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Cetacean records from Tristan da Cunha, South Atlantic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 July 2009

Peter B. Best ,
James P. Glass ,
Peter G. Ryan  and
Merel L. Dalebout
Peter B. Best*
Affiliation:
Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, South Africa
James P. Glass
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Tristan da Cunha, South Atlantic
Peter G. Ryan
Affiliation:
Percy FitzPatrick Institute, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
Merel L. Dalebout
Affiliation:
School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: P.B. Best, Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, South Africa email: pbest@iziko.org.za
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Abstract

The cetacean fauna at the Tristan da Cunha archipelago has been assessed from ship-based, aerial and land-based observations from 1983–2000, from strandings on Tristan da Cunha and Inaccessible Island between 1983 and 1995, and from whaling catch data from 1934–1967. Five species (Eubalaena australis, Megaptera novaeangliae, Tasmacetus shepherdi, Globicephala melas and Orcinus orca) have been sighted within the territorial waters of the archipelago, eight species (Balaenoptera physalus, B. borealis, B. acutorostrata/bonaerensis, Physeter macrocephalus, Mesoplodon mirus, M. bowdoini, Delphinus sp. and Lissodelphis peronii) have been seen or taken within 200 nautical miles (360 km) of the group or have been found stranded on its shores, while another two species (Caperea marginata and Lagenorhynchus obscurus) have been recorded close enough to be considered likely to occur within 200 nautical miles. The records of Mesoplodon mirus and M. bowdoini represent significant extensions to their known distribution. Apart from its possible importance as a mid-oceanic nursery area for southern right whales, the waters of the Tristan Archipelago seem to be a concentration area for T. shepherdi, one of the least-known of the world's cetaceans.

Keywords

cetacean recordsTristan da CunhaSouth Atlantic
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 89 , Special Issue 5: Cetaceans , August 2009 , pp. 1023 - 1032
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2009

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