinguished in the following ways: + + HUMPBACK WHALE SPERM WHALE + + BLOW + + Projects upwards from center Projects obliquely forward + of head. Usually blows from left side of snout. + 4-8 times (2-4 times in Usually blows many times + tropics) before diving. (20-50 or more) before diving. + + HEAD + + Raised area around blowholes, Blunted, long, smooth. + knobs on upper surface. + + FLUKES + + Often white underneath, Smooth, all black on rear + concaved and scalloped on margin. + rear margin, deeply notched. + + FLIPPERS + + Extremely long (to one-third Short; all black. + of body), white and scalloped + on leading edge. + + DORSAL FIN (OR HUMP) + + Triangular to falcate fin, Rounded hump, two-thirds + including a step or hump in back on back followed by + front of the dorsal fin; knuckles or crenulations. + smooth. + +When they can be examined at close range, humpback whales can be easily +distinguished from all other large whale species with a dorsal fin by +the tuberosities or knobs on the head, by the long white flippers +scalloped on the leading edge, by the small distinctive dorsal fin, and +by their distinctive tail flukes. + + +Distribution + +In the western North Atlantic, humpback whales are widely distributed +from north of Iceland, Disko Bay and west of Greenland, south to +Venezuela and around the tropical islands of the West Indies. They have +been reported from the central and eastern Gulf of Mexico. Summer ranges +extend at least from New England north to the pack ice, and feeding +concentrations may be found in any portion of this region. During +winter, humpback whales migrate southward to the shallow borderlands of +Bermuda, to the Bahamas, and to the West Indies to calve and mate. + + +Stranded Specimens + +The most distinctive features of stranded humpback whales are 1) the +ventral grooves, 14-22 in number, very wide and extending to the navel; +2) the tuberosities of the snout and lower jaw, often the sites of +numerous barnacle colonies; 3) the long flippers (to nearly a third of +the total body length); and 4) the distinctive rounded projection near +the tip of the lower jaw. + +If these characteristics are not sufficiently clear, the species may be +identifiable by the characteristics of the baleen plates (Table 2). + +[Illustration: Figure 33.--Three views of blowing humpback whales. The +blow of this species is usually less than 10 feet (3.1 m) tall, wider +than it is high, and has been described as balloon-shaped. In the photo +on the top, the wind has already begun to distort the blow. In the photo +on the bottom, two separate columns are visible. All baleen whales have +a bipartite blowhole, and if an observer is directly behind or in front +of either the right whale or the humpback whale under ideal wind +conditions, the blows of these two species may appear as two distinct +spouts. (_Photos from West Indies by H. E. Winn (top and middle) and +from off St. Augustine, Fla. by D. K. Caldwell (bottom)._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 34.--Head views of surfacing humpback whales. Note +the rather broad rounded appearance of the top of the head and the small +head ridge, which extends from just in front of the blowholes to near +the tip of the snout. In humpback whales the single central head ridge +characteristic of most balaenopterid species is replaced in prominence +by a series of knobs, some of which are oriented along the same line as +the head ridge. On the animal in the inset photo note also the +characteristic rounded projection below the tip of the lower jaw, +heavily encrusted with barnacles. (_Photos from off St Augustine, Fla. +by D. K. Caldwell and from West Indies by H. E. Winn (inset)._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 35.--A mother humpback whale with her newborn calf +off the northern West Indies. Newborn humpback whales are from 12 to 15 +feet (3.7 to 4.6 m) long and are colored like the adults. Note the +mother's long white pectoral flipper, clearly visible below the surface. +(_Photo by H. E. Winn._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 36.--Humpback whales fall back into the water +after breaching. Note the long flippers, distinctly scalloped on the +leading edge. In the animal on the top, note also the knobs on the head, +visible in profile, the cluster of barnacles located on the rounded +projection below the tip of the lower jaw, and the throat grooves. +(_Photos off Baja California by K. C. Balcomb (top) and off Bermuda by +C. Levenson (bottom)._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 37.--Often, particularly on their tropical +breeding grounds, humpback whales lie on their sides at the surface, the +long white pectoral flipper in the air. Note the pronounced scalloping +on the leading edge. (_Photos near West Indies by C. McCann (top) and H. +E. Winn (bottom)._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 38.--A series showing the extreme variability in +dorsal fin shapes of humpback whales: (a) a small ridge, (b) slightly +falcate, (c) triangular with a pronounced hump, (d) slightly rounded, +(e) distinctly rounded, and (f) taller and more distinctly falcate. +(_Photos from northern West Indies by H. E. Winn (a, c, e) and C. McCann +(b); off Baja California by K. C. Balcomb (d); and off St. Augustine, +Fla. by D. K. Caldwell (f)._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 39.--The humpback whale is the only large whale +species with a distinct dorsal fin which regularly raises its tail +flukes when beginning a long dive. When it does so, the scalloped +trailing edge is often visible (f, g, h). When the diving whale is seen +from the rear, the varying degree of white coloration on the undersides +of the flukes aids in identification (h). (_Photos from northern North +Atlantic by K. C. Balcomb (a-f), from West Indies by C. McCann (g), and +from off Massachusetts by W. A. Watkins (h)._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 40.--Detail of the head of a humpback whale +harpooned off Japan. Note the knobs along the top of the head and on the +lower jaw, the rounded projection near the tip of the lower jaw and the +wide ventral grooves. The large mass of tissue to the left of the animal +is its tongue. In the inset photo from a Canadian whaling station, note +the baleen plates, less than 3 feet (0.9 m) long and dark olive green to +black in color. (_Photos by Japanese Whales Research Institute, courtesy +of H. Omura; and J. G. Mead (inset)._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 41.--A humpback whale on the deck of a whaling +station in western Canada. All of the species' most distinctive +characteristics are evident in this photograph: (1) the hump and the +dorsal fin; (2) the knobs on the top of the snout; and (3) the long +flipper, with numerous barnacles attached to its leading edge. (_Photo +by G. C. Pike, courtesy of I. MacAskie._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 42.--North Atlantic humpback whales have from 14 +to 20 broad, widely spaced ventral grooves which extend about to the +navel. Those grooves remain good diagnostic characters for considerable +periods after the animal's death, as evidenced in the freshly killed +specimen from Newfoundland (top) and the badly decomposed stranded +animal from New Jersey (bottom). (_Photos from U.S. National Museum, +courtesy of J. G. Mead._)] + + + + +Large Whales Without a Dorsal Fin + + + + +BOWHEAD WHALE (B) + +_Balaena mysticetus_ Linnaeus 1758 + + +Other Common Names + +Greenland whale, Arctic right whale, great polar whale. + + +Description + +Bowhead whales, so-called because of the high-arching jaws and the +resultant contour of the head, reach a maximum length of about 65 feet +(19.8 m). They are extremely robust in form. + +When viewed from the side, some swimming bowhead whales show two +characteristic curves to the back: the first extends from the tip of the +snout to just behind the blowholes; the second, encompassing the entire +back, begins just behind the head and extends all the way to the tail. +This character may be present only in adult animals and may be more +pronounced in males. Younger animals, particularly females, are often +stubbier and somewhat barrel-shaped behind the head. In all animals the +back is smooth, lacking even a trace of a dorsal fin. + +The head of the bowhead whale is smooth, black, and without the bonnet +and the "rock-garden," the colorful clusters of callosities +characteristic of the black right whale. The blowholes are widely +separated, and the blow emanating from them projects upward as two +separate, distinct spouts. Though two separate columns sometimes may be +visible under windless conditions in the blows of most mysticetes, this +feature is exaggerated and is most characteristic in the bowhead and +right whales. + +Bowhead whales are black overall, except for a white "vest" of uneven +coloration on the chin. Within that vest, near the sides of the white +zone, there may be a series of grayish black to black spots, which on +some animals have been likened to a string of beads. The vest is clearly +visible when a surfacing animal is viewed from the front or the side or +when the animals hang vertically in the water with the head on the +surface and the tail flukes down, as they do during periods of early +spring mating. + + +Natural History Notes + +Bowhead whales are usually found singly or in groups of up to three +animals, though fall concentrations may include up to 50 animals. + +Bowhead whales sometimes breach, throwing most of the body clear of the +surface and reentering with a resounding splash. + + +May Be Confused With + +Bowhead whales are the only species of large whales found routinely in +Arctic waters. Though other species, including some of the balaenopterid +whales and the right whale, may venture north as far as the southern +limits of the bowhead whale and beyond, they usually do so in the spring +and summer, at a time when the bowhead whales are farther to the north. +Even if they are encountered together, bowhead whales can be +distinguished from all the balaenopterid whales by the absence of a +dorsal fin. Bowhead whales have neither a fin nor the slightest trace of +a dorsal fin or ridge, while all the balaenopterids have a dorsal fin; +and their back is extremely smooth, like that of the right whale. The +bowhead and right whales may be readily distinguished from one another +by the characters listed below for stranded specimens. + + +Distribution + +Though bowhead whales in the western North Atlantic were once +distributed from Arctic waters, from the edge of the ice, south as far +as the Strait of Belle Isle and the St. Lawrence River in such abundance +that they were once referred to simply as "the whale," overwhaling +through the 19th century until as recently as 1911 has severely reduced +their numbers and restricted their modern range. Today in addition to +the more abundant populations of the Bering, Beaufort, and Chukchi seas +and the Sea of Okhotsk, there are populations off eastern Greenland and +in Davis Straits, Baffin Bay, James Bay, and the adjacent waters. Within +these ranges, bowhead whales move southward in front of the advancing +ice floes and may be expected near the southern limits of their range +from September or October through the early spring months. Populations +in the western North Atlantic appear to be increasing slowly. + + +Stranded Specimens + +In addition to the fact that their ranges may overlap only slightly if +at all, bowhead whales may be distinguished from the other right whales +of the western North Atlantic by differences in 1) primary distribution, +2) coloration, 3) lengths of the longest baleen plates, and 4) presence +of callosities. + + BOWHEAD WHALE RIGHT WHALE + + DISTRIBUTION + + Arctic distribution south to Texas, southwest Florida + Davis Straits only during north to Iceland, reaching + winter. northern limits only during + spring and summer. + + COLORATION + + Black with white "vest" on Sometimes black often + front part of lower jaw, brown or mottled with regions + sometimes containing a of white on chin and + string of black spots; upper belly; patches of yellowish to + jaw lacks the "rock garden." pink callosities and lice + encrusting the snout in what + has been called a "rock + garden." + + BALEEN PLATES + + 325-360 per side; plates to 14 250-390 per side 12 + inches (35.6 cm) at base and inches (30.5 cm) at base and + longest plates up to 14 feet up to 7.2 feet (2.2 m) long. + (4.3 m) long. Dark gray or Dirty gray with black fringes; + black with gray fringes; some anterior plates + anterior margin of some partly or completely white. + plates whitish, showing + green iridescence in sunlight. + + BONNET AND OTHER CALLOSITIES + + Not present. Present. + +[Illustration: Figure 43.--Swimming adult bowhead whales, particularly +males, often show two characteristic humps or curves to the back--one on +the head, ending just behind the blowholes, and a larger curve from just +behind the blowholes to near the flukes; the second is accentuated when +the animal humps up to begin a dive. (_Photo by J. Lentfer._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 44.--Bowhead whales have no dorsal fin. The back +is smooth and black, though often irregularly spaced white or grayish +scars of unknown origin appear. (_Photos by J. Lentfer._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 45.--The unusually shaped head and the broad lower +jaw, colored by a broad white vest, are evident in the swimming bowhead +whale (left) and in both members of the copulating pair (right). Also +evident on the animal to the far left is the "string of black beads" +which is sometimes found in the white region. (_Photos by J. Lentfer._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 46.--A harpooned bowhead whale (this one from the +Alaskan population). Note the high arching upper jaw of the species. +Bowhead whales have up to at least 360 plates per side, far more than +the black right whale. The longest plates, located near the middle of +each jaw, are reported to reach 12 feet (3.7 m), or more, in length. +(_Photo by D. R. Patten._)] + + + + +RIGHT WHALE (B) + +_Eubalaena glacialis_ (Borowski 1781) + + +Other Common Names + +Black right whale, Biscayan right whale, Biscay whale, Nordcaper right +whale. + + +Description + +These right whales reach a length of about 53 feet (16.2 m). + +The body is rotund and completely lacking a dorsal fin or a dorsal +ridge. The upper jaw is long, narrow, and highly arched. The lips are +similarly highly arched. The top of the head has a series of bumps or +callosities, the largest one of which is known as the "bonnet," on the +upper surface in front of the blowholes. Yellowish-brown lice and, less +frequently, barnacles grow on the callosities. The color and extent of +the callosities varies from one individual to the next. + +The two blowholes are widely separated, resulting in the projection of +the blow upward as two distinct spouts. The body is dark on the back, +sometimes black, more often brown or mottled, usually has a region of +white on the chin and belly, and sometimes has numerous small +grayish-white scars of unknown origin. The baleen plates are up to 7.2 +feet (2.2 m) long, very narrow, and variable in color from dark brownish +through dark gray to black in color. When the animals swim, mouth agape +near the surface, the baleen sometimes appears pale yellowish gray in +color. + + +Natural History Notes + +Right whales are usually not wary of boats and may often be approached +very closely. + +Like sperm and humpback whales, they usually throw their flukes high +into the air when beginning a long dive. + +Right whales feed primarily on copepods. + +Historically, this whale was nearly exterminated by hunters, who took +advantage of its slow speed and who knew that its carcass floats, to +harvest these animals for their great yield of whalebone and oil. It was +these characteristics which prompted whalers to dub these animals the +"right" whales to kill (as opposed to the ones that were too fast to +catch and sank when killed). + + +May Be Confused With + +The distinct blow of the right whales and their smooth dark back, devoid +of any traces of a dorsal fin, make it unlikely that the species will be +confused with any other large whales except, perhaps, the bowhead whale. +In the event that the expansion of their ranges again causes these two +species to overlap in distribution, they can be distinguished from one +another by the characteristics discussed on p. 49. + +If only the flukes are seen as the animal begins a dive, right and +bowhead whales may be distinguished from the other two species of large +whales exhibiting this behavior, the sperm and the humpback, in this +way: the flukes of right and bowhead whales are broad, pointed on the +tips, greatly concave towards a deep fluke notch, and dark below: those +of the sperm whale are more nearly triangular, while those of the +humpback whale have a jagged irregular or rippled rear margin and are +sometimes variously white below. + + +Distribution + +Like its more northern relative, the bowhead whale, the right whale was +once the object of a widespread and extensive whale fishery, which +reduced the species to critically low numbers. + +Though the former range of right whales is not clearly known, the +species is thought to have been abundant from the Davis Straits south at +least to the Carolinas and Bermuda and to have occurred in winter to +Florida and perhaps into the Gulf of Mexico. + +Currently, right whales are known from Iceland south to Florida. Animals +move north along the eastern Florida coast between early January and +late March. During this time the species has also been observed in the +Gulf of Mexico off southwestern Florida and Texas. Right whales pass the +coast of New England in fair numbers in spring and continue as far north +as at least Nova Scotia. Right whales are also found off Iceland, though +the migration routes to and from Iceland waters are not known. The +recent apparent increases in numbers at the northern and southern +coastal approaches in New England and Florida, respectively, lend +credibility to the hopeful contention that the species will again +recolonize its historical range. + + +Stranded Specimens + +Stranded right whales can be easily identified by all the characters +discussed on p. 49 and summarized in Table 2. + +[Illustration: Figure 47.--The V-shaped blow characteristic of right +whales. Note the two distinct spouts, bushy in appearance. (_Photo off +Cape Cod by W. A. Watkins._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 48.--A right whale off the northeastern Florida +coast. Note the robust body, the smooth back, completely lacking a +dorsal fin, and the narrow rostrum, bearing the characteristic yellowish +callosities. Right whales, primarily mothers with calves, show up on the +Florida coast in the early spring on their slow annual migration to the +north. (_Photo by N. Fain, courtesy of Marineland of Florida._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 49.--Closeup views of the heads of right whales +off northeastern Florida (top left and right) and off Cape Cod, Mass. +(bottom left) clearly showing the narrow upper jaw, the bonnet, and the +widely separated blowholes. In the photo on the bottom left note the +extremely long baleen plates, characteristic of bowhead and right +whales. (_Photos by N. Fain, courtesy of Marineland of Florida (top left +and right); and W. A. Watkins (bottom left)._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 50.--Right whales frequently throw their tail +flukes high into the air and then slip nearly vertically beneath the +surface. Note that the rear margin of the flukes of this species, unlike +that of the humpback whale, is smooth, broad, and concaved distinctly +towards a deep fluke notch. (_Photos from the northern North Atlantic by +K. C. Balcomb (a-g) and off northeastern Florida by N. Fain, courtesy of +Marineland of Florida (h)._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 51.--A stranded right whale at Narragensett Bay, +R.I. Note the narrow, highly arched lower jaw; the extremely long, +narrow baleen plates, reaching lengths of 6.5 feet (2.0 m), or more; and +the bonnet (the protuberance near the tip of the upper jaw). (_Photo +from U.S. National Museum, courtesy of J. G. Mead._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 52.--A ventral view of a harpooned female right +whale at Newfoundland. Note that this species, like the bowhead, lacks +the series of ventral grooves which characterize all other baleen whales +of the western North Atlantic. Note also the absence of the vest of +white on the chin, a feature which is characteristic of the bowhead +whale. Some right whales, however, do have extensive regions of white on +the ventral surface, including the chin. (_Photo from U.S. National +Museum, courtesy of J. G. Mead._)] + + + + +SPERM WHALE (T) + +_Physeter catodon_ Linnaeus 1758 + + +Other Common Names + +Cachalot, Sea Wap (St. Vincent). + + +Description + +Male sperm whales have been reported to reach a length of 69 feet (20.9 +m), though today individuals larger than 50 feet (15.2 m) are rare. +Females are much smaller, rarely exceeding 38 feet (11.6 m). + +A sperm whale is among the easiest of whales to identify at sea even +when comparatively little of the animal is visible. It has a huge head, +which comprises from a fourth to a third of the animal's total length. +(The proportion is considerably higher for males than for females.) The +blunted "squarish" snout, which may project up to 5 feet (1.5 m) beyond +the tip of the lower jaw, houses a large reservoir containing a +high-quality oil called spermaceti. + +The single blowhole is located well to the left of the midline and far +forward on the head. As a consequence the small bushy blow, usually less +than 8 feet (2.4 m), emerges forward at a sharp angle from the head and +towards the left. Under good wind conditions this feature alone may +permit positive identification of sperm whales even at considerable +distances. + +Sperm whales have a distinct dorsal hump, usually rounded in its +appearance about two-thirds of the way back from the tip of the snout. +Immediately behind the hump is a series of knuckles or crenulations +along the midline. This hump and the crenulations are clearly visible +when the animals arch the tail before beginning a dive. There is a +ventral keel, which may also be visible as animals "sound" (dive). The +flukes of sperm whales are broad and triangular in shape, are not +concaved, but are deeply notched on the rear margin. + +Sperm whales usually are dark brownish gray in color. The body has a +"corrugated" or "shriveled" appearance. The belly and the front of the +head may be grayish to off-white. The skin around the mouth, +particularly near the corners, is white. The undersides of the flukes +and flippers vary in color through numerous shades of browns and +brownish grays. + + +Natural History Notes + +Sperm whales may dive to depths in excess of 3,270 feet (996.7 m) for +periods of an hour or more. As do most whales upon surfacing from a deep +dive, sperm whales emit a single explosive blow and then, depending on +the length of the dive, may remain on the surface for over 10 min and +blow more than 50 times before beginning the next dive. Shorter periods +on the surface and fewer blows are more common. Females may dive and +remain on the surface for shorter periods of time than males. When +beginning a deep dive, sperm whales throw their broad triangular flukes, +dark on the undersides, high into the air. + +Sperm whales may be found singly or in groups of up to 35 or 40 +individuals. Older males are usually solitary except during the breeding +season. During the remainder of the year large groups may be bachelor +bulls (sexually inactive males) or nursery schools containing females +and juveniles of both sexes. Sperm whales are seldom found in less than +600 feet (182.9 m) of water. + +Sperm whales feed primarily on squid but may occasionally also take +octopuses and a variety of fishes. + + +May Be Confused With + +Because of their distinctive head shape and blow, sperm whales are +unlikely to be confused with any other species when they can be closely +examined. If only the back and tail flukes are seen, however, sperm +whales may somewhat resemble humpback whales. Both species arch the back +when beginning a dive, raising the fin or hump, and both throw the tail +flukes. The most distinctive differences between the two species are +tabularized on p. 40. + +At sea the head of a sperm whale may also somewhat resemble that of an +adult male northern bottlenosed whale, but this latter species is +lighter brown in color, has a distinct beak and a prominent dorsal fin, +and is rarely found south of lat. 42 deg.N. In addition, the blowhole of the +northern bottlenosed whale is located well back on the head and not--as +in the sperm whale--on the front. + + +Distribution + +Sperm whales are widely distributed in oceanic areas of the western +North Atlantic. They may be encountered from Venezuela north at least as +far as the Davis Straits, though they apparently avoid the polar ice +fields. Distribution and migrations vary between males and females. +Males range farther to the north, while females and immature males +remain between lat. 30 deg. and 50 deg.N. Both groups shift northward during +spring and summer and return to southern portions of their range in the +fall. Adult males arrive off the New England coast in August. Those +reaching the Newfoundland and Labrador coasts arrive from the deep sea, +perhaps following the slope contours, in August and September. Males are +abundant as far north as southeast Greenland and Iceland in summer. Some +animals remain as late as November, but the majority migrate south to +temperate or tropical waters in the early fall. + +Historically the primary grounds in the western North Atlantic were +those in all the following areas: the Grand Banks just southeast of the +southern Grand Banks from lat. 30 deg. to 40 deg.N and long. 35 deg. to 55 deg.W, off +the Carolinas, around the Bahamas, around many of the West Indies, and +in the southwestern Caribbean. + + +Stranded Specimens + +Stranded sperm whales should be easy to identify. The very narrow +underslung jaw contains from 18 to 25 functional teeth, which fit into +sockets in the upper jaw. The huge, distinctly box-shaped head and the +position of the single blowhole to the left front of the head are +unmistakable clues. + +[Illustration: Figure 53.--An aerial view of 21 sperm whales, including +two young calves and several large males, off Japan. Even from an +aircraft, the position of the blowhole and the body shape clearly mark +these animals as sperm whales. (_Photos by Suisan Koku Company, courtesy +of T. Kasuya._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 54.--A side view of a sperm whale in the West +Indies, showing the distinctive blow. Note that the spout projects +obliquely forward from the blowhole, which is displaced to the left +front of the head. (_Photo by H. E. Winn._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 55.--Note the distinctive body shape and the +position of the blowhole of these swimming sperm whales, and, in the +animal on the left, the broad tail flukes. (_Photos from the North +Atlantic by S. Green (left) and from the North Pacific by S. Ohsumi +(right)._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 56.--A sperm whale mother and calf off Baja +California, showing the distinct dorsal hump and the extremely long +head. In the bottom photo, from the West Indies, note the dorsal hump +and the crenulations of bumps which follow it. Both the hump and the +crenulations may be visible as the animal arches its tail to begin a +deep dive. Note also the wrinkled appearance of the body. (_Photo by K. +C. Balcomb (top) and H. E. Winn (bottom)._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 57.--Sperm whales often show their broad tail +flukes as they begin long dives, which may last over an hour and take +them to depths of several thousand feet or more. Note the smooth rear +margin and the nearly triangular shape of the flukes. (_Photo from off +Baja California by K. C. Balcomb._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 58.--A stranded infant male sperm whale at +Melbourne Beach, Fla. (top) and a male adult sperm whale on the deck of +a whaling ship in the Pacific (bottom). Note the bulging forehead, the +narrow, underslung lower jaw, the white coloration around the mouth, +particularly at the corners, and the wrinkled appearance of the body. In +the bottom photo note also the whitish region on the belly. (_Photos by +P. Winfield (top) and Japanese Whales Research Institute, courtesy of H. +Omura (bottom)._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 59.--The narrow lower jaw of a sperm whale +contains from 18 to 25 large functional teeth, which fit neatly into +sockets in the upper jaw. Occasionally, the upper jaw also contains some +teeth. (_Photo from the North Pacific by Japanese Whales Research +Institute, courtesy of H. Omura._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 60.--The throat and lower jaw of a sperm whale on +the deck of an eastern Canadian whaling station, showing the numerous +short throat grooves, which are most clearly evident on adult animals. +(_Photo by J. G. Mead._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 61.--Detail of the broad, paddle-shaped flipper of +a sperm whale from the North Pacific. (_Photo from Japanese Whales +Research Institute, courtesy of H. Omura._)] + + + + +Medium-sized Whales With a Dorsal Fin + + + + +MINKE WHALE (B) + +_Balaenoptera acutorostrata_ Lacepede 1804 + + +Other Common Names + +Little piked whale, lesser rorqual, little firmer, sharp-headed finner, +grampus (Newfoundland), gibord (Quebec). + + +Description + +Minke whales are the smallest baleen whale species in the northern +hemisphere, reaching maximum lengths of just over 30 feet (9.1 m). One +of the most distinctive features of this species is an extremely narrow, +pointed, distinctly triangular rostrum with a single head ridge, similar +to but much sharper than that of the fin whale (hence the common name +"sharp-headed finner"). Minke whales have a tall, falcate dorsal fin +located in the latter third of the back, in about the same position as +that of the sei whale, which often becomes visible simultaneously with +the low, usually inconspicuous blow. + +Minke whales are black to dark gray on the back and white on the belly +and on the underside of the flippers. Portions of the underside of the +flukes may be steel bluish gray. They have a diagonal band of white on +each flipper, the extent and orientation of which varies individually. + +Like the fin whale, minke whales (at least from the Pacific) sometimes +have a chevron on the back behind the head and often have two regions of +lightish-gray coloration on each side--one just above and behind the +flippers; another just in front of and below the dorsal fin. These +patches may be quite conspicuous on some animals, indetectable on +others. These markings may also be present on Atlantic specimens, though +they have not yet been documented. The baleen, which may be visible from +close range when the animal is feeding, is mostly yellowish white with +fine white bristles. The posterior plates (up to half) may be brown to +black. + + +Natural History Notes + +Minke whales are frequently found as single animals, pairs, or trios, +though they may congregate in areas of food concentration in the +northern seas during the spring and summer. They are more likely to be +seen up close than their larger cousins--the blue, fin, and sei +whales--because they often closely approach boats, particularly +stationary boats, as if curious about them. + +Minke whales may also approach very close to shore and often enter bays, +inlets, and estuaries. + +Like fin whales, they often arch the tail stock high into the air when +beginning a long dive. However, they do not raise the flukes above the +surface when beginning a dive. + +Minke whales feed primarily on small shoal fish (herring, cod, pollack, +and capelin). + +Minkes sometimes breach, leaping completely clear of the water and +entering smoothly, head first, or with a substantial splash like +humpback whales. + + +May Be Confused With + +When they are seen at relatively close range, minke whales can be +readily distinguished from the other rorquals that have relatively tall, +falcate dorsal fins (fin, sei, and Bryde's whales) by their considerably +smaller size and by their distinctive white band on each flipper. + +At a distance, however, positive identification may be difficult. Minke +whales have a small, low, inconspicuous blow. Like sei whales, they +frequently expose the dorsal fin simultaneously with the blow, but minke +whales hump the tail stock much higher when beginning a long dive--more +like fin whales. + +From a distance, minke whales might also be mistaken for northern +bottlenosed whales (or any of several other beaked whales with a similar +dorsal fin). They can be distinguished by the differences in head shape, +body color and markings, and behavior, detailed on p. 67. + + +Distribution + +Minke whales are distributed in the polar, temperate, and tropical +waters of the western North Atlantic. They are found from the pack ice +south to at least Anguilla, Lesser Antilles, and the eastern Gulf of +Mexico, though they appear to be most abundant in temperate waters north +of the latitude of New York and are infrequently reported from tropical +waters. At least some of the population migrates to the northern +portions of their range in spring and back south in autumn. They often +approach close to shore and enter river mouths, inlets, and estuaries. + +Minke whales arrive along the Canadian coast in May or June. Some +migrate as far north as Hudson Strait, where they remain until the +freeze in October, November, or December. By December the majority of +the population has begun to move to the south, although some animals +remain behind so long as to become entrapped in the ice and die. Spring +and summer concentrations along the Canadian coast correspond to +concentrations of capelin, cod, and herring. Southern concentrations, +also corresponding with concentrations of herring, extend farther +offshore at least to the edges of the Grand Bank. Minke whales also +summer off the south coast of western Greenland, which they probably +reach from waters southwest of Iceland. Minke whales also occur in deep +pelagic waters. + + +Stranded Specimens + +Stranded minke whales can be most readily identified by: 1) their small +size (to just over 30 feet [9.1 m]); 2) the transverse white bands on +the flippers; 3) the yellowish-white baleen plates (up to half the +posteriormost plates may be brown or black), 300-325 per side in number +and having fine white bristles (the plates are up to 4.75 inches [12 cm] +wide at the base and up to 8 inches [20.3 cm] long); and 4) by the 50-70 +thin ventral grooves, ending well before the navel, often just even with +the flippers. + +[Illustration: Figure 62.--The minke whale, at a maximum length of just +over 30 feet (9.1 m), the smallest baleen whale species of the western +North Atlantic, is distributed in polar, temperate, and tropical waters. +These animals usually have a low, inconspicuous blow and are sometimes +curious enough about boats that they will alter their course to +investigate them. Note the two areas of light gray on the sides of the +body, characteristic of at least Pacific minke whales. (_Photo from off +British Columbia, courtesy of_ Nanaimo Free Press.)] + +[Illustration: Figure 63.--Three views of minke whales at sea. In all +note the transverse band of white on the flippers and the sharply +pointed head. Note the gray chevron visible on the back (top), the +absence of a conspicuous blow and the appearance of the prominent dorsal +fin on the surface while the blowholes are still exposed (middle), and +the distinctive regions of light gray on the sides (bottom). (_Photos +from off San Diego, Calif. by G. E. Lingle (top); from the northern West +Indies by H. E. Winn (middle); and from the western Pacific by Japanese +Whales Research Institute, courtesy of H. Omura (bottom)._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 64.--Minke whales are also known as sharp-headed +finners. On this animal from the North Pacific, note the sharply pointed +head and the single central head ridge. (_Photo by Japanese Whales +Research Institute, courtesy of H. Omura._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 65.--A minke whale stranded at Santa Barbara, +Calif. Note the dark back, the white-banded flipper, and the 60-70 fine +ventral grooves extending to just behind the flippers. The short, white +baleen plates are visible in the open mouth. (_Photo by S. Anderson._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 66.--Minke whales have from 300 to 325 short, +yellowish-white baleen plates (up to half the anteriormost plates may be +brown or black) with fine white bristles on each upper jaw. (_Photo from +Santa Barbara, Calif. by S. Anderson._)] + + + + +NORTHERN BOTTLENOSED WHALE (T) + +_Hyperoodon ampullatus_ (Forster 1770) + + +Other Common Names + +None known. + + +Description + +Northern bottlenosed whales reach a length of 32 feet (9.8 m) and are +robust in form. They are characterized by a bulbous forehead, which is +more pronounced on larger animals and most distinctive in adult males, +and by the dolphinlike beak displayed in animals of all sizes and ages, +which is sometimes visible as the animals surface steeply to breathe. + +The blowhole is located in an indented area behind the bulbous forehead, +and the blow emanating from it projects upward or slightly forward to a +height of up to 6 feet (1.8 m), is bushy and is visible from a +considerable distance under low wind conditions. The dorsal fin, located +two-thirds of the way back on the back, reaches at least 12 inches (30.5 +cm) in height and is distinctly falcate. The dorsal fin may be visible +from a distance of several hundred meters. + +Northern bottlenosed whales are usually brownish in color, though the +markings change with age. Smaller animals are a uniform chocolate brown. +Larger animals retain the chocolate brown color on the back but are +often lighter on the sides and the belly and often have irregular +patches or blotches of grayish-white coloration on the back and sides. +Extremely large animals, presumably older males, often have a white +head. The flippers and the undersides of the flukes are uniformly brown +in color. + + +Natural History Notes + +Northern bottlenosed whales often form tightly packed groups of up to 10 +or more animals. This species holds the anecdotal record for the longest +dives, having been reported by early whalers to remain submerged over 2 +h. They are probably deep divers, feeding primarily on squid (though +they may take fishes as well), and they rarely go in water shallower +than 100 fathoms (183 m). + +After a long dive, northern bottlenosed whales will sometimes remain on +the surface for 10 min or more, blowing at regular intervals before +making another dive. After the last blow of a series or when the animals +are startled by a boat, they may show the tail flukes as they begin to +dive. The flukes are not notched on the rear margin. + +Northern bottlenosed whales have been observed to show curiosity about +boats, coming to them from a considerable distance. They have also been +observed to "lobtail," raising the tail flukes above the water and +slapping them against the surface, and to jump clear of the water. + +In the late 19th century, after stocks of bowhead whales were severely +reduced by overwhaling, northern bottlenosed whales became a prime +target of arctic whalers. They were sought because in addition to whale +oil produced from the body blubber, the forehead of the species yielded +quantities of spermaceti like that obtained from sperm whales. + + +May Be Confused With + +Northern bottlenosed whales have a northerly and deep-water +distribution. Within their range, they may be confused at a distance +with minke whales, with sperm whales, or perhaps with North Sea beaked +whales. + +Minke whales (p. 63) have a falcate dorsal fin located in approximately +the same position as that of the northern bottlenosed whale. However, +minke whales have a flathead in front of their two blow holes and are +black to dark gray on the back. + +Sperm whales (p. 57) have a squarish head that may somewhat resemble +that of an adult male northern bottlenosed whale. However, there are +numerous characteristics which will permit these species to be +distinguished even from a distance: + + NORTHERN + BOTTLENOSED WHALE SPERM WHALE + + BLOW + + Low and bushy; projects Low and bushy, projects + upward from indentation on obliquely forward from left + top of head. side of head; usually less + than 8 feet (2.4 m). + + COLORATION + + Lighter brown; adults splotched Brownish gray; body appears + with grayish white; wrinkled. + body smooth. + + FLUKES + + Rarely notched; seldom raised Notched; raised on long dive. + on long dive. + + HEAD + + Tapering in younger animals; Squarish, long, all black; + bulbous in adults; beakless. + white in older animals; beaked. + +A further aid to distinguishing northern bottlenosed and sperm whales at +sea is the fact that the sperm whales that are found in areas where +northern bottlenosed whales are encountered are usually older, larger +males from 40 to 60 feet (12.2 to 18.3 m) long. Northern bottlenosed +whales do not exceed 32 feet (9.8 m). + +Northern bottlenosed whales may also be confused with the poorly known +North Sea beaked whale (p. 82). When they can be examined at close +range, however, northern bottlenosed whales should be distinguishable on +the basis of the distinctly bulbous forehead. + + +Distribution + +In the western North Atlantic, northern bottlenosed whales are +restricted to Arctic and north temperate waters, where they most +commonly occur in offshore areas. They have been reported from Davis +Straits and the entrance to Hudson Strait, the Gully southeast of Sable +Island, and as far south as Narragansett Bay, R.I. + +In the spring and summer they concentrate near the northern limits of +their range, occasionally visiting deep channels of the Gulf of St. +Lawrence and eastern Newfoundland in summer. During these seasons they +may extend to the edge of the pack ice. + +In the fall and winter the bulk of the population migrates southward. +Many probably winter in the Labrador Sea while others move farther +southward and farther offshore. + + +Stranded Specimens + +Like the beaked whales discussed on p. 70 through 83, the northern +bottlenosed whales have no notch in the tail flukes, have two throat +grooves forming a V-shape on the chin, and have only two teeth in the +lower jaw, with those teeth emerged from the gums only in adult males. +These teeth may have sometimes fallen out of older males, but the tooth +sockets should still be visible in the gums. + +NOTE: Some specimens--both male and female--will be found to have a +series of vestigial teeth the size of toothpicks in the upper and/or +lower jaws. Similar vestigial teeth, 5-40 in number, sometimes occur in +goosebeaked whales (p. 70). Further when they are prepared for museum +collections, the lower jaws of adult northern bottlenosed whales may be +found to contain a second pair of teeth just behind the first. + +Northern bottlenosed whales may be distinguished from the remainder of +the beaked whale family, however, by the extremely robust body, by the +bulbous forehead, which is more extensively developed in larger animals, +particularly males, and by the pronounced dolphinlike beak. + +[Illustration: Figure 67.--Northern bottlenosed whales at sea off Nova +Scotia. Note the prominent dorsal fin and the blotches of grayish-white +coloration on the body. Northern bottlenosed whales reach 32 feet (9.8 +m) in overall length. (_Photo by H. E. Winn._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 68.--Views of the heads of male northern +bottlenosed whales off Nova Scotia. Note the distinctive beak (right) +and the bulbous forehead, features which develop with age and are most +pronounced in adult males. In the animal on the left, note also the low +bushy blow emanating from the indented area on the top of the head. +(_Photos by H. E. Winn._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 69.--Northern bottlenosed whales occasionally +raise their tail flukes when beginning a dive. At close range, these +flukes can often be seen to lack a distinctive notch on the rear margin. +(_Photo from off Nova Scotia by J. Hain._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 70.--A stranded northern bottlenosed whale from +Holland. Note the bulbous forehead, the long dolphinlike beak and the +frequent absences of a notch in the rear margin of the tail flukes. +(_Photo by J. P. Strijbos, courtesy of Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke +Historie te Leiden._)] + + + + +GOOSEBEAKED WHALE (T) + +_Ziphius cavirostris_ G. Cuvier 1823 + +Other Common Names + + +Ziphius, Cuvier's beaked whale, grampus (St. Vincent) (see also p. 96). + + +Description + +Goosebeaked whales reach a length of 23 feet (7 m). Females are slightly +larger than males of the same age. Calves are probably less than about 6 +feet (1.8 m) at birth. The head is small relative to the body length +and, when viewed laterally, is slightly concaved or scooped on the upper +margin. The cleft of the mouth is small, smaller than in any other +species of beaked whales. The beak is indistinct in larger individuals. +There is a distinct indentation on the back behind the head. Two teeth +are found at the tip of the lower jaw of adult males only. + +The dorsal fin is relatively tall and distinct, to at least 15 inches +(38.1 cm), smoothly falcate, and located well behind the midpoint of the +back. The blowhole is located far forward on the top of the head. The +blow, which may project slightly forward and slightly off to the left, +is usually low and inconspicuous. Though the first blow after a long +dive may be more distinct, even it is rarely visible even under good +wind conditions for more than a few hundred yards. + +Descriptions of the color pattern vary. Individuals may be dark rust +brown, slate gray, or fawn colored on the back and generally lighter on +the belly. Some appear dark in both regions, still others--particularly +youngsters--appear lighter gray or tan on the belly. The body is +frequently covered with white or cream-colored blotches (particularly on +the belly). The tail flukes are dark on the bottom. The head is +frequently paler in color. Old males have a distinct white head and are +frequently extensively scarred. + + +Natural History Notes + +Goosebeaked whales frequently occur in groups of from 10 to as many as +25 individuals. They have been reported to jump clear of the water. They +are presumably deep divers and are known to stay down for more than 30 +min. When they begin a deep dive, they often raise their tail flukes +above the surface and dive nearly vertically. Goosebeaked whales feed +primarily on squid. + + +May Be Confused With + +So little is known of the external appearance and behavior of the living +beaked whales at sea that all the species may easily be confused. + +Goosebeaked whales are larger than all other beaked whale species with +the exception of the northern bottlenosed whale. Upon close examination +they may be distinguished from the northern bottlenosed whale by the +lighter coloration of the head, reaching an extreme in the white head of +adult males. (See p. 67 and Fig. 75.) + + +Distribution + +As with other species of beaked whales seldom encountered or at least +seldom positively identified at sea, the distribution of goosebeaked +whales is poorly known and must be constructed from records of stranded +specimens. Such records, often involving sick individuals that may have +washed ashore from considerable distances, may give an inaccurate +picture of normal ranges. + +In general, stranding reports suggest that goosebeaked whales are +sparsely but widely distributed in nonpolar latitudes. They appear to be +primarily tropical in distribution, though they venture into temperate +areas in summer. They have been reported from Massachusetts and Rhode +Island south to Florida and thence to the islands of the West Indies. +They are frequently stranded along the Florida coast and are not an +uncommon species in the extant whale fishery of the Antillean Islands. +The fact that goosebeaked whales strand more frequently than other +beaked whales may reflect either a greater abundance or a greater +tendency to approach close to shore. + +They are probably primarily an offshore species. + + +Stranded Specimens + +To be positively identified, stranded goosebeaked whales in an advanced +state of decomposition may require museum preparation and examination of +the skull and teeth. Fresh specimens may be tentatively identified by +the characters illustrated in the figures. + +[Illustration: Figure 71.--Goosebeaked whales have been rarely seen at +sea. In these photos from the eastern tropical Pacific, note the white +head of the animal on the left. Goosebeaked whales are wary of boats and +may dive for 30 min or more. When they surface, their blow, usually very +indistinct, may project forward and slightly to the left. (_Photos by K. +D. Sexton, courtesy of National Marine Fisheries Service._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 72.--A beaked whale, probably a goosebeaked whale, +jumps beside a research ship off northwestern Baja California. Note the +position and shape of the dorsal fin and the depression just behind the +head. (_Photo by S. Leatherwood._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 73.--A goosebeaked whale stranded in Delaware. +Goosebeaked whales are primarily tropical in distribution, though they +apparently venture into temperate areas in summer. Note the prominent +dorsal fin, the lighter coloration of the head, and the depression just +behind the head. (_Photo from U.S. National Museum, courtesy of J. G. +Mead._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 74.--A closeup of the dorsal surface of the flukes +of a juvenile goosebeaked whale stranded in the northeastern Gulf of +Mexico. Like other members of the beaked whale family, goosebeaked +whales lack a distinctive notch in the rear margin of the flukes. +(_Photo courtesy of Florida's Gulfarium._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 75.--Stranded goosebeaked whales, an adult male +from northern California (top) and an immature female from the +northeastern Gulf of Mexico (bottom). Note the brownish color of the +back, marked in the adult animal by blotches of lighter gray and +numerous scratch marks, presumably tooth rakes. Note also the mouth +cleft, shorter in this species than in any other beaked whale species, +and the slightly concave appearance to the upper margin of the head. The +beak is usually less developed in large animals. The inset photo shows a +ventral view of the tip of the lower jaw of an adult male from the east +coast of Florida. The two teeth of the species are emerged above the gum +only in adult males. (_Photos by W. J. Houck (top), Florida's Gulfarium +(middle), and W. A. Huck, courtesy of Marineland of Florida (inset)._)] + + + + +OTHER BEAKED WHALES (T) + +_Mesoplodon_ spp. + + +Other Common Names + +Grampus (St. Vincent) (see also p. 96). + + +Description + +In addition to the northern bottlenosed whale (p. 67) and the +goosebeaked whale (p. 70), four other species of beaked whales have been +reported from the western North Atlantic. All four species are known +primarily from stranded specimens and have been rarely encountered at +sea. Therefore statements of range are usually limited to inferences +from locations of strandings, and information on appearance and habits +of the species in the wild is almost totally lacking. + +The infrequent encounters with beaked whales at sea may result from such +factors as 1) a low inconspicuous blow, 2) avoidance of ships, and/or 3) +distribution in small groups in offshore areas well outside the normal +boating lanes. + +The following descriptions will aid primarily in identifying stranded +specimens. Though subtle differences in ranges, color patterns, and +dorsal fin shapes and positions may be helpful in narrowing the choices +of living animals, the species will continue to be extremely difficult +to distinguish from one another in the brief encounters typical at sea +until additional data are collected. + +The beaked whales have the following characteristics in common: 1) two +small creases forming a V-shape on the throat, 2) the absence of a +conspicuous notch on the rear margin of the tail flukes (some specimens +have a slight indentation), and 3) the absence of functional teeth in +all except adult males. Adult males have a single pair of teeth in the +lower jaw, the position and description of which help to identify the +species. The teeth of females are not functional and only rarely emerge +from the gums. Therefore, if a stranded animal is an adult male, its +species can be determined by the position and description of the teeth. +For example, in _Mesoplodon mirus_, the teeth are located near the tip +of the lower jaw; in _M. europaeus_, they are located about a third of +the way from the tip of the snout to the corner of the mouth; in _M. +bidens_, they are nearly half way from the tip of the snout to corner +of the mouth; and in M. densirostris, they are located in large +prominences near the back of the mouth. + +If the animal is a female or an immature male, however, museum +preparation and examination might be required before the species can be +positively determined. The following four sections summarize characters +of western North Atlantic beaked whales. + +[Illustration: Figure 76.--An unidentified beaked whale from the +mid-Pacific. Note the marks along the back, presumably tooth rakes, +consisting of scratches that are paired and close together. A beaked +whale in the western North Atlantic marked in this manner would be a +northern bottlenosed whale (p. 67), a goosebeaked whale (p. 70), or a +True's beaked whale (p. 77). These are the only three species in which +the teeth are located close together near the tip of the lower jaw. +(_Photo by K. C. Balcomb._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 77.--Various views of a herd of five or six +unidentified beaked whales, possibly dense-beaked whales, 12 miles off +Pokai Bay, Oahu, Hawaii. The animals were very shy and had low +indistinct blows, making them difficult to spot and track. As they +surfaced, individuals frequently bucked their heads and slapped the chin +against the surface, rather than rolling. They did not raise their tail +flukes when beginning their long dives. (_Photos by E. Shallenberger, +Sea Life Park, Hawaii._) + +(Because so little is known of beaked whales every encounter should be +recorded in as much detail as possible.)] + +[Illustration: Figure 78.--Adult male beaked whales, showing the body +profile and the relative positions of the teeth. Remember that the teeth +of females and immature males are concealed beneath the gums. (_Drawing +by L. Winn._)] + + + + +TRUE'S BEAKED WHALE (T) + +_Mesoplodon minis_ True 1913 + + +Other Common Names + +None known. + + +Description + +True's beaked whales reach a length of at least 16 feet (4.9 m) long. +They are chunky in midbody and narrow rapidly towards the tail, closely +resembling goosebeaked whales (p. 70). In overall body shape, the head +is small with a slight indentation in the area of the blowhole, a slight +bulge to the forehead, and a pronounced beak. The flippers are small +(from one-fourteenth to one-tenth the body length). The dorsal fin is +small, slightly falcate, located in the latter third of the back, and +followed by a pronounced ridge on the tail stock. The flukes, which +sometimes contain a very slight notch, are broad (to almost one-fifth +the body length). + +True's beaked whales are dull black to dark gray on the back, lighter +slate gray on the sides, and white on the belly. The body is frequently +covered with light colored spots or splotches and bears numerous pairs +of scratch marks, presumably tooth rakes (Fig. 76). + +The flippers are all black and are attached in the dark coloration of +the animal's side. The flukes are dark above and below. + + +May Be Confused With + +True's beaked whales are most likely to be confused with goosebeaked +whales (p. 70) but may also be confused with any of the other beaked +whales species (p. 74 and Fig. 78). + + +Distribution + +True's beaked whales appear to be primarily temperate in distribution. +They have been reported from Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia south as +far as Flagler Beach in Florida. Northernmost records are for summer +months. + +The range of True's beaked whales overlaps with that of the Antillean +beaked whale but is more northerly. + + +Stranded Specimens + +The teeth of adult male True's beaked whales may be visible near the tip +of the lower jaw, a characteristic shared with the goosebeaked whale (p. +70) and the northern bottlenosed whale (p. 67). Both these other species +reach substantially greater maximum lengths than True's beaked whales, +however, and should be readily distinguishable by this and the number of +other highly distinctive characteristics of each species. + +Females and subadult males may be confused with any of the beaked whales +species (p. 74 and Fig. 78). + +[Illustration: Figure 79.--Two views of the body of a stranded True's +beaked whale from northeastern Florida. This species reaches at least 16 +feet (4.9 m) and closely resembles the goosebeaked whale in general body +shape. It is distributed in temperate waters from Nova Scotia to +Florida. (_Photos courtesy of Marineland of Florida._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 80.--The head of a True's beaked whale stranded in +North Carolina. Note the small head, the pronounced beak, and the +position of the blowhole in the indentation behind the forehead. The +teeth, visible above the gums only in adult males, are in the position +indicated by the arrow. The photo on the right shows the two V-shaped +throat grooves characteristic of beaked whales. (_Photos from U.S. +National Museum, courtesy of J. G. Mead._)] + + + + +ANTILLEAN BEAKED WHALE (T) + +_Mesoplodon europaeus_ (Gervais 1855) +(equals _M. gervaisi_ [Deslongchamps]) + + +Other Common Names + +Gulfstream beaked whale, Gervais' beaked whale. + + +Description + +Antillean beaked whales reach a length of at least 22 feet (6.7 m). They +are slender in form and appear somewhat laterally compressed (i.e., +taller than they are wide). The head is extremely small and tapers +rapidly to a narrow beak. The flippers are small (to about one-twelfth +the body length) with their origin well down on the sides of the body. +The dorsal fin is small, located behind the midpoint of the back, and +variable in shape from falcate to triangular. The flukes are less than +one-fifth the body length and are not notched. + +Antillean beaked whales are dark grayish black on the back and sides, +slightly lighter on the abdomen. The flukes are dark gray above and +below. + + +Natural History Notes + +Antillean beaked whales are probably primarily oceanic in distribution +and are known to feed on squid. + + +May Be Confused With + +Antillean beaked whales may be confused with any of the other beaked +whales though they are larger than all except the northern bottlenosed +whale (p. 67) and the goosebeaked whale (p. 70). + + +Distribution + +Antillean beaked whales have been reported stranded from the latitude of +Long Island, N.Y. south to Florida, thence into the Caribbean and the +Gulf of Mexico. + + +Stranded Specimens + +The teeth of Antillean beaked whales are located at the suture of the +mandible, about one-third of the way from the tip of the snout to the +corner of the mouth (Fig. 78). + +[Illustration: Figure 81.--Two views of an Antillean beaked whale +stranded in New Jersey in 1899. Note the very small head, the prominent +back-curved dorsal fin, and the slightly concave rear margin of the tail +flukes, which lack a distinct notch. (_Photos by F. W. True, courtesy of +U.S. National Museum._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 82.--Two views of an Antillean beaked whale +stranded in Jamaica. This species reached at least 22 feet (6.7 m) in +length. Compared to the smaller True's beaked whale, Antillean beaked +whales have a smaller head, a narrower beak, and a taller, narrower +body. Furthermore, the teeth of this species are located about one-third +of the way back from the tip of the snout to the corner of the mouth. +(_Photos by J. J. Rankin._)] + + + + +DENSE-BEAKED WHALE (T) + +_Mesoplodon densirostris_ (Blainville in Desmarest 1817) + + +Other Common Names + +None known. + + +Description + +Dense-beaked whales reach a length of at least 17 feet (5.2 m). The body +is distinctly spindle-shaped. The head, the contour of which is the most +distinctive characteristic of this species, is marked by a prominent +rise, located near the angle of the gape on each side. This rise, which +bears the teeth, gives a peculiar high, arching contour to the mouth (p. +84), particularly in adult males. + +The flippers are small (one-eleventh to one-tenth the body length) and +have their origin in the lighter color of the lower sides. The dorsal +fin varies from small and triangular to nearly falcate and pointed on +the tip. It is located behind the midpoint of the back. The flukes are +from one-sixth to one-fifth the body length, are seldom notched, and +occasionally even bulge slightly backwards near the center of the rear +margin. + +Dense-beaked whales are black or charcoal gray on the back, slightly +lighter on the abdomen. They are somewhat blotched with grayish white +and are often extensively scratched or scarred. The flippers are lighter +than the back. The flukes are dark above, light below. + + +Natural History Notes + +From stomach contents of stranded animals dense-beaked whales are known +to feed on squid. + + +May Be Confused With + +Adult male dense-beaked whales can be separated from the other beaked +whales by the high, arching contour to the corners of the mouth. If +there is no adult male in the group, however, dense-beaked whales may be +confused with any of the other beaked whales species. + + +Distribution + +Dense-beaked whales have been reported from Peggys Cove, Nova Scotia +south to Florida. From all accounts, this species appears widely but +sparsely distributed in warm temperate seas. + + +Stranded Specimens + +Adults of this species should be distinguishable by the highly +distinctive contour of the mouth. The teeth, located in the high rise of +the mouth, are oriented slightly backwards. + +[Illustration: Figure 83.--A dense-beaked whale in the tank at New York +Aquarium. Note the position of the prominent dorsal fin, just breaking +the surface. The blow of beaked whales is usually small and +inconspicuous and reportedly projects markedly forward from the head. +(_Photo by J. G. Mead._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 84.--Views of the heads of dense-beaked whales. +Females (bottom) and immature males have a slight curvature to the rear +of the mouth. As they mature, males (middle and top) begin to display +the two arching prominences near the corners of the mouth which give the +characteristic contour to the mouth. The teeth are located in these +prominences and are oriented slightly backwards. (Photos from +_northeastern Florida by W. A. Huck, courtesy of Marineland of Florida_ +(top and middle) and by J. G. Mead (bottom).)] + +[Illustration: Figure 85.--A dense-beaked whale stranded in northeastern +Florida. This species reaches about 17 feet (5.2 m) and is black or +charcoal gray on the back, lighter gray on the sides, and frequently +marked with grayish-white blotches and often extensively scarred. +(_Photo by W. A. Huck, courtesy of Marineland of Florida._)] + + + + +NORTH SEA BEAKED WHALE (T) + +_Mesoplodon bidens_ (Sowerby 1804) + + +Other Common Names + +Sowerby's beaked whale. + + +Description + +North Sea beaked whales reach a length of at least 16.5 feet (5 m). The +body is distinctly spindle-shaped, but apparently more robust near +midbody than that of the dense-beaked whale. The head is characterized +by a pronounced bulge in front of the blowhole, a slightly concave +forehead, and a moderate to long beak. The flippers are relatively long +(one-eighth to one-ninth the body length). The dorsal fin is reportedly +tall and variable in shape from triangular to slightly falcate and is +located just behind the midpoint of the back. The flukes are not notched +but are sometimes quite concave on the rear margin. + +Adult North Sea beaked whales are dark charcoal gray on the back with +white spots overall. Young animals are also dark charcoal gray on the +back but are lighter on the belly and are unspotted. The flukes of +adults are dark above and below. Those of young are dark above, lighter +below. + + +Natural History Notes + +North Sea beaked whales are known to feed on squid. + + +May Be Confused With + +North Sea beaked whales are the most northerly species of beaked whales. +No other species is very likely to be encountered in the same area. + + +Distribution + +North Sea beaked whales have been reported in the offshore waters from +the latitude of New England north perhaps to the pack ice. Individuals +are occasionally drawn to the coasts of Newfoundland in summer, +presumably by concentrations of squid, a known food item. + + +Stranded Specimens + +The teeth of North Sea beaked whales are located about midway between +the tip of the snout and the corner of the mouth. Except for this +characteristic and their northerly distribution, however, this species +might easily be confused with any other of the beaked whales species. + +[Illustration: Figure 86.--North Sea beaked whales are the most +northerly of the beaked whale species, extending north as far as the +pack ice. They reach at least 16.5 feet (5.0 m) and can be identified on +the beach by the position of the teeth near the middle of the lower jaw. +Little is known of the species at sea. (_Drawing by L. Winn._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 87.--A female North Sea beaked whale (16.5 feet +[5.0 m]) stranded in Hjertuika in 1957. (_Photo courtesy of A. +Jonsgard._)] + + + + +KILLER WHALE (T) + +_Orcinus orca_ (Linnaeus 1758) + + +Other Common Names + +Blackfish (see also pilot whales, p. 91 and 94), sword fish (Canada), +grampus (see p. 96), whitefish (St. Vincent), Espladon (Quebec). + + +Description + +Killer whales are the largest member of the dolphin family. Adult males +reach a length of at least 30 feet (9.1 m) and are robust in form. One +specimen of 31 feet (9.5 m) was recorded for the western North Pacific. +Females are considerably smaller and less stocky. Newborn are +approximately 7-8 feet (2.1-2.4 m) long. Killer whales have large +paddle-shaped flippers. + +The most distinctive field character of the species is the dorsal fin. +In adult males it is extremely erect and may be as much as 6 feet (1.8 +m) tall. Though the fin of females and immature males is less than 3 +feet (0.9 m) tall, it is nonetheless taller even in these animals than +in any other cetacean species and is distinctly falcate and pointed on +the tip. + +Killer whales are basically black with an extensive region of white on +the undersides extending from the lower jaw to the anal region with a +branch extending onto the flanks behind the dorsal fin. There is an oval +white patch on the side of the head just above and behind the eye. In +newborn and very young calves, these regions may be tan to lemon yellow +in color. Most animals have a light-gray saddle marking just behind the +dorsal fin. The undersides of the flukes are usually white. Both +all-black and all-white animals have been reported. + + +Natural History Notes + +Killer whales travel in groups of from a few to 25 or 30 individuals, +though herds of 150 have been reported. Males appear polygamous, and +females and young may form groups separate from young bachelors and +bulls. + +Killer whales are extremely fast swimmers, capable of reaching top +speeds of 25 knots or more, and have been reported "porpoising" and +breaching. Individuals and entire groups have also been reported +"spy-hopping," or "pitchpoling," behaviors which consist of hanging +vertically in the water with the head and much of the body (to just +behind the flippers) exposed above the surface. + +Killer whales feed on squid, fishes, sea turtles, seabirds, and marine +mammals. + +Controversy still continues over whether or not killer whales pose a +threat to man. Documented attacks of killer whales on boats are rare and +have usually been provoked (i.e., harpooning or attempts to capture). +Only two uncertain instances of attacks in the wild have been reported, +but all divers and mariners should be cautioned that this powerful +animal is perfectly capable of doing tremendous damage and should not be +provoked. + + +May Be Confused With + +Because of its very distinctive dorsal fin, body shape, and coloration, +the killer whale is not likely to be confused with any other whale when +it can be examined at close range or when an adult male is present in +the group. Pods of females and immature animals, however, may be +confused with false killer whales or with grampus. The killer whales may +be distinguished from false killers by the following differences: + + KILLER WHALE FALSE KILLER WHALE + + BODY SHAPE + + Chunky. Slender. + + BODY COLOR + + Black with white on belly, All black with some gray on + flank, and head. belly. + + DORSAL FIN + + Very tall and erect in adult Shorter, slender, strongly + males; tall and slightly back falcate. + curved in female. + + HEAD SHAPE + + Broad, rounded. Tapered, slender. + + FLIPPER SHAPE + + Paddle-shaped. Moderately long with + characteristic hump near + middle on forward margin. + + LENGTH + + To at least 30 feet (9.1 m). To at least 18 feet (5.5 m). + +Furthermore, false killer whales are the only "blackfish" which are +known to ride the bow wave of a ship. + +Grampus have a tall dorsal fin (15 inches [38.1 cm]) which is very +similar in appearance to that of adult female and juvenile killer +whales. But grampus have much lighter coloration, from slate gray to +nearly all white, and larger animals are covered with numerous +scratches. Upon closer examination they can be further distinguished +from killer whales by a crease in the front of the head dividing the +melon into two distinct sections. Grampus are considerably smaller, to +about 13 feet (4 m) maximum length. + + +Distribution + +In the western North Atlantic killer whales have been reported from the +polar pack ice south to Florida and St. Vincent, Lesser Antilles, and +into the Gulf of Mexico at least as far as Texas, though they are far +more common in the cooler waters from about New Jersey north. +Throughout their range, killer whales seem to prefer coastal areas and +often enter shallow bays, estuaries, and river mouths in search of food. + +Migrations of the species are probably closely tied to movements of +their food supply. They annually arrive on the coast of New England with +the tuna. Along the Canadian coasts, where distribution and migrations +have been described in some detail, killer whales appear to move inshore +in spring and summer. Many arrive off the east coast of Newfoundland in +June, the Strait of Belle Isle in June and July, and slightly later +along the Labrador coast and Arctic waters. They are found around the +loose ice in April, presumably feeding on harp seals, _Pagophilus +groenlandicus_, and hooded seals, _Cystophora cristata_, and are +frequent in the St. Lawrence estuary in spring and autumn following the +movements of the white whales. The northward movements in spring also +coincide with migrations of balaenopterine whales, which have also been +reported among the food items. Killer whales may remain in arctic or +subarctic waters until driven out by new forming ice in October and +November. Though the migration has not been as thoroughly described, +killer whales apparently begin shifting southwards in autumn. + + +Stranded Specimens + +Stranded killer whales should be readily identifiable by the robust +body, the distinctive body markings, and in larger animals the tall +dorsal fin. Killer whales have from 10 to 12 large, prominent teeth on +each side of the upper and lower jaws. + +[Illustration: Figure 89.--Killer whales are often distributed very +close to shore. In these photos from Baja California, they are shown in +two characteristic behaviors--breaching (top) and "spy-hopping" or +"pitchpoling" (bottom). (_Photos by S. Leatherwood._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 88.--A small herd of killer whales off southern +California (top) and details of an adult male from that herd (middle) +and of females or immature males off Islas San Benito, Baja California +(bottom). Adult males have a tall erect dorsal fin, which may be more +than 6 feet (1.8 m) tall, while the fins of females and immature males +are less than 3 feet (0.9 m) tall, distinctly falcate, and pointed on +the tip. Both sexes frequently have a grayish-white region, called a +"saddle," behind the dorsal fin. (_Photos by T. Dohl (top and middle) +and S. Leatherwood (bottom)._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 90.--A leaping killer whale in California +aquarium. Note the distinctive coloration of the species, white on the +lower jaw, the belly and the anus, and on both sides above the anus. +Note also the distinctive white eye patch often visible on animals at +sea. (_Photo by D. K. Caldwell._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 91.--Killer whales have from 10 to 12 large +prominent teeth, curved slightly backwards and inwards on each side of +each jaw. (_Photos from Point Mugu, Calif. by S. Leatherwood._)] + + + + +FALSE KILLER WHALE (T) + +_Pseudorca crassidens_ (Owen 1846) + + +Other Common Names + +Mongoose (St. Vincent). + + +Description + +False killer whales in the western North Atlantic reach a length of at +least 18 feet (5.5 m). Males are slightly larger than females. Calves +from 5 to 7 feet (1.5 to 2.1 m) may be seen at any time throughout the +year. + +The dorsal fin, located just behind the midpoint of the back, is from 7 +to 16 inches (17.8 to 40.6 cm) tall, falcate, and variable to sharply +pointed on the tip. The flippers are characterized by a broad hump on +the front margin near the middle, a characteristic which is diagnostic +for the species. + +The body of the species is all black except for a blaze of gray on the +belly between the flippers. This blaze varies from barely visible to +light grayish white similar to but generally fainter than that of pilot +whales. The body is long and slender, and the head is narrow and gently +tapered from the area of the blowhole forward. + + +Natural History Notes + +False killer whales are a social form and may occur in herds of up to at +least 100 individuals. They often jump clear of the water and frequently +ride the bow waves of vessels. They are the only "blackfish" which are +known to do so. False killer whales feed primarily on squid and large +fishes and are notorious for their habit of stealing fish from the lines +of fishermen. The large prominent teeth may be visible on a swimming +animal. + + +May Be Confused With + +False killer whales may be confused with killer whales, pilot whales, or +the smaller, poorly known pygmy killer whale (p. 138) and many-toothed +blackfish (p. 142). + +The characteristics distinguishing the species from the killer whale are +tabularized on p. 84; its differences from the pilot whales are +summarized on p. 92. + +At sea, false killer whales are distinguishable from the other two +species primarily by their larger size and differences in coloration. +False killer whales are up to 18 feet (5.5 m) in length. Pygmy killer +whales and many-toothed blackfish reach only 8-9 feet (2.4-2.7 m) in +length. Pygmy killer whales have an extensive region of white on the +belly which may extend onto the sides and both pygmy killer whales and +many-toothed blackfish have a distinctive white region on the lips, +usually lacking or indistinct on false killer whales. + +Neither of the smaller species of blackfish has been reported to ride +bow waves. + + +Distribution + +False killer whales are widely distributed in the pelagic tropical, +subtropical, and warm temperate waters of the western North Atlantic. +They have been reported from off Maryland south along the mainland +coasts of North America, in the Gulf of Mexico from Cuba and the Lesser +Antilles, and from the southeast Caribbean Sea. The species has been +reported from Venezuela. + + +Stranded Specimens + +Stranded false killer whales can be positively identified by: 1) the +large size (to 18 feet [5.5 m]); 2) the slender body tapering rapidly to +a long slender head; 3) the markedly long mouth, with from 8 to 11 +large, conspicuous teeth in each side of each jaw recalling those of the +killer whale, but circular and not, as in killer whales, elliptical; 4) +the unusually shaped flipper bulging conspicuously on the forward +margin. + +For comparison with "blackfish" of similar size (the pilot whales) see +p. 92 and 94. + +False killer whales do not appear to occur frequently in coastal waters, +sandy bays, or estuaries, though entire herds have stranded in such +areas. Records from throughout the range suggest that the species has an +oceanic distribution. + +[Illustration: Figure 92.--False killer whales at sea 600 miles (968.0 +km) off northeastern Florida. Note the smoothly falcate dorsal fin, +pointed on the tip, and located near the midpoint of the back. Dorsal +fins of this species may also be rounded on the tip but all are sharply +concaved on the rear margin. (_Photo by H. E. Winn._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 93.--False killer whales are the only "blackfish" +that routinely ride the bow waves of vessels. On this animal riding on +the bow wave of a research ship, note the all-black coloration of the +back, head, and sides and the broad "hump" near the middle of the +flippers on the leading edge. (_Photo 600 miles [968 km] off +northeastern Florida by H. E. Winn._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 94.--A false killer whale stranded in northeastern +Florida. Note the narrow tapering head, overhanging the lower jaw by +several inches, the position and shape of the dorsal fin and the +distinctive "hump" on the leading margin of the flippers. (_Photo by W. +A. Huck, courtesy of Marineland of Florida._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 95.--Entire herds of false killer whales sometimes +strand themselves. In this dorsal view of an animal stranded in +southeastern Florida, note the extremely distinctive "hump" on the +forward margin of the flippers and the narrow head, tapering towards the +tip of the snout. (_Photo by J. Krol._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 96.--False killer whales have from 8 to 11 large, +conspicuous teeth in each side of each jaw. These teeth are often +visible in swimming animals, particularly when they are engaged in their +obnoxious habit of stealing fish from the lines of fishermen. The teeth +are so distinctive that they can also be used to identify even a badly +decomposed stranded specimen. (_Photo, courtesy of Sea Life Park, +Hawaii._)] + + + + +ATLANTIC PILOT WHALE (T) + +_Globicephala melaena_ (Traill 1809) + + +Other Common Names + +Northern pilot whale, long-finned pilot whale, pothead, blackfish, +calling whale, caa'ing whale. + + +Description + +Male Atlantic pilot whales reach an average length of at least 20 feet +(6.2 m). Females are slightly smaller, probably not exceeding 18 feet +(5.5 m). Young are 5-7 feet (1.5-2.1 m) at birth. + +The head is thick and bulbous, a characteristic which reaches an extreme +in the development of the head of adult males (prompting the common name +"pothead"). The flippers are long (to one-fifth of the body length, or +more) and sickle-shaped. The tail is dorsally thickened just in front of +the flukes. + +The dorsal fin of this species is one of its most distinctive +characteristics. It is low in profile, has a long base, is set far +forward on the animal's back, and is falcate to "flaglike" in +appearance. The dorsal fin of adult males reportedly has a thicker +leading edge and a rounder form than that of the female. + +Atlantic pilot whales are black on the back and sides (prompting the +common name "blackfish") but have an anchor-shaped patch of grayish +white on the chin and a gray area on the belly, both of which are +variable in extent and intensity. Some larger animals have a gray saddle +behind the dorsal fin, though this zone of color is found more +frequently in short-finned pilot whales. Young animals are often a +lighter medium gray. + + +Natural History Notes + +Atlantic pilot whales may occur in herds of 200 animals or more, though +herds of 50 or fewer (4-6) are more common. They are sometimes found in +association with Atlantic white-sided dolphins. + +Pilot whales are sometimes found hanging vertically in the water with +the head and part of the back out of the water in what has been called +"spy-hopping" or "pitchpoling." Individuals frequently lobtail. Pilot +whales infrequently breach, a behavior which is usually confined to +younger animals. They do not ride bow waves. + +Atlantic pilot whales feed primarily on squid but also take cod and +other fishes. A Pacific pilot whale, a closely related species, was +found by radio telemetric studies to be capable of diving to 2,000 feet +(609.6 m). + +Atlantic pilot whales were formerly the object of an active shore +fishery off Newfoundland (1950-1971). In addition, entire herds and, +less frequently, individuals are sometimes stranded. + + +May Be Confused With + +Atlantic pilot whales are most likely to be confused with false killer +whales, with which they share the waters from off Virginia to those off +Maryland. The two species may be distinguished by the following +characteristics: + + ATLANTIC PILOT WHALE FALSE KILLER WHALE + + SHAPE OF HEAD + + Thick and often squarish in Slender, gently tapering + larger animals. mouth long. + + SHAPE OF BODY + + Robust. Long and slender. + + DORSAL FIN + + Broad-based and falcate. Slender, tall, falcate, and + pointed on tip. + + COLORATION + + Black with gray saddle Mostly black with gray blaze + sometimes evident behind of variable extent and + dorsal fin and gray region intensity on belly between + on chin and belly. flippers. + + BEHAVIOR + + Will not ride bow waves; May ride bow waves, often + seldom breaches. "porpoises" and breaches. + + RANGE + + Temperate waters from at Temperate seas from at least + least North Carolina north. Maryland south. + +In the extreme southern portion of their range, Atlantic pilot whales +may be confused with short-finned pilot whales with which they have only +a limited seasonal common range. Characters distinguishing these species +are subtle and may not be adequate to permit them to be distinguished at +sea. For purposes of this guide it is generally that pilot whales living +north of lat. 38 deg.N (Virginia coast) are Atlantic pilot whales and those +living south of lat. 38 deg.N are short-finned pilot whales. + + +Distribution + +Atlantic pilot whales, the northernmost of the two pilot whales species, +are found in winter from the Grand Banks south as far as North Carolina +and in summer from Iceland and Greenland south to the New Jersey coast. +Winter concentrations of pilot whales may be found off the Newfoundland +coast and near Cape Cod, Mass. Atlantic pilot whales are distributed +both in coastal waters and in deep waters off the continental shelf. + + +Stranded Specimens + +As discussed above, individuals and groups of pilot whales frequently +strand themselves for still incompletely understood reasons. They may be +identified as pilot whales primarily by: 1) the robust body and bulbous +head, which is often squarish in adult animals, and 2) the broad-based, +falcate dorsal fin located far forward on the back. Accurate +determination of the pilot whale species involved in the stranding may +require museum preparation of the skull and detailed examination of its +characteristics. Preliminary identification may be made, however, based +on the following: + + ATLANTIC PILOT WHALE SHORT-FINNED PILOT WHALE + + FLIPPER LENGTH + + To one-fifth body length, To one-sixth body length, or + or more. less. + + NORMAL RANGE + + From North Carolina north. From North Carolina south. + + TEETH + + 8-11 per row. 7-9 per row. + +[Illustration: Figure 97.--A herd of Atlantic pilot whales off +Massachusetts. The most distinguishing field characteristic of this +species, and of their southern cousins, the short-finned pilot whales, +is the highly distinctive dorsal fin, extremely long based, low in +profile, and set well forward on the animals' backs. (_Photo by W. A. +Watkins._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 98.--Atlantic pilot whales frequently "lob tail" +(raise the tail flukes above the surface and slap them against the +water) (top) and pitchpole or spy-hop (hang vertically in the water with +the head up and the tail down) (bottom). (_Photos from the North +Atlantic by H. E. Winn._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 99.--North Atlantic pilot whales on the deck of a +whaling station in Newfoundland. The anchor-shaped patch on the chin and +the gray color of the belly are apparently more vivid and extensive in +this species than in the short-finned pilot whales. Further, the flipper +is longer, measuring one-fifth of the body length, or more, in adult +animals. The flippers of short-finned pilot whales (see Fig. 102) +measure one-sixth of the body length or less. (_Photo by J. G. Mead._)] + + + + +SHORT-FINNED PILOT WHALE (T) + +_Globicephala macrorhynchus_ Gray 1846 + + +Other Common Names + +Blackfish (see also p. 84, 91, and 94). + + +Description + +Male short-finned pilot whales of the western North Atlantic reach +lengths of at least 17.5 feet (5.3 m). Females are reportedly slightly +smaller than males (recorded only to 15.5 feet [4.7 m]). + +The head, somewhat like that of the Atlantic pilot whales (p. 91), is +thick and bulbous, a characteristic which reaches its extreme in the +development of a flattened or squarish appearance to the front of the +head in mature males (see Fig. 101). In very old males the melon may +overhang the mouth up to several inches. The flippers are shorter than +those of the other pilot whale species of the western North Atlantic +(thus the common name short-finned pilot whale), reaching only one-sixth +of the body length or less. The tail is dorsoventrally thickened just in +front of the flukes. + +The dorsal fin, like that of the Atlantic pilot whale, is one of the +species' most distinctive characteristics. It is low in profile, has a +long base, and is set far forward on the animal's back. + +Short-finned pilot whales are all black on the back sides and most of +the belly with an anchor-shaped patch of gray on the chin and a gray +area of varying extent and intensity on the belly. These areas are less +vivid and extensive than those on Atlantic pilot whales. Younger animals +are lighter, often medium gray. + + +Natural History Notes + +Short-finned pilot whales are known to occur in groups of 60 animals or +more, though smaller groups are more common. They have been reported +pitchpoling (spy-hopping), lobtailing, and--rarely--breaching. + +Short-finned pilot whales feed on squid and fish. + + +May Be Confused With + +In the tropical portion of their range, short-finned pilot whales may be +confused with pygmy killer whales (p. 138) and many-toothed blackfish +(p. 142). They may be distinguished from both species primarily by their +distinctive dorsal fin and the bulbous-to-squarish head. Both pygmy +killer whales and many-toothed blackfish have dorsal fins, which are +more falcate, slender, and pointed on the tip, and have longer, +slenderer heads. + +Throughout their range short-finned pilot whales may be confused with +false killer whales. The two species may be distinguished by the same +differences which distinguish Atlantic pilot whales from false killer +whales (p. 91). + +In the extreme northern portion of their range, short-finned pilot +whales may be confused with Atlantic pilot whales. The two species may +be distinguished by differences itemized on p. 93. + + +Distribution + +Though short-finned pilot whales are known from Delaware Bay, their +normal range appears to extend from Bermuda and Cape Hatteras (Virginia +in summer) south to the Venezuelan coast. They have been reported for +the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and the islands of the West Indies. + + +Stranded Specimens + +Stranded short-finned pilot whales may be confused with any of the +species itemized under living animals. They may be identified as pilot +whales primarily by the robust body and bulbous head, often squarish in +adult animals, and the broad-based, falcate dorsal fin located well +forward on the animal's back. Accurate determination of the pilot whale +species involved may require museum preparation of the skull and +detailed examination of its characteristics. Preliminary identification +may be made, however, on the basis of the following: + + ATLANTIC PILOT WHALE SHORT-FINNED PILOT WHALE + + DISTRIBUTION + + Primarily North Carolina Primarily North Carolina + north. south. + + FLIPPERS + + To one-fifth body length, To less than one-sixth body + or more. length. + + TEETH + 8-11 per row. 7-9 per row. + +[Illustration: Figure 100.--Short-finned pilot whales stranded in +northeastern Florida, shown here swimming in the lagoon at Marineland of +Florida. This species, like their northern cousins, the Atlantic pilot +whales, have a highly distinctive dorsal fin and a bulbous head (see +Figs. 97, 99). In these photos note the variation in the shape of the +head. Those of females and immature males are more rounded. Those of +adult males are far more blunted. (_Photo courtesy of Marineland of +Florida._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 101.--Short-finned pilot whales have from 7 to 10 +teeth in each side of each jaw. The bulbous forehead of the species is +far less pronounced in females and immature males (left). The head of +mature males is extremely "squarish" and may overhang the lower jaw by +several inches (right). (_Photos from Aquatarium (left) and southeastern +Florida by D. K. Caldwell (right)._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 102.--The flippers of short-finned pilot whales +reach only about one-sixth of the body length, while those of the +Atlantic pilot whale may be one-fifth the body length or more. Note the +length of the flippers of the pilot whale in the background, relative to +its overall length. (_Photo from South Carolina by J. G. Mead._)] + + + + +GRAMPUS (T) + +_Grampus griseus_ (G. Cuvier 1812) + + +Other Common Names + +Risso's dolphin, gray grampus, white-headed grampus, mottled grampus, +Risso's porpoise, hard knocks (St. Vincent), white blackfish (Cape Cod). + + +Description + +Grampus reach a maximum length of about 13 feet (4 m). The body is +robust, particularly in front of the dorsal fin, and lacks a distinct +beak. The head is somewhat bulbous and is marked on the front by a +V-shaped crease with the point downwards, which divides the melon into +two parts. The flippers are long and pointed on the tips. The dorsal +fin, located at about the midpoint of the body, is tall, to 15 inches +(38.1 cm) or more, and distinctly falcate. The body narrows rapidly +behind the dorsal fin and the tail stock is quite narrow. The flukes are +broad, concaved on the rear margin, and deeply notched. + +The bodies of grampus are a uniform light gray at birth. As the animals +age, their color darkens to almost black with distinctive regions of +grayish white on the belly and chest. The body of older adults is cream +white or silver gray, particularly on the head, with numerous scars, +presumably from encounters with other grampus and perhaps with the +squid, which are one of the species' major food items. + +The flippers, dorsal fin, and tail flukes usually remain dark even in +adults. + + +Natural History Notes + +Grampus are found in herds of up to several hundred individuals and may +be seen "porpoising" (leaping from the water) as they surface to +breathe, and breaching. They sometimes ride the bow waves of a boat. + +Grampus feed on fish and squid. + + +May Be Confused With + +From a distance grampus are most easily confused with Atlantic +bottlenosed dolphins. They may be most readily distinguished by the +following differences: + + ATLANTIC BOTTLENOSED + GRAMPUS DOLPHIN + + SIZE + + To 13 feet (4 m). Rarely to 12 feet (3.7 m); + usually less than 10 feet + (3.1 m). + + BODY COLOR + + Young are uniform light Dark gray on body; lighter + gray; older animals dark gray on sides; white or pink + with grayish regions on on belly; may appear brownish + chest and belly; very in water. + old animals white and + scarred. + + DORSAL FIN + + To 15 inches (38.1 cm); To 12 inches (30.5 cm) less + sharply falcate; pointed sharply falcate; pointed on + on tip. tip. + + HEAD COLOR AND SHAPE + + Blunted and creased on Uniformly brownish to gray + front; frequently all distinctly bottlenosed. + white in larger animals. + + MARKINGS + + Very often extensively Less frequently scratched + scarred. and scarred. + + +Distribution + +Grampus are known to be distributed in temperate and tropical seas from +at least eastern Newfoundland, south at least to St. Vincent, Lesser +Antilles, and in the eastern and northern Gulf of Mexico. The species +may not be as rare as the paucity of records suggests. Though they have +been seen in Buzzards Bay on several occasions, grampus generally have +an oceanic range and, along the Atlantic coast of North America, may be +distributed from the Gulf Stream seaward, outside the theater of normal +boating traffic. + + +Stranded Specimens + +Stranded grampus are most readily identifiable by 1) the presence of +only seven, or fewer, teeth in each side of the lower jaw (many of those +teeth may have dropped out in older animals and remaining teeth may be +extensively worn) and the absence of teeth in the upper jaw; 2) the +presence of a distinct crease or bifurcation in the melon on the extreme +front of the head; 3) the presence of numerous scratches and scars all +over the body; and 4) the tall, slender, sharply falcate dorsal fin +which may be more than 15 inches (38.1 cm) tall. + +[Illustration: Figure 103.--Grampus are frequently found in small tight +groups "porpoising." From a distance they may resemble the Atlantic +bottlenosed dolphins, though grampus have taller dorsal fins, blunted +beakless heads, and lighter coloration. (_Photo off Washington State by +C. Fiscus._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 104.--Grampus off Fistler, Scotland (top) and from +Baja California in the tank of Sea World, Inc., San Diego, Calif. +(bottom). Note the tall pointed dorsal fin, which remains dark even in +adult animals, the blunted head, which lacks a beak, and the extensive +scarring of the body. In the photo on the right, note also the long +pointed flippers and the white head characteristic of older animals. +(_Photos by A. S. Clark (top) and courtesy of D. K. Caldwell +(bottom)._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 105.--Grampus, particularly younger animals, have +two regions of grayish-white on the ventral surface, one in front of the +flippers and another beginning on the belly narrowing towards the tail. +These markings closely resemble the ventral marking of pilot whales. +(_Photos courtesy of Marineland of Florida._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 106.--Stranded grampus can be readily identified. +On this captive animal note the blunted head, the distinct crease on the +front of the head (see also Fig. 107), and the extensive scarring of the +body. (_Photo courtesy of D. K. Caldwell._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 107.--Grampus have seven or fewer teeth in each +side of the lower jaw. (None in the upper jaw.) Many of these teeth may +have fallen out of older specimens, and the remaining teeth may be +extensively worn. (_Photo courtesy of Marineland of Florida._)] + + + + +Medium-sized Whales Without a Dorsal Fin + + + + +BELUGA (T) + +_Delphinapterus leucas_ (Pallas 1776) + + +Other Common Names + +White porpoise, white whale, belukha, sea canary, marsouin blanc +(Quebec). + + +Description + +Belugas reach a maximum overall length of about 16 feet (4.9 m). Males +are slightly larger than females. In the western North Atlantic they +have been found to grow to greatest lengths in oceanic environments near +the southern extremities of their ranges, though they are found in far +greater abundance in estuarine areas of the Arctic. Belugas have +extremely robust bodies tapering to a distinct "neck" region and a very +small head relative to body size. + +They do not have a dorsal fin. Instead, along the back just behind the +midpoint there is a narrow ridge notched laterally to form a series of +small bumps. These ridges may be clearly visible on a swimming animal. + +Newborn belugas are brown. As they age, they gradually lighten through +slate gray, and by their sixth or seventh year have assumed the +all-white coloration characteristic of adult animals. + + +Natural History Notes + +Belugas feed on a variety of fishes (including cod and capelin), on +squid, and on a variety of benthic crustaceans. + +They are frequently found in shallow bays and river mouths, where the +young are born, and occasionally ascend rivers. + + +May Be Confused With + +Because of their limited distribution, all-white coloration and lack of +a dorsal fin, belugas are unlikely to be confused with any other species +of cetacean. + + +Distribution + +Belugas have been reported from the Arctic Circle south as far as +eastern Connecticut, typically in estuarine habitats, though they do +range into oceanic regions. They are most abundant from the north shore +of the Gulf of St. Lawrence northward. They remain near the Arctic +Circle and in Hudson Bay to northern Greenland during winter, +undertaking migrations to the south in autumn, straggling to the +Maritime Provinces and as far as Connecticut. Belugas are regularly seen +in the St. Lawrence and Saguenay rivers throughout late spring and +summer. Return migrations to the north take place in spring. + +A small population in the estuary of St. Lawrence is resident throughout +the year. + + +Stranded Specimens + +Stranded belugas are unlikely to be confused with any other species of +cetaceans. The all-white coloration, the robust body shape with a rather +small head and a distinct neck region, and the presence of 8-11 teeth in +each of the upper jaws and 8-9 in each of the lower jaws permit positive +identification. + +[Illustration: Figure 108.--A group of three belugas surfacing to +breathe off northwestern Alaska. The animal to the right has just begun +to exhale, the middle animal is in the midst of his inhalation, and the +animal on the left has completed his blow and is preparing to dive. Note +the all-white coloration and, on the center animal, the small dorsal +ridge just emerging from the water. Details of the dorsal ridge are +clearly visible in the inset photograph. (_Photos by G. C. Ray and K. G. +Hewlett (inset)._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 109.--Note the robust form and the small head of +this swimming beluga off northwestern Alaska. (_Photo by G. C. Ray._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 110.--Captive belugas at Vancouver public +aquarium. Note the dorsal ridge, the shape of the head and body, and the +unusually shaped flippers. (_Photo by K. C. Balcomb._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 111.--Ventral view of a beluga harpooned in the +northeastern Canadian Eskimo Fishery. Note the very narrow tail, just in +front of the flukes, and the robust form of the species. Belugas have +8-9 teeth in each of the lower jaws, and 8-11 in each of the upper jaws. +(_Photo by P. F. Brodie._)] + + + + +NARWHAL (T) + +_Monodon monoceros_ Linnaeus 1758 + + +Other Common Names + +Unicorn whale (historical name not currently in use). + + +Description + +The narwhal, also known as the unicorn whale because of the long tusk +found on adult males, is one of two medium-sized whales found in the +Arctic waters of the northwestern Atlantic. They reach a maximum length +of from 15 to 16 feet (4.6 to 4.9 m) excluding the tusk. Newborn calves +are approximately 5 feet (1.5 m) long. Narwhals have small rounded heads +and a small mouth. Like the other medium-sized whale in the same region, +the beluga or white whale, the narwhal has no dorsal fin. Instead, it +has a series of bumps, approximately 2 inches (5.1 cm) high along the +midline of the back in the half nearest the tail. The ridge created by +these bumps may be readily seen on a swimming animal. + +The basic coloration of the species changes slightly with age. Young +animals are uniformly dark bluish gray on the back but rapidly begin to +develop the numerous leopardlike spots on the back and sides +characteristic of adults. Those spots rarely extend onto the belly even +in old animals. + +Narwhals have only two teeth. In the females, these teeth rarely emerge +from the gums. In males, one and sometimes both of those teeth grow out +the front of the snout, spiraling in a left-hand or sinistral direction, +and may reach a length of 9 feet (2.7 m). One or two tusks may also be +exposed, however, in females. + + +Natural History Notes + +The function of the tusk in male narwhals is unknown, but it was this +feature of the animal that earned it the name "unicorn whale" and +resulted in its extensive hunting by whalers. During their annual +migrations narwhals may congregate but are commonly found in groups of +10 or fewer during the rest of the year. + +Narwhals feed on a variety of organisms, including cod, rockfish, +flounder, and crabs, but their diet consists primarily of squid. + + +Distribution + +Narwhals are found in the high arctic seas of the western North +Atlantic, primarily in Lancaster Sound and its fringes. It has been +noted that they are found in isolated pockets within that range and are +not, like the beluga, widely distributed. + +Narwhals make annual migrations in response to the movement of the ice. +During the fall as the ice begins to form, the whales migrate to the +south, sometimes reaching the Labrador coast. In the spring they return +to the pack ice. + + +May Be Confused With + +Narwhals are so different in coloration from the only medium-sized +cetacean which shares its range and habitat--the beluga--that the two +are highly unlikely to be confused. Belugas are usually all white or +light slate gray in color, while narwhals are very much darker, ranging +from bluish gray to brownish, and are often covered with light +leopardlike spots. Furthermore, the body of the beluga is more robust. + +Further, swimming narwhals frequently buck their heads up to breathe, a +behavior which makes the tusk of adult males visible and permits +positive identification. + + +Stranded Specimens + +Stranded narwhals should be easily identifiable by the distinctive +coloration and the unique characteristics of the teeth. In adults, one +or two of the teeth may develop into the long, left-hand spiraling tusk, +shown in Figures 112 and 114. Immature animals have no teeth which are +emerged. + +[Illustration: Figure 112.--In this photo of narwhals, the origin of the +name "unicorn whale" is apparent. The animal at the right, an adult +male, exposes his tusk as he surfaces aggressively to breathe. Even when +this feature is not observed, however, the narwhals' mottled gray +coloration makes them easy to distinguish from the all-white belugas, +with which they share a common range. Note also the dorsal ridge on the +animal to the left. (_Photo by D. Lusby, courtesy of the Sea Library._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 113.--A juvenile narwhal in a tank at New York +Aquarium. Though newborn animals are dark bluish gray on the back, +fading to white on the belly, note that the mottled gray coloration +characteristic of adults is well developed even in relatively young +animals. The white region on the head is lanolin cream, applied to +protect the animal's skin during transport. (_Photo by H. E. Winn._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 114.--A stranded male narwhal. The long unicorn +tusk is the spiral extension of one of the two teeth, though the other +may be exposed above the gums in males and may even develop into a +second long tusk; both teeth of females are normally buried in the gums +and rarely emerge. Note the highly distinctive dorsal ridge, near the +midpoint of the back. (_Photos by D. Lusby, courtesy of the Sea +Library._)] + + + + +Small Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises With a Dorsal Fin + + + + +ATLANTIC SPOTTED DOLPHIN (T) + +_Stenella plagiodon_ (Cope 1866) + + +Other Common Names + +Spotter, Gulf Stream spotted dolphin, spotted porpoise, long-snouted +dolphin.[11] + +[Footnote 11: See also p. 110. The common name "long-snouted dolphin" +was once widely used for this species. It is now more frequently used +for _Stenella longirostris_, also known as the spinner dolphin.] + + +Description + +Atlantic spotted dolphins reach a maximum adult length of 7.5, perhaps 8 +feet (2.3 to 2.4 m). They are generally more robust in body shape than +the other species of Stenella, closely resembling Atlantic bottlenosed +dolphins in that regard, though the Atlantic spotted dolphins tend to be +more slender. + +The dorsal fin is distinctly back-curved and pointed on the tip, also +closely resembling that of the Atlantic bottlenosed dolphin. + +As the common name suggests, the Atlantic spotted dolphins are marked +dorsally with numerous grayish-white spots on a darker background and +ventrally with dark spots on a lighter background, though the extent of +the spotting and the additional details of coloration change with age. + +Immature animals lack spots completely. They are dark gray or purplish +gray on the back, becoming lighter gray on the sides and white on the +belly. The cape along the back is distinctly separated from the lighter +gray coloration of the sides. The flippers and the trailing edge of the +flukes are darker than the rest of the body. + +As they age, the Atlantic spotted dolphins develop grayish-white spots, +first low on the sides, spreading upward. During this stage, the cape +becomes less distinct, and dark spotting begins to develop on the belly, +the spots increasing in number with increasing age. In adult animals, +the belly is often extensively covered with dark blotches but never +becomes completely black. The lips may be white, and the beak is +characteristically tipped with white, a feature which may aid in +identification at sea. + +The Atlantic spotted dolphins have a spinal blaze and a light line which +extends from the flipper to the eye. + + +Natural History Notes + +Little is known of the natural history of the Atlantic spotted dolphins. +The species occurs in herds of up to several hundred individuals, +though groups of 50 or fewer (6-10) are more common. They are often seen +jumping clear of the water and habitually ride the bow wave of moving +vessels. As they do, the distinct cape or band of purplish gray on the +back of younger animals and the spotting pattern of older animals may be +visible. + +Atlantic spotted dolphins feed primarily on squid but may also take +carangid fishes, small eels, herring, or anchovies. + + +May Be confused With + +Atlantic spotted dolphins, particularly young animals, may be easily +confused with Atlantic bottlenosed dolphins because of the similarities +in color pattern and general body shape. However, the Atlantic spotted +dolphins have considerable purplish gray in their background colors and +the Atlantic bottlenosed dolphins are more dark gray to brownish gray. +This along with considerable differences in the overall sizes of the two +species should permit positive identification. In general, the key +differences between spotted and bottlenosed dolphins are as follows: + + ATLANTIC SPOTTED ATLANTIC BOTTLENOSED + DOLPHIN DOLPHIN + + MAXIMUM SIZE + + To 7.5-8 feet (2.3-2.4 m). To 8-10 feet (2.4-3.1 m) + inshore, to as much as 12 feet + (3.7 m) offshore. + + BODY COLOR + + Dark purplish gray on back; Dark gray on back; lighter + lighter gray on sides and gray on sides; white or pink + belly; body becomes on belly (old animals may + increasingly spotted with age. have a few spots on belly, + but most are not spotted). + + HEAD AND BEAK + + Head more slender; beak Head robust; beak short; + longer; lips and top of snout beak usually uniformly gray + often white. (older animals' beak may be + white at tip). + + NORMAL DISTRIBUTION + + Usually found more than 5 Usually more coastal, often + miles offshore; most common ascending rivers and entering + inside 100-fathom curve. lagoonal and estuarine + areas. + +Young Atlantic spotted dolphins are so similar in appearance to the +Atlantic bottlenosed dolphins that the frequent reports of mixed schools +of the two species are probably occasioned by groups of spotted dolphins +which include some young, still unspotted animals. + +Atlantic spotted dolphins might also be confused with bridled dolphins. +The two can be most readily distinguished by the following +characteristics: + + ATLANTIC SPOTTED DOLPHIN BRIDLED DOLPHIN + + BODY SHAPE + + Usually robust, often like More slender, more like + that of the Atlantic that of the Atlantic striped + bottlenosed dolphin. dolphin. + + BODY COLOR + + Spotted; purplish gray on Spotted; side of head light + back; lighter gray on sides gray; body has stripe from + and belly becoming flipper to corner of mouth, + increasingly spotted with age. though the stripe tends to + As animals becomes more fade as spotting increases. + spotted, cape become less Cape on top of head more + distinct. Body has spinal distinct that on Atlantic + blaze and light line from spotted dolphin. Body has no + flipper to eye. spinal blaze. + +At sea the Atlantic spotted dolphins may also be confused with +rough-toothed dolphins (p. 135). + + +Distribution + +Atlantic spotted dolphins are a common species in the continental waters +of the tropical and warm temperate western North Atlantic. Although they +are far more abundant south of Cape Hatteras, they have been reported +from the latitude of Cape May, N.J. (some fishermen claim to have seen +them even further north) south through the Gulf of Mexico and the +Caribbean to Venezuela. Atlantic spotted dolphins may be replaced around +the West Indies by the bridled dolphin. + +Within this range, the Atlantic spotted dolphins appear to be generally +restricted to the waters outside the 100-fathom curve, most commonly +more than 5 miles offshore. However, populations in the Gulf of Mexico +move inshore in the late spring, and may approach close to shore during +spring and summer. + + +Stranded Specimens + +Stranded Atlantic spotted dolphins may be difficult to distinguish from +bridled dolphins. If the color pattern is still clearly visible, the +differences in coloration described above, particularly those of the +head, and the presence or absence of a spinal blaze may be used. But +since external appearance other than coloration are often very similar, +specimens should be photographed from as many aspects as possible and +the entire specimen or the roughed-out complete skeleton transported to +a museum for preparation and examination. Tooth counts recorded for the +two species to date are also very similar. + +[Illustration: Figure 115.--Atlantic spotted dolphins beside a research +vessel off Beaufort, N.C., September 1965. Adults of this species can be +identified by the spotting pattern and the white coloration of the lips. +(See also bridled dolphin, p. 108.) Young animals which lack spots may +be confused with the Atlantic bottlenosed dolphins though they are +smaller and are purplish gray on the back. (_Photo by G. T. Green._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 116.--A side view of two female Atlantic spotted +dolphins from off St. Augustine, Fla. in the tank at Marineland of +Florida. Note the tall falcate dorsal fin, pointed on the tip and +varying slightly in shape between the two individuals, and the spots on +the body. (_Photo by S. Leatherwood._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 117.--A series showing the development of the +color pattern of the Atlantic spotted dolphins from Florida. Newborn or +young animals are dark purplish gray on the back, grading to immaculate +white on the belly. As they mature, animals develop light spots, first +on the lower sides, then higher on the back, and dark spots on the +belly. As spotting increases, the cape becomes less distinct. (_Photos +by A. Solis (a), D. K. Caldwell (b, c), and courtesy of Marineland of +Florida (d, e, f)._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 118--Juvenile Atlantic spotted dolphins at sea in +the southeastern Caribbean. Although spotters can be either relatively +short-snouted and chunky or long-snouted and slightly built, the spinal +blaze, flipper-to-eye stripe, white lips, and falcate dorsal fin can be +used to identify them. (_Photo by D. Poppe._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 119.--A captive Atlantic spotted dolphin from off +St. Augustine, Fla. This species has from 30 to 36 teeth in each upper +jaw and from 28 to 35 in each lower jaw, fewer than all other Stenella +except perhaps the bridled dolphin, fewer than the saddleback dolphins, +but more than the Atlantic bottlenosed dolphins. (_Photo by S. +Leatherwood._)] + + + + +BRIDLED DOLPHIN (T) + +_Stenella frontalis_ (G. Cuvier 1829) + +Other Common Names + + +Bridled spotted dolphin, Cuvier's dolphin, gamin (St. Vincent), bridled +porpoise. + + +Description + +Bridled dolphins, the second species of spotted dolphins in the western +North Atlantic, reach an adult length of at least 7 feet (2.1 m). Like +the other, the Atlantic spotted dolphin (p. 104), bridled dolphins are +characterized by light grayish-white spots on the dark dorsal portions +of the body and dark spots on the light ventral surface. Other details +of the coloration differ somewhat. Bridled dolphins are dark gray on the +back, fading to lighter gray on the sides and belly. They lack the +spinal blaze characteristic of Atlantic spotted dolphins. Except on the +head, the border between the back and side colors is indistinct. On the +head, the cape (the dark color of the top of the head) is distinct. In +the light gray of the side of the head are the markings from which the +species derives its common name, "bridled dolphin." These are a black +circle around the eye with an extension to the junction (apex) of the +rostrum and the melon (present in nearly all dolphins) and a broad black +stripe from the origin of the flipper to the corner of the mouth. This +mouth-to-flipper stripe tends to fade as spotting increases. Both the +upper and lower lips are white or pinkish. + + +Natural History Notes + +Virtually nothing is known of the natural history of bridled dolphins +except that they have been observed in small herds of from 5 to 30 +individuals and sometimes ride the bow wave of a vessel. + + +May Be Confused With + +At sea, bridled dolphins may be confused with Atlantic spotted dolphins +or spinner dolphins. Differences by which they may be distinguished from +the first are tabularized on p. 105. Differences between spinner and +bridled dolphins permitting identification at sea are as follows: + + BRIDLED DOLPHIN SPINNER DOLPHIN + + COLORATION + + Distinct cape on top of head; Dark gray on back; tan or + side of head light gray; yellowish tan on sides; white + distinct stripes from flippers on belly, + to corner of mouth and from + dark circles around eye to + apex of melon. + + BEAK + + Shorter and more slender; all Extremely long and slender; + black; lips white. dark gray to black on top, + white below; lips black. + + DORSAL FIN + + Uniformly dark gray. Often lighter gray in middle, + dark around border. + + +Distribution + +Bridled dolphins occur in tropical and subtropical waters primarily near +coastal areas and islands, but are best known from the West Indies. They +have been reported from the Antilles, from Texas, and from Florida north +to North Carolina. It has been speculated that this species replaces the +Atlantic spotted dolphin around the West Indies. + +Bridled dolphins have not yet been described from the South American +coast. + + +Stranded Specimens + +Bridled dolphins have from 29 to 34 teeth in each upper jaw and from 33 +to 36 in each lower jaw. They can be distinguished from spinner +dolphins, which have 46-65 teeth in each jaw, by this character alone. + +They may be distinguished from spotted dolphins only if the color +pattern of the head is clearly visible. If it has faded, the specimen +will probably require museum preparation and examination before it can +be positively identified. + +[Illustration: Figure 120.--A bridled dolphin harpooned in the +commercial whale fishery off St. Vincent, Lesser Antilles. If the color +pattern has faded, bridled dolphins cannot be readily distinguished from +the Atlantic spotted dolphins and must be sent to a museum for +preparation and examination of the skull and skeleton. (_Photo by W. A. +Huck, courtesy of Marineland of Florida._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 121.--A bridled dolphin from St. Vincent, Lesser +Antilles. Note the dark cape of the back, the lighter side, and the dark +stripes from the eye to the snout (found in most dolphin species) and +the flipper to the gape, a feature which fades as the animal's spotting +increases. Together these two features comprise the "bridle" from which +the common name derives. Note also the white lips and the white lower +jaw. (_Photo by J. R. Sullivan._)] + + + + +SPINNER DOLPHIN (T) + +_Stenella longirostris_ Gray 1828 + + +Other Common Names + +Long-snouted dolphin, long-beaked porpoise, spinner porpoise, rollover +(St. Vincent). + + +Description + +Spinner dolphins reach a maximum length of about 7 feet (2.1 m). The +body is slender. The beak varies from extremely long and slender (Fig. +123) to relatively short (Fig. 125); the beak is usually dark on top and +clean white below, though there may be some white above. The tip of the +snout and the lips are distinctly black, while those of both species of +spotted dolphins are light. The back is dark gray to black, the sides +are tan to yellowish brown, and the belly is white. Some of the larger +animals appear almost all black with faint, light speckling. The dorsal +fin is generally moderately falcate, but may be almost triangular in +adult males. It is often a lighter gray near the middle, bordered by +black or dark gray. + + +Natural History Notes + +Spinner dolphins derive their common name from their habit of leaping +clear of the water and spinning on their longitudinal axis. The reasons +for this behavior are unknown. Individuals may rotate 2 times, or more, +in one leap but spinning behavior is not observed as frequently in the +western North Atlantic as it is in the eastern tropical Pacific. + +Spinner dolphins occur in herds of up to several hundred individuals and +are often seen jumping clear of the water, working the sea surface into +a froth. They frequently come to the bow of a boat from considerable +distances to ride in the bow wave and may ride for protracted periods. + + +May Be Confused With + +Spinner dolphins may be confused with saddleback dolphins. Both species +occur in large herds and often come to moving vessels to ride the bow +wave. The two can be distinguished, however, by these differences: + + + SPINNER DOLPHIN SADDLEBACK DOLPHIN + + COLORATION + + Dark gray on back; tan or Dark gray to brownish gray + yellowish tan on sides; white on back; white on belly with + on belly; lacks crisscross crisscross or hourglass pattern + pattern on sides; distinct of tan to yellow on sides; + black stripe from flipper to distinct black stripe from + eye. flipper to middle of lower + jaw. + +Spinner dolphins might also be confused with bridled dolphins, but may +be distinguished by the differences summarized on p. 108. + + +Distribution + +Spinner dolphins are distributed in oceanic and coastal tropical waters. +Though one specimen was collected from South Carolina, they have been +more frequently reported from both coasts of Florida, the Gulf of +Mexico, the Caribbean, and the West Indies. They have also been +reported from Venezuela. They are said to be the most abundant dolphin +species from the southeastern Caribbean. Some Pacific spinner dolphins +are distributed in oceanic zones. Atlantic spinners may be abundant in +offshore tropical waters as well. + + +Stranded Specimens + +Stranded spinner dolphins are most readily identified by the extremely +long rostrum and the 46-65 teeth, far more than any other species of +dolphin. Note that the striped dolphins may have from 43 to 50 teeth per +side in each jaw. However, striped dolphins are decidedly larger (to +about 9 feet [2.7 m]), have a shorter beak, and are distinctly marked +with dark stripes from the eye to the flipper, from the eye to the anus, +and from the area behind the dorsal fin forward, towards but not +reaching the head. + +Saddleback dolphins also have from 40 to 50 teeth on each side but are +also easily distinguishable by the differences in coloration discussed +above for living animals at sea. + +[Illustration: Figure 122.--Spinner dolphins occur in large herds in +tropical waters. As illustrated by these photos of animals off Venezuela +in 1969, spinner dolphins often leap clear of the water and may come to +a moving vessel from considerable distances away to frolic in its bow +wave. (_Photo by M. Bartlett._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 123.--A spinner dolphin jumping close beside a +research vessel off the Virgin Islands. The distinctive color pattern +(gray on the back, tan on the sides, and white on the belly) is clearly +visible. The black-tipped rostrum and the black lips are key characters +to this species. (_Photo by C. McCann._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 124.--Spinner dolphins are active bow riders and +may stay with a vessel for long periods of time. (_Photo from off the +Virgin Islands by H. E. Winn._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 125.--Although all spinner dolphins so far +examined have the same basic characteristics, the degree of expression +of those characteristics varies from individual to individual or area to +area. These small short-snouted dolphins (those on bottom stranded near +St. Petersburg, Fla. and maintained alive by the Aquatarium in that +city, and those on top photographed at sea, off the northwestern Africa +coast in 1972) are spinners, although their classification is uncertain. +There may be several species or geographical races of spinners in the +Atlantic. (_Photos courtesy of W. F. Perrin (top) and Aquatarium +(bottom)._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 126.--A spinner dolphin harpooned in the fishery +at St. Vincent, Lesser Antilles. Even after subtle aspects of the color +pattern have faded, this species can be readily identified by the 46-65 +teeth in both upper and lower jaws and by the distinctly black lips and +black-tipped rostrum. (_Photo by W. A. Huck, courtesy of Marineland of +Florida._)] + + + + +STRIPED DOLPHIN (T) + +_Stenella coeruleoalba_ (Meyen 1833) + + +Other Common Names + +Euphrosyne dolphin (_Stenella styx_), Meyen's dolphin, blue-white +dolphin, Gray's dolphin, striped porpoise, streaker porpoise. + + +Description + +The striped dolphin is a widely distributed relative of the spinner and +the Atlantic spotted dolphins, though it more closely resembles +saddleback dolphins than either of these two species. It reaches a +maximum length of about 9 feet (2.7 m) and is characterized by a series +of distinctive black stripes. One band of black begins near the eye and +extends down the side of the body to the area of the anus. (A small +secondary stripe originating with this band turns off and disappears in +the white coloration of the side just above the flippers.) A second band +of black extends from the eye to the flipper. Some workers have +contended that striped dolphins are separable into distinct species +depending on whether the eye-to-flipper stripe has one (_S. +coeruleoalba_) or two (_S. styx_) components. + +Most individuals have an additional distinctive finger of black +coloration which extends from the black coloration behind the dorsal fin +forward towards and about halfway to the eye. It is this feature which +is most distinctive in animals riding the bow or leaping clear of the +water. The back is dark gray to bluish gray, the sides are lighter gray, +and the belly is white. + + +Natural History Notes + +Though little is known of this species, it has been reported in herds of +up to several hundred individuals and apparently exhibits behaviors very +similar to those of the saddleback dolphins (p. 116), frequently jumping +clear of the water. Atlantic and Mediterranean animals have been +reported to bow ride. + + +May Be Confused With + +This species is most likely to be confused with the saddleback dolphin, +which it closely resembles. The two may be distinguished by the +following characteristics: + + STRIPED DOLPHIN SADDLEBACK DOLPHIN + + LENGTH + + To about 9 feet (2.7 m) or Seldom greater than 7.5 feet + more. (2.3 m). + + COLORATION + + Back from light gray to dark Back basically black or + gray to bluish gray; sides brownish; distinct white + gray; belly gray or white; chest or belly patch; + distinctive black lateral hourglass or crisscross + stripping from 1) eye to pattern on the sides; + flipper, 2) eye to anus, and 3) distinct black stripe from + dark color behind dorsal fin flipper to middle of lower + forward, towards but not jaw. + reaching head. + + +Distribution + +Striped dolphins are widely distributed in the temperate, subtropical, +and tropical seas of the western North Atlantic. They have been reported +from at least Halifax, Nova Scotia, south as far as Jamaica. (Additional +records, purportedly from southern Greenland, involved a museum +specimen. Since striped dolphins of the eastern North Atlantic are rare +north of England, the species occurrence near Greenland would be highly +improbable.) Individuals have recently been reported from the Gulf of +Mexico. + +Despite this wide distribution, striped dolphins appear to prefer warmer +waters and are probably normally confined to the Gulf Stream or the +waters off the continental slope. Individuals appearing to the north of +the range seem to have ventured northward with fingers of warm water. + + +Stranded Specimens + +Stranded striped dolphins should be readily identifiable by the highly +distinctive patterns of lateral striping discussed above for living +animals. If the color pattern has faded, they may still be identified by +their size, larger than other dolphin species of similar appearance, and +the relatively large number of teeth (43-50 per side in both upper and +lower jaws). Only the spinner dolphin, much smaller in body length and +having a much longer beak, has more teeth (46-65 per side in each jaw). + +[Illustration: Figure 127.--Despite some similarities in appearance and +behavior to saddleback dolphins, striped dolphins can be readily +identified by the prominent dark stripes on the side of the body. These +striped dolphins were photographed between the Caribbean Islands of +Curacao and Bonaire in 1972. (_Photo by D. Poppe._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 128.--When they ride the bow, the most apparent +characteristic of striped dolphins is usually the dark streak beginning +in the black coloration behind the dorsal fin and extending forward +towards but not reaching the head. This stripe is not always present, +however, and the species may sometimes appear uniformly pale gray from a +distance. (_Photo from the tropical Atlantic by H. E. Winn._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 129.--Stranded striped dolphins. Note the +distinctive black stripes 1) eye to flipper, 2) eye to anus, and 3) (on +top animal) from black behind dorsal fin forward towards but not +reaching the head. Some workers contend that striped dolphins are +separable into two species, depending on whether the eye-to-flipper +stripe has one (_Stenella coeruleoalba_) or two (_S. styx_) components. +Others contend that the two belong to the same species (_S. +coeruleoalba_). Striped dolphins have from 43 to 50 teeth in each upper +and lower jaw. (_Photos from Japan by W. E. Schevill (top) and from +Indian Rocks Beach, Fla. by W. A. Huck, courtesy of Marineland of +Florida (bottom)._)] + + + + +SADDLEBACK DOLPHIN (T) + +_Delphinus delphis_ Linnaeus 1758 + + +Other Common Names + +Saddleback porpoise, common dolphin, crisscross dolphin. + + +Description + +Saddleback dolphins reach a maximum overall length of about 8.5 feet +(2.6 m) though most individuals are less than 7.5 feet (2.3 m) long. +Males are slightly larger than females of the same age. + +The body shape varies slightly but usually closely resembles that of the +striped dolphin (p. 113). The dorsal fin varies from nearly triangular +to distinctly falcate and is pointed on the tip. It is sometimes all +black and sometimes black on the borders with a lighter grayish region +of varying size near the middle. + +The back is basically black or brownish black, but this coloration and +the extent of the striping patterns that form the impression of a saddle +and the degree of color distinction between the different zones are +highly variable. + +The chest and belly are cream white to white and are the most +distinctive features from a distance. Up close, the sides will be seen +to be distinctly marked with an hourglass or crisscross pattern of tan +or yellowish tan. This crisscross pattern is diagnostic for the species. + +The rostrum is intermediate in length and shape between that of the +spinner and that of the striped dolphin and is often black with a white +tip. + + +Natural History Notes + +Saddleback dolphins are often seen in herds of a thousand or more and +are often very active, many animals leaping clear of the water at any +time. Like spinner dolphins, saddleback dolphins are active bow-riders +and often come to the boat from considerable distances. Once on the bow +they often ride for extended periods of time. + +Saddleback dolphins feed on squid and on a variety of fishes, including +anchovies, myctophids, and hake. + + +May Be Confused With + +Saddleback dolphins might easily be confused with striped dolphins and +must be examined closely to be distinguished from them. Primary +differences apparent in encounters at sea are as follows: + + SADDLEBACK DOLPHIN STRIPED DOLPHIN + + COLORATION + + Back basically black or Back from light gray to dark + brownish; distinct white gray to bluish gray; sides + chest or belly patch; hourglass gray; belly gray or white; + or crisscross pattern on distinctive black lateral + sides, some tan to yellowish striping from 1) eye to + tan; distinct black stripe flipper, 2) eye to anus, and + from flipper to middle of 3) dark color behind dorsal + lower jaw. fin forward, towards but not + reaching head. + + LENGTH + + To 7.5 feet, rarely to 8.5 feet To 9 feet (2.7 m). + (2.3-2.6 m). + +From a distance, saddleback dolphins might also be confused with spinner +dolphins because of the habits of both species of congregating in large +schools with much jumping and splashing. Both species ride the bow wave, +and close examination should permit positive identification using the +following characteristics: + + SADDLEBACK DOLPHIN SPINNER DOLPHIN + + COLORATION + + Dark gray to brownish gray Dark gray on back; tan or + on back; white on belly with yellowish tan on sides; white + crisscross or hourglass pattern on belly; lacks crisscross + of tan to yellowish tan pattern on sides; distinct + on side; distinct black stripe black stripe from flipper to + from flipper to middle of eye. + lower jaw. + + +Distribution + +Saddleback dolphins are widely distributed in the temperate, +subtropical, and tropical waters of the western North Atlantic Ocean. +They have been reported off Newfoundland, Iceland, Nova Scotia, and the +coast of Massachusetts, south along the coast of North America to the +Caribbean (West Indies and Jamaica), in the Gulf of Mexico, and from +South American waters at least to Margarita Island, Venezuela. + +The species' occurrence in the more northerly portions of this range +during the summer and early fall months appears to coincide with the +intrusion of warm waters into those areas. They are not uncommon off +Nova Scotia in summer and fall and are casual members of the marine +mammalian fauna of the remaining Maritime Provinces during that period. + +In previous years, saddleback dolphins were not uncommonly encountered +by collectors of Marineland of Florida working the northeast coast of +Florida, but the species has been conspicuously absent since about 1960. +Reasons for this apparent shift of range are unknown. + + +Stranded Specimens + +Saddleback dolphins have from 40 to 50 small, sharply pointed teeth in +each side of both the upper and lower jaws. These numbers overlap with +only those of the striped and spinner dolphins (with 43-50 and 46-65, +respectively). Saddleback dolphins should be readily distinguishable +from both these species by the features outlined under the descriptions +of living animals and distinguishable from the bridled dolphins by the +distinctive markings on the head of the two species (see Figs. 121 and +134). + +[Illustration: Figure 130.--Saddleback dolphins captured off St. +Augustine, Fla., shown in the tank at Marineland of Florida. The highly +distinctive crisscross or hourglass pattern of tan or yellowish tan on +the sides is clearly visible. Note also the light tip of the snout and +the dark line from the center of the lower jaw to the flipper. This last +characteristic readily distinguishes the saddleback dolphin from the +striped dolphin, in which the black stripe begins at the corner of the +mouth rather than near the center of the lower jaw. (_Photos courtesy of +Marineland of Florida._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 131.--Saddleback dolphins on the bow of a ship off +Massachusetts in 1966. The color pattern, including the dark +brownish-gray back, the crisscross pattern on the sides, and the white +belly, are clearly visible. The light tip of the snout helps distinguish +this species from the spinner dolphins, which have a black-tipped snout. +(_Photo by E. Wheeler._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 132.--The distinctive crisscross pattern of the +sides of the saddleback dolphins is clearly visible even when +comparatively little of the animal is seen. Note the falcate dorsal fin, +which often, as here, is dark on the border, lighter near the center. +(_Photo by R. K. Brigham, courtesy of National Marine Fisheries +Service._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 134.--A saddleback dolphin stranded on Westerly +Beach, R.I. The origin of the common name "crisscross dolphin" is +evident in the color pattern of the side. Note also the distinctive +black stripe from the center of the lower jaw to the origin of the +flipper. (_Photo courtesy of H. E. Winn._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 133.--Saddleback dolphins frequently jump clear of +the water and may reenter in a variety of ways: 1) smoothly, head first; +2) with a chin slap; 3) with an accompanying tail lob; or 4) on the +sides or back with a splash. This habit enables them to be spotted from +a considerable distance. When stressed, herds bunch tightly together, +like the group in the bottom photo. (_Photos from off Virginia by J. G. +Mead (top) and off San Diego, Calif. by S. Leatherwood (bottom)._)] + + + + +FRASER'S DOLPHIN (T) + +_Lagenodelphis hosei_ Fraser 1956 + + +Other Common Names + +Sarawak dolphin, Bornean dolphin, Fraser's porpoise. + + +Description + +Fraser's dolphins reach an overall length of at least 8 feet (2.4 m). +They are extremely short-beaked and have a pronounced dark stripe, +similar to that found on the striped dolphin, extending from the rostrum +to the area of the anus. They are robust in build and have rather small +flippers and dorsal fin relative to body size. The dorsal fin is +slender, falcate, and pointed on the tip. The body is gray on the back +and white on the belly. The color of the side is dominated by the +striping pattern. A cream-white band beginning high on the rostrum +extends above and past the eye, continues towards the tail, and finally +dissipates in the body color above the anus. Just below and parallel to +this cream-white band is a black one extending from the area of the eye +to the anus. A second cream-white band below and parallel to this dark +strip separates the darker gray coloration of the side from the white +coloration of the belly. The flippers are dark above and below. + + +Natural History Notes + +The little that is known of the natural history and behavior of the +species may be summarized as follows: Fraser's dolphins occur in groups +of up to at least 500 animals and in the Pacific are occasionally seen +with spotted dolphins (_Stenella attenuata_). From all accounts, they +are not uncommon in certain areas of the tropical Pacific and off South +Africa. + +Fraser's dolphins appear to be deep divers. They are aggressive swimmers +and, when they surface to breathe, often charge to the surface, creating +a spray from their heads. They have also been reported leaping clear of +the water. + + +May Be Confused With + +Fraser's dolphin is intermediate in form between _Lagenorhynchus_ and +_Delphinus delphis_ (thus the composite name _Lagenodelphis_). Because +the species is apparently limited to tropical waters, however, and +because of the prominent stripe on the side of the body, Fraser's +dolphins are more likely to be confused with the striped dolphins (p. +113). The two species can be distinguished at sea by several +characteristics: + + FRASER'S DOLPHIN STRIPED DOLPHIN + + COLORATION + + Single broad black stripe Color dominated by series of + from beak and eye back to stripes from: 1) eye to anus; + area of anus. 2) eye to flipper, and 3) + black behind dorsal fin + forward, towards but not + reaching the head. + + BEAK + + Extremely short and indistinct. Longer, much more distinctive. + + BODY SHAPE + + Robust, particularly in front Slenderer. + of dorsal fin. + + FLIPPERS + + Small, dark in color, and Longer, sometimes lighter + originating in light color of on upper surface; note stripe + sides. from front of flippers to eye. + + DORSAL FIN + + Small, slender, slightly Taller dorsal fin, broader at + falcate, and pointed on top. base. + + +Distribution + +Although Fraser's dolphins have yet to be described for the western +North Atlantic Ocean, they are included here as "possibles" because of +the recent discovery that their range is far more extensive than +previously known. Records to date have been limited to offshore tropical +waters. + +The species was first described in 1956 from the remains of a +beach-washed specimen from Sarawak in the South China Sea. Since that +time specimens have been collected from the eastern tropical Pacific, +and others have stranded in such widely divergent localities as +Australia, South Africa, and Japan. Recent summaries have added sighting +records from the Central Pacific, near the Phoenix Island, from +northwest of the Galapagos Islands, and from South African waters. + + +Stranded Specimens + +Stranded Fraser's dolphins should be readily identifiable by 1) +distinctive coloration of the body; 2) short, indistinctive beak; and 3) +robust form. The only other species of small dolphins with beaks of +similar length and general appearance are the Atlantic white-sided and +white-beaked dolphins (p. 123 and 126); these dolphins, both with far +more northerly ranges, have 30-40 and 22-28 teeth in each side of each +jaw, respectively, while Fraser's dolphins have from 40 to 44 teeth in +the upper jaw and from 39 to 44 in the lower jaw. + +[Illustration: Figure 135.--Fraser's dolphins, like these photographed +off the Phoenix Islands in the Pacific (top) and this one off the +Philippines (bottom), are definitely identifiable in their tropical +range by the short snout, the dark flank stripe and the small dorsal fin +and flippers. They may reach 8 feet (2.4 m), or more, in length and +occur in herds of at least 500 animals, sometimes with spinner dolphins +or Atlantic spotted dolphins. (_Photos by K. C. Balcomb (top) and T. +Hammond (bottom)._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 136.--Fraser's dolphins from the eastern tropical +Pacific: adult (top and inset) and calf (bottom). Note the distinctive +black lateral strip and the extremely small flippers and dorsal fin. +(_Photos by R. Garvie (top and inset) and S. Leatherwood (bottom)._)] + +[Illustration] + + + + +ATLANTIC WHITE-SIDED DOLPHIN (T) + +_Lagenorhynchus acutus_ (Gray 1828) + + +Other Common Names + +Atlantic white-sided porpoise, jumper (Newfoundland). + + +Description + +Atlantic white-sided dolphins reach about 9 feet (2.7 m) in maximum +length and are robust in form with a small but distinct beak (less than +2 inches [5.1 cm] long). + +The dorsal fin is tall, distinctly back curved, and pointed on the tip. +The tail stock is extremely thick and does not narrow laterally until +very near the tail flukes. + +The back is distinctly black, the belly white. The sides have zones of +gray, tan, and white. + +The single most distinctive feature of Atlantic white-sided dolphins is +an elongated oval zone of white and yellowish white along the sides from +just below the dorsal fin to the area above the anus. These patches of +lighter coloration, clearly demarcated from each other and from the +surrounding coloration, are frequently visible simultaneously with the +dorsal fin as the animals roll at the surface to breathe. Even alone +this feature permits positive identification of the species. The dorsal +fin is often part gray, part black. The beak is all black. + + +Natural History Notes + +Atlantic white-sided dolphins are known to congregate in herds of +perhaps a thousand animals, though smaller herds are far more common. +The species is often wary of ships and does not ordinarily ride the bow +wave. Like a number of other species, white-sided dolphins have been +reported in association with Atlantic pilot whales. + + +May Be Confused With + +At sea, Atlantic white-sided dolphins are most likely to be confused +with the white-beaked dolphins, with which they overlap in distribution. +Though they are very similar in general appearance, the two can be +distinguished in the following ways: + + ATLANTIC WHITE-SIDED + DOLPHIN WHITE-BEAKED DOLPHIN + + COLORATION + + Elongated band of yellowish Two grayish areas--one in + white and white along side, front, the other below and + visible behind and below behind dorsal fin, visible as + dorsal fin as animal rolls. animal rolls. + + BEAK + + All black. Sometimes white in parts of + range though western Atlantic + animals are usually dark. + + MAXIMUM SIZE + + To 9 feet (2.7 m). To 10 feet (3.1 m). + + DORSAL FIN + + Often part black, part lighter Uniformly dark. + gray. + + +Distribution + +Atlantic white-sided dolphins are distributed, primarily offshore, in +the cool waters between the Gulf Stream and the Labrador Current. They +have been observed from Hudson Canyon, off New York City, north to +southern Greenland and perhaps Davis Straits. Their normal range shares +a southern boundary with the white-beaked dolphin but does not extend as +far to the north. + + +Stranded Specimens + +In addition to the features described above for living animals at sea, +stranded Atlantic white-sided dolphins can be distinguished from +white-beaked dolphins by the following: + + ATLANTIC WHITE-SIDED + DOLPHIN WHITE-BEAKED DOLPHIN + + NUMBER OF TEETH + + 30-40 per side per jaw, 22-28 per side per jaw; have + sometimes more in upper. larger individual teeth--to 6 + mm in diameter. + + FLIPPERS + + Lower portion of forward Lower portion of forward + margin more curved. margin less acutely curved. + + VENTRAL COLOR + + White coloration of belly White coloration of belly + extends high onto sides of extends to lower jaw but not + body. above flippers on sides. + + CAUDAL CRESTS + + Tail stock strongly compressed Tail stock less laterally + laterally; taller, narrows compressed, tapers more + rapidly just in front of flukes. gently towards tail flukes. + +[Illustration: Figure 138.--An Atlantic white-sided dolphin off the +eastern Canadian coast. These animals do not usually ride the bow wave, +but when they can be examined at close range, they can be readily +distinguished from their more northerly cousins, the white-beaked +dolphins, by their highly distinctive color pattern. (_Photo by P. B. +Beamish._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 137.--Atlantic white-sided dolphins at sea between +Cape Cod, Mass. and Nova Scotia. This species can be positively +identified by the elongated zone of white and the adjacent region of tan +or yellowish tan below and behind the dorsal fin, visible even in the +fast-swimming animal in the bottom picture. The top photo illustrates +the origin of the Newfoundland common name "jumper." (_Photos by K. C. +Balcomb (top) and H. E. Winn (bottom)._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 139.--The highly distinctive pattern of the +Atlantic white-sided dolphins is clearly visible in this animal stranded +in Scotland. Even if the color pattern has faded, however, this species +should be easy to identify. The 30-40 teeth in each of the upper and +lower jaws permit distinction from the white-beaked dolphins, which have +only about 22-28 per side in each jaw. (_Photos by B. Tullock, courtesy +of A. S. Clarke._)] + + + + +WHITE-BEAKED DOLPHIN (T) + +_Lagenorhynchus albirostris_ Gray 1846 + + +Other Common Names + +White-beaked porpoise, squidhound (Newfoundland). + + +Description + +White-beaked dolphins reach a maximum overall length of about 10 feet +(3.1 m). The body is robust in form with a tall, uniformly dark-gray +dorsal fin, and a short but distinct beak which, as the common name +implies, is often light gray to white above and below, at least in +European waters. The beak of animals in the western Atlantic populations +is less frequently white. The back and sides are basically dark gray to +black, and the belly is white to light gray. + +Swimming white-beaked dolphins can be most readily identified by the two +areas of pale coloration on the sides, one in front of and another below +and behind the dorsal fin. These areas are clearly visible from a ship +or aircraft as the animals roll at the surface. + + +Natural History Notes + +White-beaked dolphins may sometimes occur in herds of up to 1,500 +individuals. Like their cousins, the Atlantic white-sided dolphins, they +do not commonly ride the bow waves of vessels. + +White-beaked dolphins feed on squid, octopus, cod, herring, capelin, and +sometimes on benthic crustaceans. + + +May Be Confused With + +In their northerly range white-beaked dolphins are likely to be confused +with only the Atlantic white-sided dolphins. The most distinctive +features of white-beaked dolphins are 1) the two areas of paleness +described above, 2) the prominent, dark gray dorsal fin, and sometimes +3) the white beak. Other features by which the two species may be +distinguished in the brief encounters typical at sea are tabularized on +p. 127. + + +Distribution + +White-beaked dolphins are the more northerly of the two species of +_Lagenorhynchus_ in the western North Atlantic. They are found from Cape +Cod, Mass., north to western and southern Greenland and Davis Straits, +though they are apparently far more numerous to the north of this range. +They appear in Davis Straits in spring and summer and leave that area in +autumn, sometimes as late as November, to move southward. They winter as +far south as Cape Cod, where they are the common dolphin species in +April, May, and June (sometimes to July). Their migrations are poorly +known. + + +Stranded Specimens + +Stranded white-beaked dolphins can be most readily distinguished from +white-sided dolphins by the substantial differences in coloration and +the differences in numbers of teeth. + + ATLANTIC WHITE-SIDED + WHITE-BEAKED DOLPHIN DOLPHIN + + TEETH + + 22-28 per side per jaw. 30-40 per side per jaw, + sometimes more in upper + jaw. + + COLORATION + + Beak sometimes gray or Beak all black; side marked + white above and below; two with elongated areas of + pale areas visible on living white with streaking patterns + animals not visible on stranded of yellow and tan. + specimens. + +Additional characteristics by which the two species may be distinguished +are summarized on p. 123. + +[Illustration: Figure 140.--Two views of white-beaked dolphins off +Newfoundland. This species is characterized by a prominent uniform dark +gray dorsal fin and two areas of paleness on the sides, one in front of +and one below and behind the dorsal fin. White-beaked dolphins are +distributed from Newfoundland north, extending to more northerly waters +than Atlantic white-sided dolphins. (_Photos by H. E. Winn (bottom) and +W. A. Watkins (top)._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 141.--White-beaked dolphins reach nearly 10 feet +(3.1 m) in length. Stranded animals, such as this specimen from +Scotland, should be distinguishable from Atlantic white-sided dolphins +by their differences in coloration. This species sometimes has a white +beak and always lacks the elongated white patch and tan or yellow +streaking found on the side of Atlantic white-sided dolphins. (_Photos +by A. S. Clarke._)] + + + + +ATLANTIC BOTTLENOSED DOLPHIN (T) + +_Tursiops truncatus_ (Montague 1821) + + +Other Common Names + +Bottlenosed porpoise, gray porpoise, common porpoise.[12] + +[Footnote 12: See also p. 150 for use of this common name for another +species, the harbor porpoise.] + + +Description + +Atlantic bottlenosed dolphins reach a maximum overall length of about 12 +feet (3.7 m) and weigh in excess of 1,430 pounds (650 kg). They have +relatively stubby snouts and dorsal fins, which are broad at the base, +tall, and falcate. Coloration varies slightly, but individuals are +usually dark gray on the back, lighter gray on the side, grading to +white or pink on the belly. Old females may have spots on the belly. The +dark coloration of the back often appears as a highly distinct cape, +particularly on the head. + + +Natural History Notes + +Atlantic bottlenosed dolphins often occur in groups of up to several +hundred individuals which usually consist of aggregations of small +groups of no more than a dozen animals each. They frequently associate +with the Atlantic pilot whales and are frequently found accompanying the +right and humpback whales travelling along the Atlantic coast of +Florida. + +Atlantic bottlenosed dolphins have catholic tastes, feeding on shrimp, +eels, catfish, menhadden mullet, and miscellaneous trash fish, to +mention only a few. They are frequently found near shrimp boats, feeding +on fish stirred up by the trawls or on discarded trash fish. + +They sometimes move in to ride the bow wave of a vessel, turning on +their sides, sometimes spinning completely around on their longitudinal +axis when doing so. Individuals may also turn their heads downward or to +the side. They are often found close to shore, in bays and lagoons, and +sometimes venture up the larger rivers. Some individuals, especially the +larger animals, are found as far offshore as the edge of the continental +shelf. Atlantic bottlenosed dolphins sometimes ride the surf. +Individuals may jump clear of the water as high as 15-20 feet (4.6-6.1 +m), a behavior on which aquarium shows have capitalized. + +Members of this species are the dolphins most commonly maintained in +captivity at zoos, aquariums, marine parks, and research institutions. +For that reason, they are perhaps more familiar to the general public +than any other species of porpoise, dolphin, or whale. + + +May Be Confused With + +From at least Cape Hatteras southward, the range of the Atlantic +bottlenosed dolphins distributed in inshore areas may overlap with that +of Atlantic spotted dolphins, particularly during the spring and summer, +when the Atlantic spotted dolphins move inshore. There the two species +may be confused. The Atlantic bottlenosed dolphins and the Atlantic +spotted dolphins can be distinguished, however, by the following +characteristics: + + ATLANTIC ATLANTIC + BOTTLENOSED DOLPHIN SPOTTED DOLPHIN + + MAXIMUM SIZE + + 8 feet to as much as 12 feet 7.5-8 feet (2.3-2.4 m). + (2.4 to 3.7 m). + + COLORATION + + Not spotted (old females may Dark purplish gray on back; + have spots on belly); dark lighter gray on sides and + gray on back; light gray on belly; body becomes increasingly + sides; white or pink on belly. spotted with age. + + HEAD AND BEAK + + Head robust; beak relatively Head more slender; beak + short. longer. + +Some Atlantic bottlenosed dolphins are distributed well offshore as far +as the edge of the continental shelf. Those individuals may be confused +with either rough-toothed dolphins (p. 135) or with grampus (p. 96). +They may be distinguished from rough-toothed dolphins by the following: + + ATLANTIC BOTTLENOSED + DOLPHIN ROUGH-TOOTHED DOLPHIN + + BODY COLOR + + Dark gray on back; light Dark gray, almost purplish + gray on side; white or pink on with yellow spots; lighter on + belly. belly. + + SNOUT + + Relatively short and stubby, Long and slender; not + and clearly demarcated from clearly demarcated from + forehead; usually all gray; forehead; lower jaw and lips + some older individuals have speckled white. + white-tipped snouts and/or + white lips. + +Distinguishing differences between the Atlantic bottlenosed dolphins in +offshore areas and grampus are tabularized on p. 96. + +In northeastern South America the range of the Atlantic bottlenosed +dolphin apparently overlaps with that of the Guiana dolphin, which, +except for size, it closely resembles (see p. 132). + + +Distribution + +The Atlantic bottlenosed dolphins are widely distributed in the +temperate and tropical waters of the western North Atlantic. They are +known from at least Nova Scotia but are best known from New England +southward to Florida, westward in the Gulf of Mexico, and thence +throughout the West Indies and Caribbean to Venezuela. + +In the northern portion of that range, Atlantic bottlenosed dolphins are +distributed offshore. In the southern portions of their range from at +least North Carolina southward, the majority are found nearshore and +often enter bays and lagoons, and sometimes venture up the larger +rivers. Daily migrations in these areas may follow tidal flow. + +In these same southerly areas some Atlantic bottlenosed dolphins are +distributed as far offshore as the edge of the continental shelf. + + +Stranded Specimens + +Within their range, stranded Atlantic bottlenosed dolphins should be +readily identifiable by 1) the robust body, 2) relatively short beak, +and 3) the 20-26 teeth in each upper jaw and 18-24 in each lower jaw. + +[Illustration: Figure 142.--Atlantic bottlenosed dolphins leaping on the +bow of a research vessel between Cape Cod, Mass. and Nova Scotia. Note +the robust body, the falcate dorsal fin, and the gradation of color in +three zones--dark gray on the back, to lighter gray on the sides, to +white or pink on the belly. (_Photo by A. Taruski._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 143.--A side view of the Atlantic bottlenosed +dolphins off St. Augustine, Fla. Note the dark grayish coloration of the +back, the lighter coloration of the side, and the tall, sharply angled +dorsal fin, pointed on the tip. Though dorsal fin shapes are highly +variable, dorsal fins of the Atlantic bottlenosed dolphin are usually +more falcate and less pointed on the tip than on these animals. (_Photo +courtesy of Marineland of Florida._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 144.--Atlantic bottlenosed dolphins frequently +ride the bow wave, often turning on their sides as they do so. Note the +distinctive color zones, the characteristic shape of the head and beak, +and the smooth lines of the flippers. (_Photo by L. Rigley._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 145.--An Atlantic bottlenosed dolphin taken at +Isla La Blanquilla, off Venezuela. Because they inhabit shallow waters, +Atlantic bottlenosed dolphins are infrequent victims of strandings. +(_Photo courtesy of F. Cervigon._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 146.--Atlantic bottlenosed dolphins have from 20 +to 26 teeth in each side of the upper jaw and from 18 to 24 in each side +of the lower jaw. These teeth, sharply pointed in younger animals, may +wear substantially as the animal ages. (_Photo courtesy of Wometco Miami +Seaquarium._)] + + + + +GUIANA DOLPHIN (T) + +_Sotalia guianensis_ (P.-J. van Beneden 1864) + + +Other Common Names + +None known. + + +Description + +Guiana dolphins are the second smallest cetacean species in the western +North Atlantic, reaching a maximum length of only about 5.6 feet (1.7 +m). + +Their body shape is very similar to that of the Atlantic bottlenosed +dolphin, though the beak is less clearly demarcated from the forehead. + +The rather prominent dorsal fin is nearly triangular, curving only +slightly backwards near the tip. + +Guiana dolphins are steel blue to dark brown on the back and white on +the belly. There is sometimes a brownish band extending from the dark +color of the back in front of the dorsal fin back towards but not +reaching the anus. + + +Natural History Notes + +Guiana dolphins are usually found in groups of fewer than 10 +individuals. + + +May Be Confused With + +Because of their limited range and specialized habitats, Guiana dolphins +are unlikely to be confused with any other cetacean species except +perhaps Atlantic bottlenosed dolphins (p. 128). These two species can be +distinguished by the following characteristics: + + GUIANA DOLPHINS ATLANTIC BOTTLENOSED + DOLPHINS + + SIZE + + To only 5.6 feet (1.7 m). 8 to as much as 12 feet + (2.4 to 3.7 m). + + DORSAL FIN + + More nearly triangular; curved Broad-based, tall, and + only slightly backwards falcate. + near tip. + + DISTRIBUTION + + Found in rivers and estuaries, Sometimes found nearshore + extend into only very and in bays, river mouths, + shallow nearshore waters on and estuaries, but extend + limited area of South American farther offshore. + coast. + + +Distribution + +Guiana dolphins are found in Lake Maracaibo, in the rivers of Guyana, +and in the nearshore coastal waters of the northeastern portion of the +Guianas. + + +Stranded Specimens + +In their very limited range, stranded Guiana dolphins can be readily +identified by their extremely small size (to 5.6 feet [1.7 m]) and +nearly triangular dorsal fin. Furthermore, in addition to the +characteristics listed above distinguishing living Guiana dolphins from +Atlantic bottlenosed dolphins, the species can be distinguished by +differences in the numbers of teeth: + + ATLANTIC BOTTLENOSED GUIANA DOLPHINS + DOLPHINS + + TEETH + + 20-26 in each upper jaw; 26-35 in each jaw; often + 18-26 in each lower jaw. ragged in arrangement. + +[Illustration: Figure 147.--A Guiana dolphin from Kartabo, British +Guiana. In the coastal portion of its range along the northeastern South +American coast, this species is most likely to be confused with the +Atlantic bottlenosed dolphin. Guiana dolphins are much smaller, rarely +exceeding 5.6 feet (1.7 m), have a more triangular dorsal fin, and tend +to be found more frequently in estuaries and rivers. (_Photo by A. B. +Van Beneden from Zoologica VII(4), by permission of the New York +Zoological Society._)] + +[Illustration] + +[Illustration: Figure 148.--Guiana dolphins harpooned in Kartabo, +British Guiana. Guiana dolphins have from 26 to 35 teeth in each jaw. +Atlantic bottlenosed dolphins, which are larger but somewhat similar in +appearance, have from 20 to 26 teeth in each upper jaw and from 18 to 26 +in each lower jaw. (_Photo by A. B. Van Beneden from Zoologica VII (4), +by permission of the New York Zoological Society._)] + + + + +ROUGH-TOOTHED DOLPHIN (T) + +_Steno bredanensis_ (G. Cuvier in Lesson 1828) + + +Other Common Names + +Rough-toothed porpoise, goggle-eyed porpoise. + + +Description + +Rough-toothed dolphins reach a length of at least 8 feet (2.4 m). The +coloration of the rough-toothed dolphins is quite variable. Individuals +are often dark gray to dark purplish gray on the back with pinkish-white +blotches on the sides and belly. The flippers and flukes are dark and +the belly is white. Individuals are frequently scarred with numerous +white streaks. + +The most distinctive characteristic of the rough-toothed dolphin is its +beak, which is quite long and slender, may be white or pinkish white +along both sides, including one or both lips and the tip of the snout, +and is not separated from the forehead by the transverse groove present +in other long-snouted dolphins. Because the forehead and the sides of +the head slope smoothly into the rostrum, when this animal is seen from +above or from the side, its entire head appears very long and nearly +conical. + + +Natural History Notes + +Rough-toothed dolphins occur in small groups of 50 animals or fewer and +are usually found off the edge of the continental slope. They may ride +the bow waves. + + +May Be Confused With + +In their offshore habitat, rough-toothed dolphins are most likely to be +confused with Atlantic spotted dolphins (p. 104) and with Atlantic +bottlenosed dolphins (p. 128). They may be distinguished from Atlantic +spotted dolphins by the following: + + ROUGH-TOOTHED DOLPHIN ATLANTIC SPOTTED DOLPHIN + + SNOUTS + + Long and slender; not clearly Moderate in length and + demarcated from forehead. clearly demarcated from + forehead. + + +They may be distinguished from Atlantic bottlenosed dolphins by the +characteristics tabularized on p. 128. + +Even at a distance the blotched coloration of the side and the white +coloration of the rostrum of rough-toothed dolphins may be visible. If +closer examination is possible, the distinctive shape and coloration of +the beak make positive identification easy. + + +Distribution + +Though records of rough-toothed dolphins from the western North Atlantic +are scant, the species is assumed to be widely distributed in deep +tropical to warm temperate waters. It has been reported from Virginia, +Georgia, Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, the West Indies, and off the +northeastern coast of South America. + + +Stranded Specimens + +In addition to the characteristics listed above for distinguishing +living animals, stranded rough-toothed dolphins can be readily +identified by the fact that the 20-27 fairly large teeth per jaw per +side have a series of fine vertical wrinkles on the crown, a +characteristic from which the species derives its common name. (These +wrinkles are often difficult to detect.) + +[Illustration: Figure 149.--Captive rough-toothed dolphins in Japan. +Note the distinctive, smoothly tapering head and the white coloration of +the sides and front of the snout. Rough-toothed dolphins are probably +widely distributed in the offshore waters of the tropics. The streamers +on the backs of the animals are marker tags (see Appendix A.) (_Photo +courtesy of Japanese Whales Research Institute._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 150.--Closeups of the highly distinctive head of a +rough-toothed dolphin showing the white lips and the lack of a clear +demarcation between the snout and the forehead. This species has from 20 +to 27 fairly large teeth in each side of both the upper and lower jaws. +(_Photos at Sea Life Park, Hawaii, by K. C. Balcomb (top) and S. +Leatherwood (bottom)._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 151.--A rough-toothed dolphin stranded near New +Smyrna Beach, Fla. This species has from 20 to 27 fairly large teeth in +each side of both the upper and lower jaws. Those teeth are sometimes +marked by many fine vertical wrinkles along the crown, a characteristic +from which the species derives its common name. (_Photos by D. K. +Caldwell._)] + + + + +PYGMY KILLER WHALE (T) + +_Feresa attenuata_ Gray 1874 + + +Other Common Names + +Slender blackfish, slender pilot whale. + + +Description + +Pygmy killer whales reach a length of about 8-9 feet (2.4-2.7 m). They +are usually relatively slender-bodied with a rounded head, an underslung +jaw, and no beak. + +The falcate dorsal fin, located about the center of the back, is usually +between 8 and 12 inches (20.3 and 30.1 cm) tall (though it may reach 15 +inches [38 cm] in some individuals), is sometimes very distinctive, and +resembles that of the Atlantic bottlenosed dolphin. The flippers are +slightly rounded on the tips. + +The color has been described as dark gray or black on the back, often +lighter on the sides, extending higher in front of the dorsal fin and +with a small zone of white on the underside, often a lighter gray area +on the sides, and distinctive white regions around the lips. The chin +may be completely white. This white zone on the chin, described as a +"goatee," is often clearly visible in swimming animals. + + +May Be Confused With + +The pygmy killer whale resembles the false killer whale but is much +smaller and can be distinguished at close range by the zones of white +coloration. False killer whales are almost all black and reach a length +of up to at least 18 feet (5.5 m). Pygmy killer whales are dark gray on +the back, often lighter on the sides, and show a region of white on the +belly which may extend so high up onto the sides that it is visible on a +swimming animal. Further, they reach only 8-9 feet (2.4-2.7 m). + +Pygmy killer whales may also be confused with the similarly sized and +colored many-toothed blackfish. So little is known of the two species' +appearance and behavior at sea that it is doubtful that they can be +successfully distinguished, though many-toothed blackfish apparently +lack the white region often seen on the sides of pygmy killer whales. +Further, pygmy killer whales have rounded flippers and smoothly tapered +heads, while those of the many-toothed blackfish are pointed on the tip +and more sharply pointed (often described as a parrot beak). + + +Distribution + +Pygmy killer whales are probably distributed in the tropical and +subtropical waters of the western North Atlantic. They have been +reported from Texas, the Atlantic coast of Florida, and St. Vincent +Island, Lesser Antilles. Records of the species from the other oceans of +the world suggest that its distribution is limited to tropical and +subtropical waters. + + +Stranded Specimens + +Stranded pygmy killer whales can be clearly distinguished from both the +false killer whale and the many-toothed blackfish. In addition to the +differences discussed above, the following are key differences between +the pygmy and false killer whales: + + PYGMY KILLER WHALE FALSE KILLER WHALE + + TEETH + + 10-13 in each side of upper 8-11 per jaw per side, + and lower jaws; lower teeth prominent. + smaller. + + VENTRAL COLORATION + + White from anus to under tail Dark from anus to tail stock; + stock, white may extend up lighter pale gray area forward + sides. between flippers. + + FLIPPERS + + Smoothly rounded. Characteristic hump on forward + margin. + +Pygmy killer whales can be distinguished from many-toothed blackfish on +the basis of the second species' larger number of teeth. (Many-toothed +blackfish have from 22 to 25 teeth in the upper jaw and from 21 to 24 in +the lower jaw.) + +[Illustration: Figure 152.--Pygmy killer whales at sea northwest of +Hawaii (top) off the island of Oahu, Hawaii (middle), and from +southeastern Florida in the tank at the Wometco Miami Seaquarium +(bottom). When swimming rapidly, pygmy killer whales may closely +resemble the much larger false killer whales. In addition to their much +smaller size, rarely exceeding 9 feet (2.7 m), however, pygmy killer +whales can be distinguished by their more rounded head, the white +coloration of the lips and chin, and the white zone on the belly, +sometimes extending up the sides. (_Photos by S. Ohsumi (top); J. +Naughton, National Marine Fisheries Service and courtesy of E. +Shallenberger, Sea Life Park (middle); and courtesy of Wometco Miami +Seaquarium (bottom)._)] + +[Illustration] + +[Illustration: Figure 153.--Pygmy killer whales 5 miles off Kaena Point, +Oahu, Hawaii. These individuals were dark on the back with varying +degrees of lighter coloration on the sides, extending high onto the +sides in front of the dorsal fin. Many had a white "goatee" on the chin +and lower jaw. The prominent dorsal fin is characteristic. (_Photos by +E. Shallenberger, courtesy of Sea Life Park, Hawaii._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 154.--Side and belly views of a pygmy killer whale +from South Africa. Note the slight white coloration of the lips, the +white region on the ventral surface (extending up onto the sides just +below the dorsal fin), and the falcate sharply pointed dorsal fin. Note +also the flippers, which lack the hump on the forward margin +characteristic of false killer whales. (_Photos courtesy of P. B. +Best._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 155.--Pygmy killer whales have from 8 to 11 teeth +in each side of the upper jaw and from 11 to 13 in each side of the +lower jaw. Many specimens reportedly have one fewer on the right than on +the left side. The teeth are smaller than those of the false killer +whale and far less numerous than those of the more closely sized +many-toothed blackfish. Note also the white lips. (_Photo courtesy of P. +B. Best_)] + + + + +MANY-TOOTHED BLACKFISH (T) + +_Peponocephala electra_ (Gray 1846) + + +Other Common Names + +Hawaiian blackfish, melon-headed whale. + + +Description + +Many-toothed blackfish reach lengths of at least 9 feet (2.7 m) and are +similar in body shape to the larger false killer whale and the +similar-sized pygmy killer whale. The body is elongated and slim with a +rather slim tail stock. In general, the head is shaped like that of the +false killer whale but has a sharper appearance to the snout, sometimes +described as a parrot-beak. The forehead is rounded, slightly +overhanging the lower jaw, and has no beak. The dorsal fin is up to 10 +inches (25.4 cm). It is probably very distinctive as the animals surface +to breathe. Many-toothed blackfish are black on the back and slightly +lighter on the belly. The areas around the anus and genitals and the +lips are unpigmented. Many-toothed blackfish are presumably rare. + + +May Be Confused With + +Many-toothed blackfish may be confused with either the false killer +whale or the pygmy killer whale. They are considerably smaller than the +false killer whale, have a slightly more pointed snout, and lack the +prominent humplike forward margin on the flippers which is +characteristic of the false killer whale. + +They are approximately the same size as pygmy killer whales, but the +white area around the genitals which extends up onto the side in pygmy +killer whales may be lacking in many-toothed blackfish. This species has +pointed flippers, while those of pygmy killer whales are rounded on the +tips. Many-toothed blackfish also have a slightly more pointed snout. +Otherwise, the two species are virtually indistinguishable in encounters +at sea. + + +Distribution + +Although many-toothed blackfish have not yet been reported in the +western North Atlantic, they are included in this guide because of a +record from the eastern tropical North Atlantic and the known tropical +distribution in other areas. + + +Stranded Specimens + +Stranded many-toothed blackfish can be distinguished from false killer +and pygmy killer whales by the number of teeth alone. Many-toothed +blackfish have more than 15 per side per jaw (usually 21-25); both other +species have less than 15. + +[Illustration: Figure 156.--A live many-toothed blackfish in a holding +pen in the Philippines. At sea these animals will be virtually +impossible to distinguish from pygmy killer whales. (_Photos by T. +Hammond._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 157.--A many-toothed blackfish stranded in Hawaii. +This species is smaller than the false killer whale and can be +positively identified by the number of teeth, larger than any other +blackfish. Many-toothed blackfish have from 21 to 25 teeth per side in +both the upper and lower jaws. Other blackfish species have fewer than +15; otherwise, with the exception of differences in flipper shape (those +of this species are pointed while those of pygmy killer whales are +rounded on the tip), coloration and body shape of the two species are +similar. (_Photo courtesy of T. Dohl._)] + + + + +PYGMY SPERM WHALE (T) + +_Kogia breviceps_ (Blainville 1838) + + +Other Common Names + +None known. + + +Description + +Pygmy sperm whales reach a length of at least 11 feet (3.4 m). They are +characterized by 1) an extremely robust body that rapidly tapers near +the tail, 2) a squarish head, and 3) a narrow, underslung lower jaw +which is located well behind the tip of the snout. Along the side of the +head, in approximately the same position where gill slits would be +located on a fish of comparable size, there is a crescent-shaped bracket +mark, often called a false gill. + +The flippers, which are smoothly curved on the forward margin and may +reach a length of 18 inches (45.7 cm) or more on an adult specimen, are +located well forward on the body, just below and behind the bracket +mark. + +The dorsal fin is very small, falcate, and located in the latter half of +the back. + +Though coloration can be described only from stranded specimens and a +few encounters with living animals, pygmy sperm whales appear to be dark +steel gray on the back, shading to a lighter gray on the sides, and +gradually fading to a dull white on the belly. The outer surface of the +flippers and the upper surface of the tail flukes are also steel gray. + + +Natural History Notes + +From the few accounts, the following may be summarized about the +behavior of pygmy sperm whales at sea: They reportedly usually rise +slowly to the surface to breathe, produce a blow that is inconspicuous, +and do not normally roll aggressively at the surface like most other +species of small whales. They reportedly fold their flippers flat +against their bodies when swimming. They have been reported to lie +motionless in the water with the back of the head on the surface and the +tail hanging loosely down in the water. (A similar behavior in sperm +whales has made them a minor hazard to shipping, since it has resulted +in some collisions with ships.) When they are startled in this posture, +they may defecate, issuing a cloud of reddish brown to rust-colored +fece. Beached pygmy sperm whales have also been observed to defecate a +fine chocolate feces. + +Pygmy sperm whales apparently feed primarily on squid, but do take fish +as well. + + +May Be Confused With + +In general, when they can be examined at close range, pygmy sperm whales +are so distinctive that they are unlikely to be confused with any other +species except perhaps the dwarf sperm whales. At a distance, they might +be confused with small individuals of any of the beaked-whale species +(p. 78) that also have a relatively small, falcate dorsal fin located in +the latter third of the back. Closer examination should permit easy +separation, however, since the pygmy sperm whale has a blunted head, +while the beaked whales, as the name implies, have elongated +"dolphinlike" beaks and are considerably larger. At sea, pygmy sperm +whales are most likely to be confused with their cousins the dwarf sperm +whales (p. 148 and Fig. 160). The two species can be distinguished as +follows: + + PYGMY SPERM WHALE DWARF SPERM WHALE + + MAXIMUM SIZE + + To 11 feet (3.4 m). To 9 feet (2.7 m). + + DORSAL FIN + + Small to 8 inches (20.3 cm), Taller, more like that of + falcate; located in latter third bottlenosed dolphins; located + of back. near the midpoint of the + back. + + COLORATION + + Both species are dark steel gray on the back, grading to + lighter on the belly. + + +Distribution + +Because they have been rarely observed at sea, normal ranges for this +species are not known. Based on stranding records, however, the +following can be stated. In the western North Atlantic, pygmy sperm +whales have been found as far north as Sable Island, Halifax, Nova +Scotia, as far south as Cuba, and as far west as Texas in the Gulf of +Mexico. They are frequently found stranded along the Atlantic coast of +Florida and throughout the eastern and northern Gulf of Mexico. + + +Stranded Specimens + +Because of the distinctive characters of the genus, stranded pygmy and +dwarf sperm whales are unlikely to be confused with any other species of +cetacean, though the rather narrow underslung jaw and the blunted head +may result in their casual dismissal by some beach walkers as stranded +sharks. The two species of Kogia may be distinguished by the following: + + PYGMY SPERM WHALE DWARF SPERM WHALE + + TEETH + + 12-16 (rarely 10-11) in lower 8-11 (rarely 13) small and + jaw are larger; no teeth in extremely sharp teeth in + upper. lower jaw; sometimes have + up to 3 teeth in each upper + jaw. + + THROAT + + No creases or grooves on Several short irregular creases + throat. or grooves on throat. + +[Illustration: Figure 158.--In this rare photograph of a pygmy sperm +whale at sea in the Pacific, the animal was startled by the approaching +vessel, circled quickly, and then dived out of sight. The trail of +material visible in the water in front of and to the right of the animal +is feces, reddish brown to rust in color. Startled whales and porpoises +often defecate in this manner. (_Photo by S. Ohsumi._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 159.--A young pygmy sperm whale swimming in a tank +at the New York Aquarium. Note the shape and position of the dorsal fin +and the shape of the head. (_Photo by H. E. Winn._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 160.--On the beach the two species of Kogia can be +readily distinguished. The pygmy sperm whale, _K. breviceps_, (top) +reaches a length of about 11 feet (3.4 m); its dorsal fin is a small +nubbin located in the latter half of the back. The dwarf sperm whale, +_K. simus_, (bottom) reaches only about 9 feet (2.7 m); its dorsal fin, +much taller and more "dolphinlike" in appearance, is located near the +middle of the back. Coloration of fresh specimens is probably similar +for both species--the lightened areas in the lower photograph are the +result of decomposition. (_Photos from Jekyll Island, Ga. (top) and +Atlantic Beach, Fla. (bottom) by D. K. Caldwell._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 161.--Ventral view of a female pygmy sperm whale +from Jekyll Island, Ga. Note the position and shape of the flippers and +mouth, and the abrupt tapering of the body at the tail stock. (_Photo by +D. K. Caldwell._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 162.--Head of a pygmy sperm whale from +northeastern Florida showing gill-like, lightly pigmented "bracket +marks." (_Photo by F. G. Wood._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 163.--A detailed view of the mouth of a pygmy +sperm whale from the east coast of Florida. In both species of Kogia +these long, curved, needle-sharp teeth, found in only the lower jaw, +lock into sockets in the upper jaw. Pygmy sperm whales have from 12 to +16 (rarely 10 or 11) pairs of teeth; dwarf sperm whales have from 8 to +11 (rarely 13) pairs. (_Photo by D. K. Caldwell._)] + + + + +DWARF SPERM WHALE (T) + +_Kogia simus_ (Owen 1866) + + +Other Common Names + +Rat porpoise (West Indies). + + +Description + +Dwarf sperm whales reach an overall length of approximately 9 feet (2.7 +m). Like the other species of _Kogia_, the pygmy sperm whale (p. 144), +the dwarf sperm whales are characterized by 1) a squarish head, 2) an +extremely robust body which tapers rapidly near the tail stock, 3) a +narrow, underslung lower jaw, and 4) a bracket mark or false gill on the +side of the head. + +The dorsal fin of this species is tall and falcate, closely resembling +that of the Atlantic bottlenosed dolphin, and is located near the +midpoint of the back. There are several short, irregular creases or +grooves on the throat similar to those found on the sperm whale (see +Figs. 60, 165). + +Dwarf sperm whales are dark steel gray on the back, grading to lighter +gray on the sides, and fading to dull white on the belly. + + +May Be Confused With + +Because of their tall, falcate dorsal fin, dwarf sperm whales may be +confused at a distance with any of the small dolphin species. Their +all-black or dark steel-gray coloration and the blunted head increase +the likelihood that they can be confused with pygmy killer whales or +many-toothed blackfish. They will have to be examined at close range +before they can be distinguished. + +Dwarf sperm whales may also be confused with pygmy sperm whales (p. 144 +and Fig. 160). The two species can be differentiated by the +characteristics tabularized on p. 144. + + +Distribution + +Since it has only recently been recognized as a species distinct from +the pygmy sperm whale and even more recently given a common name, +records of dwarf sperm whales may have been confused with those of its +close relatives. The dwarf sperm whale has been reported from at least +Georgia south to St. Vincent, Lesser Antilles, and throughout the +eastern and northern Gulf of Mexico. It is highly likely that this +species, like the pygmy sperm whale, extends further to the north. + + +Stranded Specimens + +Because of the distinctive characteristics of the genus, neither species +of stranded _Kogia_ is likely to be confused with any other species. +They can be distinguished from one another by the characteristics +tabularized on p. 144. + +[Illustration: Figure 164.--A dwarf sperm whale stranded near St. +Augustine, Fla., shown swimming in the tank at Marineland of Florida. In +this species the dorsal fin is taller than that of the pygmy sperm whale +and is located near the midpoint of the back (see Figs. 159 and 160). +(_Photo courtesy of Marineland of Florida._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 165.--Dwarf sperm whales have several short +creases on the throat, similar to those found on the sperm whale (see +Fig. 60); pygmy sperm whales lack these creases. To compare other +features of the two species, refer back to Figure 160. (_Photo by D. K. +Caldwell._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 166.--Closeup of the tail flukes of a dwarf sperm +whale from the Florida east coast. Note that the dorsal ridge extends +almost to the notch in the flukes. (_Photo by W. A. Huck, courtesy of +Marineland of Florida._)] + + + + +HARBOR PORPOISE (T) + +_Phocoena phocoena_ (Linnaeus 1758) + + +Other Common Names + +Common porpoise, herring hog, puffing pig (Newfoundland and New +England), Pourcils (Quebec), harbour porpoise. + + +Description + +The harbor porpoise is the smallest cetacean species in the western +North Atlantic Ocean, reaching a maximum overall length of about 5 feet +(1.5 m). Its most distinctive identifying features in encounters at sea +are 1) the small, chunky body; 2) the coloration, dark brown or gray on +the back, fading to lighter grayish brown on the sides, often with +speckling in the transition zone, and white on the belly extending +farther up on the sides in front of the dorsal fin; 3) the small rounded +head, lacking a distinctive beak; 4) the small, triangular dorsal fin; +and 5) the shallow, inshore northerly distribution. + + +Natural History Notes + +As the name implies, the harbor porpoise inhabits bays, harbors, river +mouths, and all the relatively shallow inshore water between. Though it +may travel in schools of nearly a hundred individuals, it is more often +seen in pairs or in small groups of from 5 to 10 individuals. It often +swims quietly at the surface. It will not ride the bow wave and is very +difficult to approach closely by boat. + + +May Be Confused With + +The harbor porpoise is not known to associate with dolphins but is +sometimes seen in close proximity to fin whales and humpback whales off +the Canadian coast in spring and summer. Because of its northern inshore +habitat, the harbor porpoise is not likely to be confused with any other +cetacean. + + +Distribution + +Harbor porpoises are restricted to the colder waters of the western +North Atlantic Ocean. They have been reported from North Carolina north +to the Davis Straits and the waters of southwestern Greenland. Within +this range they are probably most common in the Bay of Fundy and off +southwest Greenland. + + +Stranded Specimens + +In addition to the characteristics described above for living animals, +stranded harbor porpoises can be readily identified by the small +spade-shaped teeth, 22-28 per jaw. + +[Illustration: Figure 167.--Two views of a harbor porpoise just offshore +from Rio del Mar, Seaside, Calif. Note the small size (usually less than +5 feet [1.5 m]), the small triangular dorsal fin, the dark brownish +color of the back, and the lighter color of the sides and belly +intruding higher up in front of the dorsal fin. Harbor porpoises +frequent inshore areas, shallow bays, estuaries and harbors, and +reportedly do not approach moving vessels nor ride bow waves. (_Photos +by J. D. Hall._)] + +[Illustration: Figure 168.--A harbor porpoise harpooned in Passamaquoddy +Bay, New Brunswick. Harbor porpoises have from 23 to 28 small, +spade-shaped teeth in each upper jaw and from 22 to 26 in each lower +jaw. Note the rounded head, the absence of a beak, and the triangular +dorsal fin. (_Photo by D. E. Gaskin._)] + + + + +ACKNOWLEDGMENTS + +Obviously this guide could not have been produced without the +cooperation of many people. Of over 450 individuals and scientific +organizations contacted in 14 countries, 255 responded to our letters +and well over 100 provided photographs for review and selection. We were +particularly pleased that for the majority of the species found in the +western North Atlantic our most difficult problem was narrowing the +choices and ultimately selecting illustrations from the many good +materials made available to us. Although there are far too many +contributors to mention all by name, their prompt and enthusiastic +responses to requests for help are gratefully acknowledged, whether or +not their materials were used. + +Although photo credits follow each figure, we would particularly like to +cite the generosity of Marineland of Florida, Hideo Omura of the +Japanese Whales Research Institute, J.G. Mead of the U.S. National +Museum, K.C. Balcomb of Moclips Cetological Society, Seiji Ohsumi of the +Far Seas Fisheries Research Laboratory, Jack Lentfer of the Alaskan +Department of Fish and Game, the U.S. Naval Undersea Center (NUC), The +University of Rhode Island, and William F. Perrin of the National Marine +Fisheries Service (NMFS). Photographs by Taruski, McCann, Hain, Wheeler, +and Rigley are in Winn's files. All others are in the files of +Leatherwood and Caldwell. The illustrations for Figures B1 and D1 were +prepared by George Galich of NUC. All other illustrations were prepared +by Lois Winn. + +The extensive and often tedious job of preparing black and white +photographs of suitable format from the vast array of black and white +and color negatives and prints and from color transparencies was +accomplished at the NUC Photographic Laboratory by the able team of +Domingo Sanchez, Ray Krenik, Jeanne Lucas, and Alan McPhee. + +George E. Lingle and John C. Moore assisted with gathering and reviewing +the literature and with cataloging and screening photo materials. + +The various drafts of the manuscript were typed by Linda Thomson, +Margaret Alvarez, and Sandra Nolan. Sandra Peterson assisted with +proofreading the later drafts. + +In preparing this guide we drew freely from the literature on cetaceans +of this region and supplemented it with our own observations and with +unpublished notes provided by our colleagues. A partial list of +materials used, each a good source of reference material on cetaceans in +general or on cetaceans of the western North Atlantic in particular, is +provided in the following section, "Selected Bibliography." + +All of the following colleagues read all or part of the manuscript and +made useful suggestions for its improvement: K.C. Balcomb, W.C. +Cummings, J.G. Mead, Hideo Omura, W.F. Perrin, F.K. Rodgers, Allen N. +Saltzman, D.E. Sergeant, W.A. Watkins, A.A. Wolman, and F.G. Wood. + +All of the information and photographs contributed by Lois Winn were +obtained under grants from the Office of Naval Research. Funds and +assistance for the preparation of intermediated drafts and logistics +support for all stages of preparation of this guide were provided by +Biological Systems, Inc., St. Augustine, Fla. + +In addition to securing funds for the preparation and publication of +this guide, Paul Sund, Platforms of Opportunity Program, NMFS, Tiburon, +Calif., provided continuing help and criticism. + +To these and to all who use this guide to further help knowledge about +the cetaceans of the western North Atlantic, we are grateful. + + + + +SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY + +ANDERSEN, H. T. (editor). + + 1969. The biology of marine mammals. Academic Press, N.Y., 511 p. + +BURT, W. H. + + 1952. A field guide to the mammals. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, + 200 p. + +CALDWELL, D. K., and M. C. CALDWELL. + + 1973. Marine mammals of the eastern Gulf of Mexico. _In_ J. I. Jones, + R. E. Ring, M. O. Rinkel, and R. E. Smith (editors), A summary of + knowledge of the eastern Gulf of Mexico, p. III-I-1--III-I-23. + State Univ. Syst. Fla. Inst. Oceanogr., St. Petersburg, Fla. + +CALDWELL, D. K., and F. B. GOLLEY. + + 1965. Marine mammals from the coast of Georgia to Cape Hatteras. J. + Elisha Mitchell Sci. Soc. 81:24-32. + +CALDWELL, D. K., H. NEUHAUSER, M. C. CALDWELL, and H. W. COOLIDGE. + + 1971. Recent records of marine mammals from the coasts of Georgia + and South Carolina. Cetology 5:1-12. + +FRASER, F. C. + 1937. Whales and dolphins. _In_ J. R. Norman and F. C. Fraser, Giant + fishes, whales and dolphins, p. 201-349. Putnam and Sons, Lond. + [There are several editions of this work, all with the same + information.] + +1966. Guide for the identification and reporting of stranded whales, +dolphins and porpoises on the British coasts. Br. Mus. Nat. Hist., +Lond., 34 p. + +GOLLEY, F. B. + + 1966. South Carolina mammals. The Charleston Museum, Charleston, + S.C., xiv + 181 p. + +GUNTER, G. + + 1954. Mammals of the Gulf of Mexico. _In_ P. S. Galtsoff + (coordinator), Gulf of Mexico, its origin, waters, and marine + life, p. 543-567. U.S. Fish Wildl. Serv., Fish. Bull. Vol. 55. + +HALL, E. R., and K. R. KELSON. + + 1959. Order cetacea--cetaceans. _In_ The mammals of North America, + 2:806-840. Ronald Press, N.Y. + +HERSHKOVITZ, P. + + 1966. Catalog of living whales. Bull. U.S. Natl. Mus. 246, 259 p. + +KELLOGG, R. + + 1940. Whales, giants of the sea. Natl. Geogr. Mag. 77:35-90. + +LAYNE, J. N. + + 1965. Observations on marine mammals in Florida waters. Bull. Fla. + State Mus., Biol. Sci. 9:131-181. + +LEATHERWOOD, S., W. E. EVANS, and D. W. RICE. + + 1972. The whales, dolphins, and porpoises of the eastern north + Pacific. A guide to their identification in the water. Nav. + Underseas Cent., Tech. Publ. 282, 175 p. + +LOWERY, G. H., JR. + + 1974. The mammals of Louisiana and its adjacent waters. Louisiana + State Univ. Press, Baton Rouge, 565 p. + +MITCHELL, E. D. + + 1973. The status of the world's whales. Nat. Can. 2(4):9-25. + +MOORE, J. C. + + 1953. Distribution of marine mammals to Florida waters. Am. Midl. + Nat. 49:117-158. + +NORRIS, K. S. (editor). + + 1966. Whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Univ. California Press, + Berkeley, 789 p. + +PALMER, R. S. + + 1954. The mammal guide. Doubleday and Co., N.Y., 384 p. + +RICE, D. W. + + 1967. Cetaceans. _In_ S. Anderson and J. K. Jones (editors), Recent + mammals of the world; a synopsis of families, p. 291-324. The + Ronald Press, N.Y. + +RICE, D. W., and V. B. SCHEFFER. + + 1968. A list of the marine mammals of the world. U.S. Fish Wildl. + Serv., Spec. Sci. Rep. Fish. 579, 16 p. + +RIDGEWAY, S. H. (editor). + + 1972. Mammals of the sea; biology and medicine. Charles C. Thomas, + Springfield, Ill., xiii + 812 p. + +SCHEVILL, W. E. + + 1974. The whale problem. Harvard Univ. Press, Cambridge, Mass., 297 + p. + +SERGEANT, D. E., and H. D. FISHER. + + 1957. The smaller Cetacea of eastern Canadian waters. J. Fish. Res. + Board Can. 14:83-115. + +SERGEANT, D. E., A. W. MANSFIELD, and B. BECK. + + 1970. Inshore records of Cetacea of eastern Canada, 1949-68. J. + Fish. Res. Board Can. 27:1903-1915. + +SLIJPER, E. J. + + 1962. Whales. Hutchinson and Co., Ltd., Lond., 475 p. [There is also + an American edition.] + +TOMILIN, A. G. + + 1967. Cetacea. Mammals of the U.S.S.R. and adjacent countries. Isr. + Program Sci. Transl., Jerusalem, Vol. IX, 717 p. [A compilation of + worldwide data, originally published in Russian.] + +TOWNSEND, C. H. + + 1935. The distribution of certain whales as shown by logbook records + of American whaleships. Zoologica (N.Y.) 19:1-50. + +TRUE, F. W. + + 1889. Contributions to the natural history of the cetaceans, a + review of the family Delphinidae. Bull. U.S. Natl. Mus. 36:1-192. + +WALKER, E. P. + + 1964. Mammals of the world. The Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore, p. + 1083-1145. [Cetaceans. There is also a second, revised edition of + this work, and a third, revised edition is planned.] + + + + +APPENDIX A + +TAGS ON WHALES, DOLPHINS, AND PORPOISES + + +Field studies of cetaceans are very difficult. First, it is extremely +hard to be positive that an individual or a group of animals is the same +from one encounter to the next. This means that it is nearly impossible +to determine, for example, whether herds of animals are resident in an +area or only seasonal visitors. Without information of this kind, +determinations vital to population management, such as sizes of +populations and natural ranges, are impossible to make. + +Secondly, as we frequently point out in this guide, individual cetaceans +are usually visible to a surface observer only during the brief moments +when they break the air-water interface to breathe. The majority of +their vital activities (e.g., feeding, reproduction, communication, +establishing and maintaining position within the herd, and defending +against natural enemies) take place primarily below the surface, well +out of view to a surface observer. + +In recent years, in an attempt to overcome some of these problems, +scientists have been placing markers on various species of cetaceans and +monitoring their movements. The following brief summary of major methods +of tagging cetaceans is provided to acquaint the reader with markers he +may expect to see in the western North Atlantic. + + +Static Tags + +Since their development in the mid-1920's, numerous Discovery marks +(small stainless steel projectiles with identifying information stamped +on them) have been shot into commercially valuable species by means of a +shotgun. The recovery of these marks from whales subsequently killed in +the whaling industry has provided valuable information on the movement +patterns and on basic aspects of the growth and development of harvested +species of whales. Discovery marks are limited, however, because they +are not visible in a living animal. Reduction in whaling activities will +bring about a significant reduction in their use. + +More recent tagging developments relate to marks which will be visible +on a free-swimming animal. Large whales, for instance, may be tagged +with color-coded streamers, such as that shown in Appendix Figure A2. +The tags, which are modified versions of the spaghetti tags first +constructed for use on fishes, consist of a small stainless steel head +for attachment to the blubber and a colorful streamer (sometimes stamped +with information on agencies to which tags should be returned) which is +visible above the surface of the animal. These tags may be applied by +using either a pole applicator or a crossbow and crossbow bolts. Both +applicators are equipped with a stop to limit the depth of penetration +into the animal's blubber. Extensive experimentation indicates that the +tags do not harm the animals and that their application is not +traumatic. With the continued reduction in whaling activity, it is hoped +that the use of such markers in the study of movements of big whales +will be increased. + +Because they often ride the bow wave of a moving vessel, thereby making +themselves accessible for tagging and capture, small porpoises and +dolphins have been tagged with a greater variety of marks than large +whales. In recent years, at least three kinds of static tags, including +spaghetti streamers, have been placed on small and medium-sized +cetaceans. + +Spaghetti tags, placed in the animal's blubber near the base of the +dorsal fin as it rides the bow wave, stream to conform to the contour of +the animal's body as it swims (App. Fig. A3). It is not possible to +identify the numbers on the spaghetti tag of a moving animal, although +color codes may be used to indicate different species, populations, or +tagging areas. + +Button tags and freeze brands are placed on captured animals prior to +their release. The button tags (App. Figs. A4, A5) are placed in the +dorsal fin and should be visible as the animal surfaces to breathe or as +it rides the bow wave. At close range, the number, letter, or design may +also be visible. Freeze brands (App. Fig. A6) are placed on the back or +dorsal fin with a supercooled branding iron, apparently without pain or +discomfort to the animal, and provide a permanent mark which leaves the +tagged animal free of encumbrances. The use of freeze brands shows +promise and should come into more extensive use. + +Other static tagging techniques currently under investigation include +the use of laser beams to apply small brands and the use of gas +branding devices. Neither technique, however, has yet reached the field +biologist. + +The success of any tagging program using static tags depends on the +resighting of tagged animals and the recovery of tags. For that reason, +we appeal to readers to be on the lookout for tagged animals and to +report sightings to one of the authors. + +[Illustration: Appendix Figure A1.--Some of the basic kinds of tags used +to mark porpoises, dolphins, and small whales. A, B, and C are nylon +button tags, which are placed in the dorsal fin of animals and may be +clearly visible as the animal surfaces to breathe. D is a vinyl +spaghetti tag. (_Photo by R. Krenic, courtesy of Naval Undersea +Center._)] + +[Illustration: Appendix Figure A2.--A spaghetti tag in the back of a +blue whale off San Clemente Island, Calif. (_Photo by S. Leatherwood._)] + +[Illustration: Appendix Figure A3.--A spaghetti tag in the flank of a +bottlenosed dolphin off Loreto, Baja California, Mexico. This particular +tag was placed unusually low. The streamer and spaghetti tags are +usually placed high on the back, just in front of the dorsal fin, and +are clearly visible as the animal surfaces to breathe. (_Photo by W. E. +Evans._)] + +[Illustration: Appendix Figure A4.--A button tag placed on the dorsal +fin of a newly captured saddleback dolphin off Catalina Island, Calif. +(_Photo by W. E. Evans._)] + +[Illustration: Appendix Figure A5.--This is the way the button tag +appears on an animal swimming free in the open sea off Palos Verdes, +Calif. (_Photo by B. Noble, courtesy of Marineland of the Pacific._)] + +[Illustration: Appendix Figure A6.--Freeze-branding is an apparently +painless method of applying a permanent identifying mark to the body of +a porpoise or whale. (_Photo of a bottlenosed dolphin off Sarasota, +Fla., by A. B. Irvine._)] + + +Radio Transmitter Tags + +In recent years, radio transmitter tags have been developed for use on +marine mammals. As they continue to become more reliable, these tags are +expected to come into more and more widespread use. + +Early radio tags (Fig. A7) were simple locator beacons which permitted +the animal to be tracked by sending a signal to a tracking vessel or +aircraft every time the animal surfaced and the antenna tip was exposed. +Even these basic packages provide important information on movement, +activity patterns, and respiration rates. + +Subsequent developments have involved the addition of sensors to monitor +the maximum depth of each dive and environmental parameters such as the +water temperature at that depth (Fig. A8). + +Logical extensions of these developments include the addition of +numerous other sensors to permit simultaneous monitoring of multiple +aspects of the animal's environment and the transmission of these data +first to aircraft and subsequently to satellites for relay to +shore-based laboratories. + +In addition to permitting scientists to define movement patterns and +daily diving patterns of cetaceans, the use of such devices offers an +exciting means of determining the environmental parameters that trigger +changes in their behavior. + +Radio transmitter tags, in a variety of configurations, may be +constructed and attached for short-term studies or for long-term +monitoring of migrating animals. In either case, depending on their size +and methods of attachment, radio transmitter tags may be visible on a +free-swimming animal even at a considerable distance. + +[Illustration: Appendix Figure A7.--A saddleback dolphin wearing a radio +tag transmitter surfaces to breathe off southern California. (_Photo +courtesy of W. E. Evans._)] + +[Illustration: Appendix Figure A8.--A radio transmitter package attached +to the dorsal ridge of a California gray whale. This yearling animal, +captive for most of the first year of its life, was released into the +ocean off San Diego, Calif., in March 1972 and subsequently tracked from +shipboard and aircraft for over 30 days. The sensor transmitter package, +shown in detail in the inset, was designed to measure the maximum depth +of the animal's dive and the water temperature at that depth. (_Photo by +S. Leatherwood._)] + + +Natural Markings + +In addition to these man-made and applied tags, variations in natural +markings and unusual appearances may be used to identify individuals and +herds on repeated encounters. Although many species of cetaceans are +characterized by changes in color pattern with age, individuals +occasionally differ radically in their coloration from their fellows +(App. Figs. A9, A10). In addition, individuals are sometimes seen with +unusually shaped dorsal fins or scarring patterns (App. Fig. A11). These +unusually marked animals should stand out in repeated encounters and can +be a help in identifying a herd from one encounter to another. + +Obviously, this list of tags and anomalous markings is not exhaustive. +New marks may be developed at any time. The discussion is intended to +make the reader aware of the value of information on natural or man-made +marks in studies of cetacean natural history. Your cooperation will +perhaps help us to unravel some of the mystery surrounding the +distribution and movements of porpoises, dolphins, and whales. + +[Illustration: Appendix Figure A9.--A piebald saddleback dolphin on the +bow of a research vessel off San Clemente Island, Calif. (_Photo by B. +C. Parks._)] + +[Illustration: Appendix Figure A10.--A nearly all-white pilot whale seen +off Catalina Island, Calif., in April 1971. The observation of this same +animal at least once each quarter of the year is evidence that it is +resident in that area. (_Photo by S. Leatherwood._)] + +[Illustration: Appendix Figure A11.--A herd of pilot whales off Catalina +Island, Calif., including an animal with a partially chopped-off dorsal +fin, which has made him recognizable in repeated encounters with pilot +whales around the various channel islands. (_Photo by G. E. Lingle._)] + + + + +APPENDIX B + +RECORDING AND REPORTING OBSERVATIONS OF CETACEANS AT SEA + + +To increase reliability of identifications, observers should train +themselves to ask the following kinds of questions each time cetaceans +are encountered: + +1. How large was the animal? + +2. Did it have a dorsal fin? If so, what was its size, shape, and +position on the animal's back? + +3. Was the animal's blow visible? If so, how tall did it appear? What +was its shape? How frequently did the animal blow? + +4. What was the animal's color and color pattern? + +5. Did it have any highly distinctive markings? + +6. If it was a large or medium-sized animal, did it show its tail flukes +when it began its dive? + +7. If it was a medium-sized or small animal, did it approach, avoid, or +ignore the vessel? Did it ride the bow wave? + +8. What was its behavior? Did it jump from the water? If so, did it make +a smooth graceful arching jump, or did it spin, somersault, or reenter +with a splash? + +One characteristic is rarely sufficient by itself, and the greater +amount of relevant evidence the observer can obtain, the greater the +likelihood he can make a reliable identification. But it is important to +remember that even the most experienced cetologists are often unable to +make an identification. Therefore, even if you cannot positively +identify an animal or even make a good guess as to its identity, do not +hesitate to fill out the rest of the sighting record form and submit it +to an appropriate office. Listing the characters you observe and filling +in as much of the form as possible may enable a cetologist to make an +identification based on those characters and his knowledge of the +distribution, movements, and behavior of cetaceans. In this regard, a +sketch made as soon as possible after the encounter and photographs +taken from as many angles as possible will aid in the identification. + +Two sample sighting reports are provided to demonstrate a method of +recording observations. The first report, "Sighting Information," is +completed as an example and is footnoted for explanation. The second +report, "Cetacean Data Record." located at the end of the guide, is +blank and may be photocopied in bulk for use in the field. Copies of +this or similar forms are available from any of the authors or from +National Marine Fisheries Service, Tiburon, Calif. Even if no form is +available, however, observations should be recorded in rough form, in as +much detail as possible. + +Reliable intermittent reports of cetaceans are of interest to +cetologists. Their locations indicate seasonality of distribution, and +their frequencies help indicate relative abundances of the various +species. Because scientists are attempting to determine areas in which +cetaceans are often, occasionally, seldom, or never found, and are +ultimately describing why animals are found in one area and not another, +persons who want to go a step further in their participation in observer +programs may want to keep and report records of their entire cruise +tracks and zones in which vigilance was maintained but no cetaceans were +observed. Data obtained in this manner may be used as the foundation of +estimates of cetacean populations, estimates which are extremely +difficult to obtain by any other method. + +To be of maximum use in such calculations, however, records of this kind +_must_ include the following minimum information: time and location of +beginning and ending of each continuous watch, weather conditions as +they affect visibility, sea state, ship's speed, height of the +observer(s) above the water, number of persons on watch, and details of +each sighting, particularly the estimated distance of the animal(s) from +the ship's track. + +For a sample of a fictional continuous watch report might look like the +following. If sighting forms are available, these observations may be +recorded directly onto them. Additional information can be recorded on +the opposite side of the forms. + +[Illustration: Appendix Figure B1.--A sample cruise track with cetacean +sightings. See text for detailed data recording.] + + +GENERAL INFORMATION + + RV Melville (34-foot converted fishing boat) + U.S. Department of Commerce + NMFS + + Hydrographic Cruise Miami, Florida to Flamingo, Florida + + 28-31 January 1973 + + 2 observers (G.E. Lingle and G.M. Mohr) + + EYE LEVEL OF OBSERVERS: 16 feet above water + + AVERAGE SHIP SPEED: 8.0 knots during continuous watch + + CONTINUOUS WATCH INFORMATION (REFER TO FIG. B1): + + START END START END + LEG DATE TIME TIME POSITION POSITION WEATHER--VISIBILITY + + 1-2 2/28 1200 1730 U. Miami Dock 25-42N Beaufort II Visibility + Va. Key 80-02W 3 miles + + 3-4 2/29 0800 1500 24-26N 25-00N Beaufort I Visibility + 80-04E 81-04W 3.5 miles + + 5-6 2/30 0700 1680 25-12N 25-12N 3.5 miles + 80-46W 81-10W + + 7-8 2/31 0700 0900 25-00 Flamingo 3.5 miles + 80-45W + +CETACEAN OBSERVATIONS (REFER TO FIG. B1): + + A-2/28 1048 16 bottlenosed dolphins, _Tursiops truncatus_. 6 miles + outside our course, headed west--rode bow briefly. Large + concentrations of sea birds in area. One porpoise freeze + branded N-1 on dorsal fin. + + B-2/29 1100 2 right whales directly ahead of vessel headed + NE--40-foot female? with calf. 2 bottlenosed dolphins + accompanying the whales were riding pressure wave off + whale's head. + + C-2/29 1400 25-30 spotted porpoises, _Stenella plagiodon_, 1.25 miles + outside our course, heading 240 deg. mag. Did not ride bow + wave. + + D-2/30 1300 8 bottlenosed dolphins, _Tursiops truncatus_, 200-300 + yards inshore of our course, milling in area of + concentrations of mullet and other small schooling fishes, + dolphins (porpoises) and birds feeding on fish. + + +SIGHTING INFORMATION + +DATE AND LOCAL TIME [Handwriting: 27 January 1977 0845] LOCATION[13] +[Handwriting: Ca. 25 deg.00'N, 80 deg.30'W] + +WEATHER CONDITIONS [Handwriting: Scattered rain squalls, visibility +1-1.5 mi, Temp 42 deg.F] + +OCEANOGRAPHIC CONDITIONS[14] [Handwriting: Swells 1-2 feet, scattered +white caps Winds from S.E. @ 3-8 knots, gusting in squalls to 15 knots.] + +SPECIES[15] [Handwriting: Right Whales, Eubalaena glacialis (45 ft/15 +ft)] NUMBER OF ANIMAL(S) [Handwriting: 2] + +HEADING OF ANIMAL(S) [Handwriting: 015 deg.] SPEED OF ANIMAL(S) +[Handwriting: 1-2] (MAGNETIC) (KNOTS) + +ASSOCIATED ORGANISMS[16] [Handwriting: Bottlenosed dolphins, Tursiops +truncatus (3) and unidentified gulls (10-20)] + +TAGS OR UNUSUAL MARKINGS [Handwriting: One whale had deep slash across +back about 3 ft. behind blowholes-area of slash was white.] + +CHARACTERISTICS OBSERVED WHICH RESULTED IN SPECIES IDENTIFICATION +[Handwriting: 45 ft, No dorsal fin, smooth black back, high arching +jaws, yellowish-orange growths on head, coastal habitat] + +BEHAVIOR OF ANIMAL(S) [Handwriting: Adult whale swam steadily north, +calf close beside, Bottlenosed dolphins riding in front of adults head.] + +SKETCHES [Hand-drawn illustration of whales, dolphins and distinguishing +features.] + +PHOTOS AVAILABLE YES NO + +[Handwriting: Photos (GEL, Roll 16, frames 8-30)] + +ADDITIONAL REMARKS [Handwriting: Dolphins remained with whales entire +1/2 hour of observation, appently riding on pressure wave.] + +NAME AND ADDRESS OF OBSERVER (SHIP OR A/C) [Handwriting: G. E. Lingle, +Naval Undersea Center, San Diego, California 92132 and G. A. Antonelis, +NMFS, Seattle, Washington 98105 aboard the RV Cape] + +[Footnote 13: If latitude and longitude are not readily available, +record best available position, for example 5 hours at 10 knots, SE of +Miami.] + +[Footnote 14: Any oceanographic or bathymetric information obtainable at +the time of sighting may be significant. Such measurements as water +depth, presence of large fish schools, or deep scattering +layer/organisms (DSL) characteristics of the bottom (e.g., flat sand +plain, sea mount, submarine cliff), surface temperature, depth of +thermocline, and salinity should be included if available. In the +Pacific, similar data have been used to demonstrate reliable +associations there between saddleback dolphins and significant features +of bottom relief and relationships between the onset of their nighttime +deep diving (feeding) patterns and the upward migration of the +scattering layers.] + +[Footnote 15: Sometimes two or more species of cetacean are found +together. If more than one species is sighted, try to identify each. +Give both common and scientific names of each, and even if you cannot +identify the animal(s) describe, sketch, and, if possible, photograph +them and fill out the rest of the sighting report.] + +[Footnote 16: Describe any tags seen (see Appendix A) and state their +size, shape, color, and position on the animal's body and any symbols or +numbers they contain.] + + + + +APPENDIX C + +STRANDED WHALES, DOLPHINS, AND PORPOISES + +With a Key to the Identification of Stranded Cetaceans of the Western +North Atlantic + + +Stranded Animals + +As we discussed briefly in the introduction to this guide, whales, +dolphins, and porpoises sometimes "strand" or "beach" themselves, +individually or in entire herds, for a complex of still incompletely +understood reasons. Though the reasons suggested for these strandings +appear almost as numerous as the strandings themselves, two tenable +generalizations have recently been proposed. + +Strandings of lone individuals usually involve an animal which is sick +or injured. Mass strandings, involving from several to several hundred +individuals, appear to be far more complex and may result from fear +reactions, from extremely bad weather conditions, from herd-wide disease +conditions, or from failure of the echolocation system due to +physiological problems or environmental conditions which combine to +reduce its effectiveness, to mention only a few. + +Whatever their causes, however, cetacean strandings usually attract +crowds and elicit much public interest and sympathy. There are +frequently attempts to save the lives of the animals involved. + +Individually stranded cetaceans rarely survive, even if they are found +soon after stranding and transported to adequate holding facilities. +This does not mean that every attempt should not be made to save them. + +In mass strandings, some individuals may be entirely healthy, and if +they are found soon enough after stranding, properly protected and +transported, and correctly cared for in the initial few days after +collection, they may survive in captivity. Attempts to rescue all the +animals in a mass stranding by towing them out to sea have almost always +been frustrating because the animals usually swim repeatedly back onto +the beach. + +If you discover a stranding and before you become involved in an attempt +to save a live stranded animal or to collect data from a dead one, you +should be aware of the following: + +MARINE MAMMALS ARE CURRENTLY PROTECTED BY LAW. Under provisions of the +Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, it is unlawful for persons without +a permit to handle, harass, or possess any marine mammal. It is within +the authority of State officials and employees of the National Marine +Fisheries Service to arrange for the care of live animals through +certified institutions, such as many of those listed in Appendix E. +(Even if the animals were not protected by law, any impulse to take them +to backyard swimming pools, for instance, should be tempered by the +knowledge that their chances of survival are far greater in an +institution with the facilities and expertise to properly care for +them.) The best general rule is to notify the nearest State or National +Marine Fisheries Service office. If you prefer, however, you may +contact one of the institutions listed in the appendix and ask them to +handle the situation. Some will already have permits to investigate +strandings. Most will be anxious to help. + +Although _you cannot remove the animal from the beach without a permit_, +you can help keep it alive until it can be removed. Here are a few +hints. WHILE WAITING FOR HELP TO ARRIVE, ENDEAVOR TO KEEP THE ANIMAL AS +COMFORTABLE AS POSSIBLE. IF IT IS NOT TOO LARGE AND SURF CONDITIONS +PERMIT, IT SHOULD BE REMOVED TO SHALLOW WATER WHERE IT IS BARELY AFLOAT. +The buoyancy of the water will reduce the stress to the animal and will +help to keep it cool and prevent overheating--a real danger to stranded +cetaceans. + +Whether or not the animal can be floated, CARE SHOULD BE TAKEN TO +PROTECT IT FROM SUNBURN, DRYING OUT, AND OVERHEATING. IF IT IS AFLOAT, +EXPOSED PARTS SHOULD BE FREQUENTLY SPLASHED DOWN. IF IT IS HIGH AND DRY, +IT SHOULD BE COVERED WITH DAMP CLOTH, PARTICULARLY ON THE DORSAL FIN, +FLIPPERS, AND FLUKES, AND THE BODY AND THE TERRAIN SHOULD BE FREQUENTLY +WATERED TO PREVENT THE ANIMAL FROM OVERHEATING IN THE AREAS IN CONTACT +WITH THE SAND OR ROCK. + +IN ANY CASE, BE CAREFUL TO LEAVE THE BLOWHOLE FREE SO THAT THE ANIMAL +CAN BREATHE. NOTE ALSO THAT THE EYES ARE PARTICULARLY SENSITIVE AND +SUSCEPTIBLE TO INJURY; THEY SHOULD BE COVERED WITH A WET CLOTH AND +TREATED WITH SPECIAL CARE. + +With luck, this careful handling will be rewarded with the animal's +being picked up and transported to an aquarium, where it can receive +proper attention. But even IF THE ANIMAL CANNOT BE SAVED, COLLECTION AND +EXAMINATION OF THE CARCASS CAN PROVIDE VALUABLE INFORMATION TO +SCIENTISTS WORKING ON THE BIOLOGY OF CETACEANS, OR ON SUCH PROBLEMS AS +THEIR DISEASE CONDITIONS AND THE EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS ON +THEM. DEAD STRANDED CETACEANS EVEN IN ADVANCED STAGES OF DECOMPOSITION +ARE ALSO AN IMPORTANT SOURCE OF MATERIALS FOR MUSEUM STUDY AND DISPLAY. +THEREFORE, EVERY ATTEMPT SHOULD BE MADE TO GET THE CARCASS INTO THE BEST +HANDS. DEAD CETACEANS, LIKE THE LIVE ONES, ARE PROTECTED BY LAW AND MAY +NOT BE REMOVED WITHOUT A PERMIT. The procedure for obtaining permission +to collect them is the same as that outlined for live strandings. The +majority of the institutions along the western North Atlantic coast will +respond to calls about live or dead strandings. Even if you are unable +to contact an appropriate official, you can still collect some valuable +information by identifying the specimen, using the following key, and by +collecting measurements (see Appendix D). + +[Illustration: Appendix Figure C1.--Whales and dolphins, like this mixed +school of false killer whales and bottlenosed dolphins, sometimes strand +themselves individually or as entire herds for a complex of still +incompletely understood reasons. (_Photo from Japan by S. Ohsumi._)] + + +Identifying the Animal + +Cetaceans may be found during or shortly after the stranding or many +months later, when the carcass is bloated or rotted nearly beyond +recognition. If the stranded animal is alive or freshly dead, it can be +identified by any of the characteristics itemized in the text. But even +if it is in an advanced stage of decomposition it can be identified +using the key below. In general numbers and descriptions of teeth (Table +1) and numbers and descriptions of baleen plates (Table 2) persist +longest as reliable identifying characteristics. If they are still +detectable on the carcass, numbers and lengths of ventral grooves may +also be used to separate the balaenopterine whales.[17] + +[Footnote 17: The tables were prepared primarily from Tomilin (1967) and +supplemented by miscellaneous published papers and our own observations. +The sections on toothed whales in the key were developed following the +general outline of Moore (1953).] + +In order to use the key below, begin with the first pair of opposing +characteristics--one of the two will apply to the specimen you are +examining. On the line following that statement there will be a +paragraph number, go to that paragraph. There you will find two more +paired, opposing characteristics. Again, one of the two will apply to +the specimen you are examining. Select that one and go to the paragraph +indicated on the line following it. Continue this procedure until the +statement which is true for your specimen is followed by a species name +instead of a reference to another paragraph. This name identifies the +specimen. To verify your identification go to the discussion of that +species in the text. With a little practice and careful attention to +details, identification of whales, dolphins, and porpoises will become +easier. + + +KEY TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF STRANDED CETACEANS OF THE WESTERN NORTH +ATLANTIC + + + 1. a. Double blowhole; no teeth present in either jaw; baleen plates + in upper jaws. (Baleen whale) Go to 2 + + b. Single blowhole; teeth present (sometimes concealed beneath + the gums); no baleen plates in upper jaw. + (Toothed whale) Go to 9 + + 2. a. Ventral grooves present; dorsal fin present; viewed in profile, + upper jaw relatively flat and broad. + (Balaenopterine whale) Go to 3 + + b. Ventral grooves absent; dorsal fin absent; viewed in profile, + upper jaw and lower lips strongly arched; upper jaw very narrow. + (Right whale) Go to 8 + + 3. a. Ventral grooves end before navel.[18] Go to 4 + + b. Ventral grooves extend to or beyond navel Go to 5 + + 4. a. 50-70 ventral grooves, longest often ending between flippers; + baleen less than 8 inches (20.3 cm), mostly white or yellowish + white (some posterior plates may be dark) with 15-25 white + bristles per centimeter; 300-325 plates per side. + Minke whale, p. 63 + + b. 38-56 ventral grooves, longest ending well short of navel; + baleen less than 31 inches (78.7 cm), black (some anteriormost + plates may be white) and with 35-60 fine silky white bristles per + centimeter; 318 340 plates per side. + Sei whale, p. 32 + + 5. a. Flippers one-fourth to one-third length of the body length and + knobbed on leading edge; less than 22 broad and conspicuous + ventral grooves, longest extending at least to navel; head + covered with numerous knobs; baleen less than 24 inches (61 cm), + ash black to olive brown (sometimes whitish) with 10-35 grayish + white bristles per centimeter; 270-400 plates per side. + Humpback whale, p. 40 + + b. Flippers less than one-fifth body length; no knobs; from 40 to + 100 fine ventral grooves, longest extending at least to navel; + head lacks knobs Go to 6 + + 6. a. Three ridges on head, one from blowholes, forward towards tip + of snout, one auxiliary groove along each side of main ridge; + 40-50 ventral grooves; 250-300 slate-gray baleen plates with + 15-35 dirty gray bristles per centimeter. + Bryde's whale, p. 37 + + b. Only one prominent ridge on head,[19] from just in front of + blowholes forward towards tip of snout; 55-100 ventral grooves + Go to 7 + + 7. a. Head broad and U-shaped; dorsal fin less than 13 inches (33 cm) + and very far back on tail stock; baleen all black with 10-30 + black bristles per centimeter; plates extremely broad relative to + length. + Blue whale, p. 19 + + b. Head broad at gape but sharply pointed on tip; dorsal fin to + 24 inches (61 cm) and slightly more than one-third forward from + tail; right front one-fifth to one-third of baleen ivory white to + yellowish white, remainder dark gray to bluish gray streaked with + yellowish white; plates have 10-35 gray or white bristles per + centimeter and are narrow relative to length. + Fin whale, p. 26 + + 8. a. Top of snout not covered with callosities; 325-360 baleen + plates per side, longest reaching 14 feet (4.3 m); plates black + with black bristles (anterior portion of some plates may be + whitish). + Bowhead whale, p. 49 + + b. Top of snout covered with callosities, often including lice + and/or barnacles; 250-390 baleen plates per side, longest + reaching 7.2 feet (2.2 m); plates dirty or yellowish gray (some + anterior plates all or part white and some posterior plates brown + or black) with 35-70 bristles per centimeter. + Right whale, p. 52 + + 9. a. Upper part of head extending appreciably past tip of lower jaw; + lower jaw markedly undershot and considerably narrower than upper + jaw Go to 10 + + b. Upper part of head not extending appreciably past tip of lower + jaw; lower jaw approximately same width as upper jaw Go to 12 + + 10. a. Body more than 13 feet (4.0 m); head massive, to one-third of + body length; blowhole located far forward of eyes and to left + front of head; dorsal fin low, triangular or rounded followed by + series of knuckles or crenulations; 18-25 teeth in each lower jaw + fit into sockets in upper jaw (10-16 upper teeth rarely emerge). + Sperm whale, p. 57 + + b. Body less than 13 feet (4.0 m); head considerably less than + one-third body length; blowhole located approximately even with + eyes on top of head, slightly displaced to left but not on left + front of head; conspicuous dorsal fin present; 8-16 teeth in each + lower jaw fitting into sockets in upper jaw Go to 11 + + 11. a. No creases on throat; dorsal fin small and located in latter + third of back; 12-16 teeth (rarely 10-11) in each lower jaw. + Pygmy sperm whale, p. 144 + + b. Inconspicuous creases on throat; dorsal fin tall and falcate, + resembling that of the Atlantic bottlenosed dolphin, and located + near middle of back; 8-11 (rarely 13) extremely sharp teeth in + each lower jaw; rarely 1-3 teeth in each upper jaw. + Dwarf sperm whale, p. 148 + + 12. a. Two conspicuous grooves on outer surface of throat forming + V-shape pointed forward; notch absent or inconspicuous in flukes. + (Beaked whale) Go to 13 + + b. No conspicuous grooves on outer surface of throat; deep median + notch on rear margin of tail flukes Go to 18 + + 13. a. A pair of teeth located at the tip of the lower jaw (erupted + only in adult males, concealed in females and immature + animals) Go to 14 + + b. No teeth at the tip of the lower jaw Go to 16 + +NOTE: Immature individuals of the species covered in paragraphs 14 and +15 may not be readily identifiable without museum preparation and +examination. + + 14. a. Two well-developed teeth, erupted or hidden beneath the gum, + are compressed so they appear elliptical in cross section; body + to 16 feet (4.9 m); united portion of the lower jaws[20] more than + one-fourth the length of the entire lower jaw. + True's beaked whale, p. 77 + + b. Two well-developed teeth substantially less flattened so that + they appear more nearly rounded in cross section Go to 15 + + 15. a. Distinct elongated beak; pronounced bulge to forehead; + blowhole located in lateral crease behind bulge; body to 32 feet + (9.8 m); sometimes second pair of teeth behind first in lower + jaw. + Northern bottlenosed whale, p. 67 + + b. No distinct beak; forehead slightly concave in front of + blowhole, increasing in concavity with increasing size; body to + 23 feet (7.0 m); united portion of lower jaw less than one-fourth + the length of the entire lower jaw; head of adult males all + white. + Goosebeaked whale, p. 70 + + 16. a. A single pair of teeth in the united portion of the lower jaw, + at the suture of the mandible (about one-third of the way from + the tip of the snout to the gape); length to 22 feet (6.7 m); + flukes less than one-fifth the body length. + Antillean beaked whale, p. 78 + + b. A single pair of teeth back of united portion of lower jaw; + body less than 17 feet (5.2 m) Go to 17 + + 17. a. Teeth not exceptionally large and located immediately back of + united portion of lower jaw, about half way from the tip of the + snout to the gape. + North Sea beaked whale, p. 82 + + b. Teeth exceptionally large, located on bony prominences near + the corner of the mouth, and oriented backwards; corners of + mouth, particularly in adult males, have high-arching contour; + flukes to one-sixth or one-fifth of the body length. + Dense-beaked whale, p. 80 + + 18. a. Rostrum, if present, not sharply demarcated from forehead Go to 19 + + b. Head has a distinct, though sometimes short rostrum separated + from the forehead by a distinct crease angle Go to 30 + + 19. a. Teeth spade-shaped, laterally compressed and relatively small; + body to only about 5 feet (1.5 m); 22-28 teeth in each upper and + lower jaw. + Harbor porpoise, p. 150 + + b. Teeth conical and sharply pointed (in cross section circular, + or slightly flattened anteroposteriorly) Go to 20 + + 20. a. No distinct dorsal fin; back marked instead with small dorsal + ridge near midpoint of back. Go to 21 + + b. Distinct dorsal fin, in middle or forward third of the back + Go to 22 + + 21. a. 8-11 teeth in each upper jaw, 8-9 in each lower jaw; body of + young slate gray or brownish, adults white; short broad rostrum. + Beluga, p. 99 + + b. No visible teeth (or two teeth) in upper jaw of adults only; + in males and sometimes females one or both of these may grow up + to 9-foot (2.7 m) tusk in left-hand (sinestral) spiral; no + rostrum. + Narwhal, p. 102 + + 22. a. Head long and conical Go to 23 + + b. Head blunt Go to 24 + + 23. a. 20-27 teeth in each upper and lower jaw; crowns of teeth often + marked with many fine vertical wrinkles; body to about 8 feet + (2.4 m). + Rough-toothed dolphin, p. 135 + + b. 26-35 teeth in each upper and lower jaw; teeth smooth; body to + about 5.6 feet (1.7 m); distribution restricted to northern coast + of South America, in the Guianas, and adjacent eastward territory + of Venezuela. + Guiana dolphin, p. 132 + + 24. a. Teeth usually at front end of lower jaw only, 2-7 pairs + (rarely teeth in upper jaw); all teeth may have fallen out of the + lower jaw of older specimens or may be extensively worn; forehead + with median crease; dorsal fin tall and distinct to 15 inches + (38.1 cm); body to 13 feet (4.0 m). + Grampus, p. 96 + + b. Teeth in both upper and lower jaws, 7 or more pairs, forehead + with no median crease Go to 25 + + 25. a. Flippers large and paddle-shaped, ovate, and rounded on the + distal end; dorsal fin tall and erect to 6 feet (1.8 m) in males + and 3 feet (0.9 m) in females; 10-12 teeth in each jaw; teeth to + 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter. + Killer whale, p. 84 + + b. Flippers long and pointed Go to 26 + + 26. a. Dorsal fin located in forward one-third of body, very broad at + the base; head bulbous. + (Pilot whale) Go to 27 + + b. Dorsal fin located near midpoint of back; head long Go to 28 + + 27. a. Flippers one-fifth of body length, or more. + Atlantic pilot whale, p. 91 + + b. Flippers one-sixth of body length, or less. + Short-finned pilot whale, p. 94 + + 28. a. Flipper has distinctive hump on forward margin; 8-11 prominent + teeth curved backwards and inwards, in each upper and lower jaw. + False killer whale, p. 88 + + b. Flipper lacks distinctive hump on forward margin; 10-25 teeth + in each upper and lower jaw Go to 29 + + 29. a. 8-13 teeth in each jaw. + Pygmy killer whale, p. 138 + + b. 20-25 teeth in each upper jaw, 21-24 teeth in each lower jaw. + Many-toothed blackfish, p. 142 + + 30. a. Beak short, usually less than about 1 inch (2.5 cm) Go to 31 + + b. Beak more than 1 inch (2.5 cm) Go to 33 + + 31. a. Flippers very short; dorsal fin small and triangular; 38-44 + teeth in each jaw; body to at least 8 feet (2.4 m); distinct + black stripe from beak to area of anus; in profile beak shows + very little separation from forehead. + Fraser's dolphin, p. 120 + + b. Flippers long relative to body length; dorsal fin tall and + distinctly falcate; 22-40 teeth in each jaw; in profile, beak + shows distinct separation from forehead. + (_Lagenorhynchus_ sp.) Go to 32 + + 32. a. 22-28 teeth in each jaw; dorsal fin all black; body to about + 10 feet (3.1 m). + White-beaked dolphin, p. 126 + + b. 30-40 teeth in each jaw (some animals have greater number in + upper than in lower jaw); dorsal fin part gray, part black; body + to about 9 feet (2.7 m). + Atlantic white-sided dolphin, p. 123 + + 33. a. 20-26 teeth in the upper jaws; 18-24 in the lower jaws; body + to 12 feet (3.7 m); teeth may be extensively worn. + Atlantic bottlenosed dolphin, p. 128 + + b. 26 or more teeth in both upper and lower jaws Go to 34 + + 34. a. 29-36 teeth in each upper jaw; 28-36 in each lower jaw. + (Spotted dolphins) Go to 35 + + b. More than 40 teeth in each upper and lower jaw Go to 36 + +NOTE: Characters in paragraph 35 are usable only on fresh specimens. +Spotted dolphins in advanced stages of decomposition can be +distinguished only with museum preparation and examination. + + 35. a. Bridle present (dark lines from eye to rostrum and from + flippers to corner of mouth); cape on head distinct; no spinal + blaze. + Bridled dolphin, p. 108 + + b. Bridle absent though there is a light line from the flipper to + the eye; cape indistinct; spinal blaze. + Atlantic spotted dolphin, p. 104 + + 36. a. From 46-65 small, sharply pointed teeth; body dark gray on + back, tan to light gray on sides, white on belly; beak dark gray + or black above, white below, and often black-tipped; body to + about 7 feet (2.1 m). + Spinner dolphin, p. 110 + + b. From 40 to 50 teeth in each upper and lower jaw Go to 37 + + 37. a. Body to 9 feet (2.7 m); black to dark gray on back, gray on + sides, white on belly; distinctive black stripes from eye to + anus, eye to flipper, and dark dorsal coloration to side above + flipper. + Striped dolphin, p. 113 + + b. Body to 8.5 feet (2.6 m) but usually less than 7.5 feet (2.3 + m); body dark on back with light thoracic patch and crisscross or + hourglass pattern on side; black stripe from middle of lower jaw + to origin of flipper. + Saddleback dolphin, p. 116 + +[Footnote 18: Counts of ventral grooves are made between the flippers +and do not include shorter grooves often found on the side of the head +and on the side above the flippers.] + +[Footnote 19: Blue whale has faint lateral ridges.] + +[Footnote 20: By feeling between the lower jaws on the ventral surface +and moving the finger forward towards the tip of the snout, one can feel +the point at which the two lower jaws become united (called the +symphysis). This location is an important reference point in +distinguishing among the species separated in paragraphs 14, 15, and +16.] + + + + +APPENDIX D + +RECORDING AND REPORTING DATA ON STRANDED CETACEANS + + +So that measurements of cetaceans taken at different times and at widely +divergent locations can be compared, the measurements and the methods of +taking them have been standardized, although there is still some +disagreement about which of the measurements are most important. The +data form located at the end of this guide, usable on both baleen and +toothed whales, includes all the measurements routinely taken by +cetologists plus a few new ones the authors consider important. The form +and the directions for taking measurements are synthesized from those +currently in use by the Naval Undersea Center, San Diego; the Fisheries +Research Board of Canada; the University of Rhode Island; the University +of Florida; the U.S. National Museum, Washington, D.C.; and the National +Marine Fisheries Service, La Jolla, Calif. + +Data on stranded cetaceans should be collected by someone experienced in +handling and measuring cetaceans. The legal problems associated with +collection of a specimen are discussed in Appendix C. In addition to +having a permit or knowing how to obtain permission to collect the +specimen, persons active in cetacean research will usually have access +to laboratory facilities where in-depth studies, including postmortem +examinations and collection of tissues for specialized laboratory +examinations, can be conducted. Furthermore, specialized equipment, and +the number of steps required to do a complete job with the specimen, +make the procedure prohibitive for most noncetologists. Diligent +attempts should be made to contact one of the institutions listed in +Appendix E. If no one is available and no permit or approval is +obtainable, you are limited to photographing, sketching, and measuring +the specimen without removing the carcass or any part of the carcass +from the beach. + +Any person taking data on stranded cetaceans should follow the +instructions itemized below, being careful to take measurements in the +manner prescribed and to record data in as much detail as possible. + + +1. Specimens should be preserved in 10% neutral Formalin, except for the +stomach contents, which should be kept in 70% ethyl or 40% isopropyl +alcohol, or be frozen. Commercial rubbing alcohol will suffice. As a +minimum, the head, flippers, and reproductive tract should be preserved. +If no other method of handling the specimen is available, and only as a +last resort, it may be buried in the sand well above the high tide line +and carefully marked so it can later be recovered. Burying usually +results in the loss of some vital parts. + +2. The carcass should be examined for external parasites particularly in +such areas as the blowhole(s), the eyes, any wounds on the trailing +edges of the dorsal fin, flippers, and flukes. Occasionally barnacles +will be found on teeth or baleen plates. Like the stomach contents, +parasites should be preserved in alcohol. + +3. Photographs and sketches are a valuable part of data +collection--views of the animal(s) from as many angles as possible, and +detailed shots of such features as baleen plates, mouth and teeth, +ventral grooves, flippers, flukes, and unusual scars or coloration +should be included. Including a ruler for size reference may be helpful. + +4. Although scientific data are usually expressed in metric units, +measurements should be taken in whatever units are readily available. +All measurements should be taken in a straight line, as shown in the +diagram, unless otherwise noted. Measurements which refer to the rostrum +are taken from the tip of the upper jaw. The external auditory meatus +(ear) is a small inconspicuous opening located just below and behind the +eye. To locate the ear the observer must sometimes scrape away some of +the skin to expose the unpigmented ear canal beneath it. + +5. Throat grooves are short grooves found on the throat of beaked +whales, sperm whales, and dwarf sperm whales. Ventral grooves are long +grooves found only on balaenopterine whales. Ventral grooves should be +counted between the flippers. + + +It is difficult to overstress the importance of data from stranded +cetaceans. For some species, the only data available have come from +stranded individuals. By carefully gleaning from each specimen all the +data that can be collected, you will make a valuable addition to the +body of knowledge on these elusive animals. + +[Illustration: Appendix Figure D1.--Locations and details of important +measurements.] + + + + +APPENDIX E + +LIST OF INSTITUTIONS TO CONTACT REGARDING STRANDED CETACEANS + + +The following list includes many of the institutions in the area covered +by this guide, which are likely to respond to calls about stranded +cetaceans. The institutions on the mainland are listed roughly in order +from north to south, following the contour of the coast. Several island +institutions and organizations are also listed. + +These institutions are the ones that come to mind as having taken an +active interest in cetacean strandings in the recent past. In addition +to these, almost any university biology or zoology department, State or +Federal conservation agency or marine laboratory, or local natural +history museum or society can recommend an interested biologist if no +staff member is interested. Such organizations are widely distributed on +or near the coasts and are usually adequately listed in local telephone +directories. + +It should be obvious that organizations such as oceanaria are the most +likely ones to be interested in live animals on an emergency basis. Even +so, these organizations often cooperate with biologists with whom they +are familiar and so will pick up dead animals for them as well. +Conversely, museums and the like are most interested in the dead animals +as they have no facilities for handling live ones. Nevertheless, they +often cooperate with institutions equipped to handle live animals and +will usually help in making arrangements for picking up the live ones. +Therefore, rather than the finder's making a decision as to whether or +not an institution should be called because the animal is alive or dead, +we would urge that the nearest organization in the following list be +contacted under any circumstances. + +Space is provided at the end of the list for additions of contacts +inadvertently overlooked in compiling this list, or of institutions +which come into being after its publication. + + +CANADA + +Newfoundland + + Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's. + +Nova Scotia + + Bedford Institute, Dartmouth. + + Departments of Biology, Psychology and/or Physiology, Dalhousie + University, Halifax. + + Nova Scotia Museum, Halifax. + +Quebec + + Arctic Unit, Fisheries Research Board of Canada, Ste. Anne de Bellevue. + +Ontario + + Department of Zoology, University of Guelph, Guelph. + + +UNITED STATES + +Maine + + see Massachusetts. + +New Hampshire + + see Massachusetts. + +Massachusetts + + Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole. + + New England Aquarium, Central Wharf, Boston. + + Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge. + +Rhode Island + + Narragansett Marine Laboratory, University of Rhode Island, Kingston. + +Connecticut + + Mystic Marine Life Aquarium, Mystic. + +New York + + New York Aquarium, Coney Island, Brooklyn. + + American Museum of Natural History, Department of Mammals, New York City. + +New Jersey + + Department of Biochemistry, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, + + also see New York. + +Delaware + + see New York, + + see New Jersey. + +Maryland + + Department of Pathobiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. + + also see District of Columbia. + +District of Columbia + + Division of Mammals, United States National Museum. + +Virginia + + Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point. + + also see District of Columbia. + +North Carolina + + Duke Marine Laboratory, Beaufort. + + Institute of Fisheries Research, University of North Carolina, + Morehead City. + +South Carolina + + Charleston Museum, Charleston. + + Grice Marine Biological Laboratory, College of Charleston, Charleston. + +Georgia + + The Georgia Conservancy, The Clusky Building, 127 Abercorn Street, + Savannah. + + University of Georgia Marine Institute, Sapelo Island (Darien). + +Florida + + Marineland of Florida, St. Augustine + + University of Florida Biocommunication and Marine Mammal Research + Facility, St. Augustine. + + Ocean World, Ft. Lauderdale. + + Wometco Miami Seaquarium, Miami. + + University of Miami School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Miami. + + Sea World, Orlando. + + Mote Marine Laboratory, Placida. + + Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota. + + Aquatarium, St. Petersburg Beach. + + Florida's Gulfarium, Ft. Walton Beach. + +Alabama + + see Florida (Florida's Gulfarium). + + see Mississippi. + +Mississippi + + Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, Ocean Springs. + +Louisiana + + Museum of Natural Science, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. + + Marine Life Park, Gulfport. + +Texas + + Sea-Arama Marineworld, Galveston. + + Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, + College Station. + + Department of Zoology, University of Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi. + + University of Texas, Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas. + +Puerto Rico + + Commercial Fisheries Laboratory, Department of Agriculture, + Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez. + + Department of Agriculture, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Santurce (San + Juan). + +Virgin Islands + + Caribbean Research Institute, Red Hook, St. Thomas. + + +OTHERS + +Mexico + + Instituto Nacionale de Investigaciones Biologia Pesquera, Division de + Vertebrados Marinos, Mexico 7, D.F. + + also see Texas. + +Venezuela + + Universidad de Oriente, Nucleo de Nueva Esparta, Isla Margarita. + +Jamaica + + Department of Zoology, University of the West Indies, Mona (Kingston). + + Science Museum, Institute of Jamaica, Kingston. + +Bahamas + + Lerner Marine Laboratory, Bimini. + + Nassau Aquarium, Nassau, New Providence. + +Bermuda + + Bermuda Biological Station, St. George's. + + Government Aquarium and Museum, Flatts. + +Cuba + + Laboratorio de Vertebrados, Instituto de Biologia, Academie de + Ciencias de Cuba, Havana. + + + SIGHTING INFORMATION + + DATE AND LOCAL TIME__________________________LOCATION_________________ + + WEATHER CONDITIONS____________________________________________________ + + OCEANOGRAPHIC CONDITIONS______________________________________________ + + SPECIES_______________________________________NUMBER OF ANIMAL(S)_____ + + HEADING OF ANIMAL(S)__________________________SPEED OF ANIMAL(S)______ + (MAGNETIC) (KNOTS) + + ASSOCIATED ORGANISMS__________________________________________________ + + TAGS OR UNUSUAL MARKINGS______________________________________________ + + CHARACTERISTICS OBSERVED WHICH RESULTED IN SPECIES IDENTIFICATION_____ + ______________________________________________________________________ + + BEHAVIOR OF ANIMAL(S)_________________________________________________ + + SKETCHES + + PHOTOS AVAILABLE YES___NO____ + + ADDITIONAL REMARKS____________________________________________________ + + NAME AND ADDRESS OF OBSERVER (SHIP OR A/C)____________________________ + + + CETACEAN DATA RECORD + + SPECIES___________________________________SEX___LENGTH_____WEIGHT_____ + + DATE/TIME STRANDED__________________DATE/TIME DATA COLLECTED__________ + + LOCATION OF COLLECTION________________________________________________ + + OBSERVER NAME/ADDRESS_________________________________________________ + + SPECIMEN SENT TO______________________________________________________ + + Straight line parallel + to the body axis Point to point + + MEASUREMENTS: + + 1. Tip of upper jaw to deepest + part of fluke notch ______________________ ______________ + + 2. Tip of upper jaw to center + of anus ______________________ ______________ + + 3. Tip of upper jaw to center + of genital slit ______________________ ______________ + + 4. Tip of lower jaw to end of + ventral grooves ______________________ ______________ + + 5. Tip of upper jaw to center + of umbilicus ______________________ ______________ + + 6. Tip of upper jaw to top of + dorsal fin ______________________ ______________ + + 7. Tip of upper jaw to leading + edge of dorsal fin ______________________ ______________ + + 8a. Tip of upper jaw to anterior + insertion of flipper (right)______________________ ______________ + + b. Tip of upper jaw to anterior + insertion of flipper (left) ______________________ ______________ + + 9. Tip of upper jaw to center + of blowhole(s) ______________________ ______________ + + 10. Tip of upper jaw to anterior + edge of blowhole(s) ______________________ ______________ + + 11a. Tip of upper jaw to + auditory meatus (right) ______________________ _____________ + + b. Tip of upper jaw to auditory + meatus (left) ______________________ _____________ + + 12a. Tip of upper jaw to center + of eye (right) ______________________ _____________ + + b. Tip of upper jaw to center + of eye (left) ______________________ _____________ + + 13. Tip of upper jaw to angle of + gape ______________________ _____________ + + 14. Tip of upper jaw to apex of + melon ______________________ _____________ + + 15. Rostrum--maximum width ______________________ _____________ + + 16. Throat grooves--length ______________________ _____________ + + Straight line parallel + to the body axis Point to point + + 17. Projection of lower jaw + beyond upper (if reverse, + so state) _____________________ + + 18. Center of eye to center of eye ______________ + + 19a. Height of eye (right) ______________________ + + b. Height of eye (left) ______________________ + + 20a. Length of eye (right) ______________________ + + b. Length of eye (left) ______________________ + + 21a. Center of eye to angle of + gape (right) ______________________ ______________ + + b. Center of eye to angle of + gape (left) ______________________ ______________ + + 22a. Center of eye to external + auditory meatus (right) ______________________ ______________ + + b. Center of eye to external + auditory meatus (left) ______________________ ______________ + + 23a. Center of eye to center + of blowhole (right) ______________________ ______________ + + b. Center of eye to center + of blowhole (left) ______________________ ______________ + + 24. Blowhole length ______________________ + + 25. Blowhole width ______________________ + + 26. Flipper width (right) ______________ + + 27. Flipper width (left) ______________ + + 28a. Flipper length--tip to + anterior insertion (right)______________________ + + b. Flipper length--tip to + anterior insertion (left)_______________________ + + 29a. Flipper length--tip to + axilla (right) _______________________ + + b. Flipper length--tip to + axilla (left) _______________________ + + 30. Dorsal fin height _______________________ + + 31. Dorsal fin base _______________________ + + 32. Fluke span _______________________ + + 33. Fluke width _______________________ + + 34. Fluke depth of notch _______________________ + + Straight line parallel + to the body axis Point to point + + 35. Notch of flukes to center + of anus ______________________ + + 36. Notch of flukes to center + of genital aperture ______________________ ______________ + + 37. Notch of flukes to umbilicus______________________ + + 38. Notch of flukes to nearest + point on leading edge of flukes___________________ + + 39. Girth at anus ______________________ + + 40. Girth at axilla ______________________ + + 41. Girth at eye ______________________ + + 42. Girth ___ cm in front of notch of flukes ______________ + + 43a. Blubber thickness (middorsal) ______________ + + b. Blubber thickness (lateral) ______________ + + c. Blubber thickness (midventral) ______________ + + 44. Width of head at post-orbital + process of frontals _______________________ + + 45. Tooth counts: + right upper _______ + right lower _______ + left upper _______ + left lower _______ + + 46. Baleen counts: + right upper _______ + left upper _______ + + 47. Baleen plates, length longest ______________ + + 48. Baleen plates, no. + bristles/cm over 5 cm _______________________ + + 49a. Mammary slit length (right) + + b. Mammary slit length (left) _______________________ + + 50. Genital slit length _______________________ + + 51. Anal slit length _______________________ + + * * * * * + + + + + +NOAA TECHNICAL REPORTS + +National Marine Fisheries Service, Circulars + + +The major responsibilities of the National Marine Fisheries Service +(NMFS) are to monitor and assess the abundance and geographic +distribution of fishery resources, to understand and predict +fluctuations in the quantity and distribution of these resources, and to +establish levels for optimum use of the resources. NMFS is also charged +with the development and implementation of policies for managing +national fishing grounds, development and enforcement of domestic +fisheries regulations, surveillance of foreign fishing off United States +coastal waters, and the development and enforcement of international +fishery agreements and policies. NMFS also assists the fishing industry +through marketing service and economic analysis programs, and mortgage +insurance and vessel construction subsidies. It collects, analyzes, and +publishes statistics on various phases of the industry. + +The NOAA Technical Report NMFS CIRC series continues a series that has +been in existence since 1941. The Circulars are technical publications +of general interest intended to aid conservation and management. +Publications that review in considerable detail and at a high technical +level certain broad areas of research appear in this series. Technical +papers originating in economics studies and from management +investigations appear in the Circular series. + +NOAA Technical Reports NMFS CIRC are available free in limited numbers +to governmental agencies, both Federal and State. They are also +available in exchange for other scientific and technical publications in +the marine sciences. Individual copies may be obtained (unless otherwise +noted) from D83, Technical Information Division, Environmental Science +Information Center, NOAA. Washington, D.C. 20235. Recent Circulars are: + +315. Synopsis of biological data on the chum salmon, _Oncorhynchus keta_ +(Walbaum) 1792. By Richard G. Bakkala. March 1970. iii + 89 p., 15 +figs., 51 tables. + +319. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries Great Lakes Fishery Laboratory, Ann +Arbor, Michigan. By Bureau of Commercial Fisheries. March 1970, 8 p., 7 +figs. + +330. EASTROPAC Atlas: Vols. 1-7. Catalog No. I 49.4:330/(vol.) 11 vols. +Available from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing +Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. + +331. Guidelines for the processing of hot-smoked chub. By H. L. Seagran, +J. T. Graikoski, and J. A. Emerson. January 1970, iv + 23 p., 8 figs., 2 +tables. + +332. Pacific hake. (12 articles by 20 authors.) March 1970, iii + 152 +p., 72 figs., 47 tables. + +333. Recommended practices for vessel sanitation and fish handling. By +Edgar W. Bowman and Alfred Larsen. March 1970, iv + 27 p., 6 figs. + +335. Progress report of the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries Center for +Estuarine and Menhaden Research, Pesticide Field Station, Gulf Breeze, +Fla., fiscal year 1969. By the Laboratory staff. August 1970, iii + 33 +p., 29 figs., 12 tables. + +336. The northern fur seal. By Ralph C. Baker, Ford Wilke, and C. Howard +Baltzo. April 1970, iii + 19 p., 13 figs. + +337. Program of Division of Economic Research, Bureau of Commercial +Fisheries, fiscal year 1969. By Division of Economic Research, April +1970, iii + 29 p., 12 figs., 7 tables. + +338. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries Biological Laboratory, Auke Bay, +Alaska. By Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, June 1970, 8 p., 6 figs. + +339. Salmon research at Ice Harbor Dam. By Wesley J. Ebel. April 1970, 6 +p., 4 figs. + +340. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries Technological Laboratory, +Gloucester, Massachusetts. By Bureau of Commercial Fisheries, June 1970, +8 p., 8 figs. + +341. Report of the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries Biological Laboratory, +Beaufort, N.C., for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1968. By the +Laboratory staff. August 1970, iii + 24 p., 11 figs., 16 tables. + +342. Report of the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries Biological Laboratory, +St. Petersburg Beach, Florida, fiscal year 1969. By the Laboratory +staff. August 1970, iii + 22 p., 20 figs., 8 tables. + +343. Report of the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries Biological Laboratory, +Galveston, Texas, fiscal year 1969. By the Laboratory staff. August +1970, iii + 39 p., 28 figs., 9 tables. + +344. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries Tropical Atlantic Biological +Laboratory progress in research 1965-69, Miami, Florida. By Ann Weeks. +October 1970, iv + 65 p., 53 figs. + +346. Sportsman's guide to handling, smoking, and preserving Great Lakes +coho salmon. By Shearon Dudley, J. T. Graikoski, H. L. Seagran, and Paul +M. Earl. September 1970, iii + 28 p., 15 figs. + +347. Synopsis of biological data on Pacific ocean perch, _Sebastodes +alutus_. By Richard L. Major and Herbert H. Shippen. December 1970, iii ++ 38 p., 31 figs., 11 tables. + +349. Use of abstracts and summaries as communication devices in +technical articles. By F. Bruce Sanford. February 1971, iii + 11 p., 1 +fig. + +350. Research in fiscal year 1969 at the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries +Biological Laboratory, Beaufort, N.C. By the Laboratory staff. November +1970, ii + 49 p., 21 figs., 17 tables. + +351. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries Exploratory Fishing and Gear +Research Base, Pascagoula, Mississippi, July 1, 1967 to June 30, 1969. +By Harvey R. Bullis, Jr. and John R. Thompson. November 1970, iv + 29 +p., 29 figs., 1 table. + +352. Upstream passage of anadromous fish through navigation locks and +use of the stream for spawning and nursery habitat, Cape Fear River, +N.C., 1962-66. By Paul R. Nichols and Darrell E. Louder. October 1970, +iv + 12 p., 9 figs., 4 tables. + +356. Floating laboratory for study of aquatic organisms and their +environment. By George R. Snyder, Theodore H. Blahm, and Robert J. +McConnell. May 1971, iii + 16 p., 11 figs. + +361. Regional and other related aspects of shellfish consumption--some +preliminary findings from the 1969 Consumer Panel Survey. By Morton M. +Miller and Darrel A. Nash. June 1971, iv + 18 p., 19 figs., 3 tables, 10 +apps. + +362. Research vessels of the National Marine Fisheries Service. By +Robert S. Wolf. August 1971, iii + 46 p., 25 figs., 3 tables. For sale +by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, +Washington, D.C. 20402. + +364. History and development of surf clam harvesting gear. By Phillip S. +Parker. October 1971, iv + 15 p., 16 figs. For sale by the +Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, +Washington, D.C. 20402. + +365. Processing EASTROPAC STD data and the construction of vertical +temperature and salinity sections by computer. By Forrest R. Miller and +Kenneth A. Bliss. February 1972, iv + 17 p., 8 figs., 3 appendix figs. +For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing +Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. + +366. Key to field identification of andromous juvenile salmonids in the +Pacific Northwest. By Robert J. McConnell and George R. Snyder. January +1972, iv + 6 p., 4 figs. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, +U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. + +367. Engineering economic model for fish protein concentration +processes. By K. K. Almenas, L. C. Durilla, R. C. Ernst, J. W. Gentry, +M. B. Hale, and J. M. Marchello. October 1972, iii + 175 p., 6 figs., 6 +tables. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government +Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. + +368. Cooperative Gulf of Mexico estuarine inventory and study, Florida: +Phase I, area description. By J. Kneeland McNulty, William N. Lindall, +Jr., and James E. Sykes. November 1972, vii + 126 p., 46 figs., 62 +tables. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government +Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. + +369. Field guide to the anglefishes (Pomacanthidae) in the western +Atlantic. By Henry A. Feddern. November 1972, iii + 10 p., 17 figs., For +sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing +Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. + +Continued on inside back cover. + +370. Collecting and processing data on fish eggs and larvae in the +California Current region. By David Kramer, Mary J. Kalin, Elizabeth G. +Stevens, James R. Thrailkill, and James R. Zweifel. November 1972, iv + +38 p., 38 figs., 2 tables. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, +U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. + +371. Ocean fishery management: Discussions and research. By Adam A. +Sokoloski (editor). (17 papers, 24 authors.) April 1973, vi + 173 p., 38 +figs., 32 tables, 7 appendix tables. + +372. Fishery publications, calendar year 1971: Lists and indexes. By +Thomas A. Manar. October 1972, iv + 24 p., 1 fig. For sale by the +Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, +Washington, D.C. 20402. + +374. Marine flora and fauna of the northeastern United States. Annelida: +Oligochaeta. By David G. Cook and Ralph O. Brinkhurst. May 1973, iii + +23 p., 82 figs. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. +Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. + +375. New Polychaeta from Beaufort, with a key to all species recorded +from North Carolina. By John H. Day. July 1973, xiii + 140 p., 18 figs., +1 table. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government +Printing Office. Washington, D.C. 20402. + +376. Bottom-water temperatures on the continental shelf. Nova Scotia to +New Jersey. By John B. Colton, Jr. and Ruth R. Stoddard. June 1973, iii ++ 55 p., 15 figs., 12 appendix tables. For sale by the Superintendent of +Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. + +377. Fishery publications, calendar year 1970: Lists and indexes. By +Mary Ellen Engett and Lee C. Thorson. December 1972, iv + 34 p., 1 fig. +For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing +Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. + +378. Marine flora and fauna of the northeastern United States. Protozoa: +Ciliophora. By Arthur C. Borror. September 1973, iii + 62 p., 5 figs. +For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing +Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. + +379. Fishery publications, calendar year 1969: Lists and indexes. By Lee +C. Thorson and Mary Ellen Engett. April 1973, iv + 31 p., 1 fig. For +sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing +Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. + +380. Fishery publications, calendar year 1968: Lists and indexes. By +Mary Ellen Engett and Lee C. Thorson. May 1973, iv + 24 p., 1 fig. For +sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing +Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. + +381. Fishery publications, calendar year 1967: Lists and indexes. By Lee +C. Thorson and Mary Ellen Engett. July 1973, iv + 22 p., 1 fig. For sale +by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, +Washington, D.C. 20402. + +382. Fishery publications, calendar year 1966: Lists and indexes. By +Mary Ellen Engett and Lee C. Thorson, July 1973, iv + 19 p., 1 fig. For +sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing +Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. + +383. Fishery publications, calendar year 1965: Lists and indexes. By Lee +C. Thorson and Mary Ellen Engett. July 1973, iv + 12 p., 1 fig. For sale +by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, +Washington, D.C. 20402. + +384. Marine flora and fauna of the northeastern United States. Higher +plants of the marine fringe. By Edwin T. Moul. September 1973, iii + 60 +p., 109 figs. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. +Government Printing Office. Washington, D.C. 20402. + +385. Fishery publications, calendar year 1972: Lists and indexes. By Lee +C. Thorson and Mary Ellen Engett. November 1973, iv + 23 p., 1 fig. For +sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing +Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. + +386. Marine Flora and fauna of the northeastern United States. +Pyenogonida. By Lawrence R. McCloskey. September 1973, iii + 12 p., 1 +fig. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government +Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. + +387. Marine flora and fauna of the northeastern United States. +Crustacea: Stomatopoda. By Raymond B. Manning. February 1974, iii + 6 +p., 10 figs. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. +Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. + +388. Proceedings of the first U.S.-Japan meeting on aquaculture at +Tokyo, Japan. October 18-19, 1971. William N. Shaw (editor). (18 papers, +14 authors.) February 1974, iii + 133 p. For sale by the Superintendent +of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. + +389. Marine flora and fauna of the northeastern United States. +Crustacea: Decapoda. By Austin B. Williams. April 1974, iii + 50 p., 111 +figs. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government +Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. + +390. Fishery publications, calendar year 1973: Lists and indexes. By +Mary Ellen Engett and Lee C. Thorson. September 1974, iv + 14 p., 1 fig. +For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing +Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. + + * * * * * + + UNITED STATES + DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE + + NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION + NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE + SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS STAFF + ROOM 450 + 1107 N.E. 45TH ST. + SEATTLE, WA 98105 + + OFFICIAL BUSINESS + + * * * * * + + POSTAGE AND FEES PAID + U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE + COM-210 + THIRD CLASS + BULK RATE + +[Illustration: U.S. MAIL logo] + +[Illustration: American Revolution Bicentennial 1776-1976 logo] + +[Illustration: America's First Industry '76 logo] + + * * * * * + +Transcriber's Notes: + +page 57: "Alantic" changed to "Atlantic" (Sperm whales are widely +distributed in oceanic areas of the western North Atlantic.) + +page 69, caption to figure 70: "Rijks Musum" changed to "Rijksmuseum" +(...courtesy of Rijks Musum van Natuurlijke Historie te Leiden.) + +page 80, cross reference to page 84 should be to figure 84 ( ...a +peculiar high, arching contour to the mouth (Fig. 84)) + +page 88: "5.5 cm" changed to "5.5 m" (False killer whales in the western +North Atlantic reach a length of at least 18 feet (5.5 m).) + +page 88: "my" changed to "may" ( ...an extensive region of white on the +belly which may extend onto the sides ...) + +page 132: "identifed" changed to "identified" ( ...stranded Guiana +dolphins can be readily identified by their extremely small size ...) + +page 138: changed "sharpely" to "sharply" ( ...those of the many-toothed +blackfish are pointed on the tip and more sharply pointed ...) + +page 154: changed "themselve" to "themselves" (thereby making themselves +accessible for tagging and capture) + +Appendix Figure A3 caption: "breath" changed to "breathe" ( ...and are +clearly visible as the animal surfaces to breathe.) + +Appendix Figure A5 caption: "botton" changed to "button" (This is the +way the button tag appears ...) + +page 158: "usually" changed to "unusually" (These unusually marked +animals should stand out in repeated encounters ...) + +page 161: "vessle" changed to "vessel" (2 right whales directly ahead of +vessel headed NE ...) + +page 166: added closing parenthesis "(in cross section circular, or +slightly flattened anteroposteriorly)". + +page 168 (Footnote 20): "feet" changed to "feel" (... one can feel the point +at which the two lower jaws become united) + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises of the +Western North Atlantic, by Stephen Leatherwood and David Caldwell and Howard Winn + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WHALES, DOLPHINS, AND *** + +***** This file should be named 33527.txt or 33527.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/3/3/5/2/33527/ + +Produced by Chris Curnow, Simon Gardner, Joseph Cooper and +the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at +http://www.pgdp.net + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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