Journal Article•
On a specimen of the rare fin whale, Balaenoptera Edeni Anderson, stranded on Pulu Sugi near Singapore
TL;DR: The stranding of the Pulu Sugi Whale offered a good opportunity to make a close comparison of edeni and brydei and if possible to clear up the relation between these two species.
Abstract: A Fin Whale was cast ashore on the coast of Pulu Sugi, one of the smaller islands of the Rhio Archipelago between Singapore and the Sumatran coast in July 1936. Thanks to the generosity of Dr. K. W. Dammerman, former Director of 's Lands Plantentuin at Buitenzorg, and the unvaluable help of the late Mr. F. N. Chasen, Director of the Raffles Museum, Singapore, the specimen was saved and after cleaning sent to the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie, Leiden. It was received in June 1939.
The length of the skeleton was slightly over 12 m and it must have belonged to an adult specimen, for in all vertebrae the epiphyses are coalesced completely with the rest of the vertebral body (Wheeler, 1930). It was clear that the specimen belonged to a Balaenoptera. It was too large for a B. acutorostrata and too small for a B. physalus and nearly related to B. borealis, but there were some important characters in which it differed from this species. The preliminary examination showed that especially the flat rostrum, the form of the part of the skull between the palatine bones and the occipital condyles were markedly different and also that the form of the atlas and the backward direction of the spinous processes of the dorsal and lumbar vertebrae did not agree with borealis. All these characters pointed to B. edeni, a species from the Indian region still insufficiently known, and also to B. brydei, though the latter was only known from South African waters. The stranding of the Pulu Sugi Whale offered a good opportunity to make a close comparison of edeni and brydei and if possible to clear up the relation between these two species. B. edeni was described by Anderson (1878), who gave a description of the skeleton from a specimen stranded in Thyabu Choung off the Gulf of Martaban. B. brydei was
Citations
More filters
TL;DR: The genetic identification and a morphological description of a 4.16 m female calf of an Omura's whale found stranded in Pecem beach, northeastern Brazil, in 2010 suggest the existence of an autochthonous Atlantic population of OmURA's whales and indicates a necessity of reassessment of specimens indicated as Bryde's whale in the region.
Abstract: The Omura's whale (Balaenoptera omurai), previously referred to as a small form of Bryde's whale, was described in 2003 as a distinct baleen whale species of the family Balaenopteridae. Omura's whales are currently confirmed to occur in three of the world's oceans; the western Pacific, Indian, and northeastern Atlantic. Here we report the genetic identification and a morphological description of a 4.16 m female calf of an Omura's whale found stranded in Pecem beach (03°32′11.6″S, 38°47′51.8″W), northeastern Brazil, in 2010. The three mitochondrial DNA markers (control region, cytochrome b, and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1) unequivocally identified the specimen as a B. omurai, providing the first report of this species in the South Atlantic Ocean. The morphological identification of the specimen was limited due to the absence of the skull and loss of color pattern, but the proportions of the body were not consistent with the other balenopterid species and a single rostrum ridge distinguished it from Bryde's whales. This, together with the record of another juvenile in Mauritania, suggests the existence of an autochthonous Atlantic population of Omura's whales and indicates a necessity of reassessment of specimens indicated as Bryde's whale in the region.
11 citations
Cites background from "On a specimen of the rare fin whale..."
...…for blue and sei whales, in which the angular portion ends before the hind edge of the condyle (Miller 1924, Omura et al. 1970); and for Bryde’s whales, in which the posterior extension of the angular portion is at the same level or projects behind the condyle (Junge 1950, Omura et al. 1981)....
[...]
TL;DR: Molecular and morphological evidence for the subspecific identity of Bryde’s whales in the southern Caribbean is supported by morphological and molecular evidence.
Abstract: Molecular and morphological evidence for the subspecific identity of Bryde’s whales in the southern Caribbean
9 citations
TL;DR: This is the first world record of X. globicipitis in Balaenoptera brydei and Stenella frontalis in orcas, rough-toothed dolphins and Atlantic spotted dolphins from south-eastern Brazil.
Abstract: The sessile barnacle Xenobalanus globicipitis was observed on multiple cetacean species during field surveys off the northern coast of Sao Paulo state, Brazil. However, the occurrence of X. globici...
6 citations
TL;DR: In this article, an adult Bryde's whale in the Beibu Gulf was tagged to investigate potential occurrence areas and migration routes of this poorly studied species, and the whale was satellite-tracked for 6 days with 71 filtered Argos satellite locations, resulting in a linear movement distance of 464 km.
Abstract: Satellite-tagging is increasingly becoming a powerful biotelemetry approach to obtain remote measurement through tracking free-living cetaceans, which can fill knowledge gaps on cetaceans and facilitate conservation management. Here, we made a first biologging attempt on baleen whales in Chinese waters. An adult Bryde’s whale in the Beibu Gulf was tagged to investigate potential occurrence areas and migration routes of this poorly studied species. The whale was satellite-tracked for ~6 days with 71 filtered Argos satellite locations, resulting in a linear movement distance of 464 km. At each satellite-tracking location, the water depth was measured as 42.1 ± 24.8 m on average. During the satellite-tracking period, the whale’s moving speed was estimated at 5.33 ± 4.01 km/h. These findings expanded the known distribution areas of Bryde’s whales in the Beibu Gulf and provided an important scientific basis for the regional protection of this species. We suggest that fine-scale movements, habitat use, and migratory behavior of Bryde’s whales in the Beibu Gulf need more biotelemetry research, using long-term satellite-tracking tags and involving enough individuals. Furthermore, the genetic relationship and possible connectivity of Bryde’s whales in the Beibu Gulf and adjacent waters should be examined.
5 citations
TL;DR: The results of mtDNA sequencing in the present study confirm the presence of B. edeni species of ‘Bryde’s Whale complex’ in the coastal waters of India.
Abstract: Three whales washed ashore along Kerala coast of southwest India were identified as Bryde’s Whale Balaenoptera edeni Anderson based on sequencing of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 and cytochrome b genes. The results of mtDNA sequencing in the present study confirm the presence of B. edeni species of ‘Bryde’s Whale complex’ in the coastal waters of India.
5 citations