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Rare sightings of white-beaked dolphins (Lagenorhynchus albirostris) off south-eastern Baffin Island, Canada

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 November 2014

N.R. Reinhart ,
S.M.E. Fortune ,
P.R. Richard  and
C.J.D. Matthews
N.R. Reinhart*
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of Manitoba, 501 University Crescent, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2
S.M.E. Fortune
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, 2202 Main Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z4
P.R. Richard
Affiliation:
340 Maplewood Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3L 1A9
C.J.D. Matthews
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, University of Manitoba, 501 University Crescent, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3T 2N2
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: N.R. Reinhart, 501 University Crescent, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, R3T 2N6 Email: nreinhart3@gmail.com
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Abstract

We report two opportunistic and unusual observations of white-beaked dolphins (Lagenorhynchus albirostris) in the Canadian Arctic that are outside the known range of this species. Sightings occurred off the south-east coast of Baffin Island (Nunavut, Canada) in Frobisher Bay (September 2004) and Cumberland Sound (August 2013). Despite dedicated, multi-year marine mammal surveys in the region (boat-based and aerial), white-beaked dolphins have not previously been reported in the eastern Davis Strait. Our sightings suggest that white-beaked dolphins may infrequently inhabit coastal waters off south-eastern Baffin Island, and furthermore, that their habitat use may correspond with recent changes in prey distribution and availability.

Keywords

distributionwestern North Atlanticwhite-beaked dolphins
Type
Research Article
Information
Marine Biodiversity Records , Volume 7 , 2014 , e121
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2014 

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