Two eighteenth-century strandings of sperm whales ( Physeter macrocephalus ) on the Swedish coast

Strandings and sightings of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) in Swedish waters are rare. Only two strandings are recorded from the eighteenth century. The oldest of 1718 is not widely known, whilst hitherto the more recent one of 1749 was little known to zoologists. Details are provided of the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Archives of Natural History
Main Authors: BARTHELMESS, K., SVANBERG, I.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Edinburgh University Press 2009
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.3366/e0260954108000636
https://www.euppublishing.com/doi/full-xml/10.3366/E0260954108000636
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Summary:Strandings and sightings of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) in Swedish waters are rare. Only two strandings are recorded from the eighteenth century. The oldest of 1718 is not widely known, whilst hitherto the more recent one of 1749 was little known to zoologists. Details are provided of the two strandings, and of two ink-and-wash drawings of the 1749 stranding.