DWARF SPERM WHALE (Kogia simus): Western North Atlantic Stock
The dwarf sperm whale (Kogia simus) appears to be distributed worldwide in temperate to tropical waters (Caldwell and Caldwell 1989). There are no stranding records for the east Canadian coast (Willis and Baird 1998). Sightings of these animals in the Western North Atlantic occur primarily along the...
Main Authors: | , |
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Format: | Text |
Language: | English |
Published: |
1999
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Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.294.8429 http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/pdfs/sars/ao1999whds-wn.pdf |
Summary: | The dwarf sperm whale (Kogia simus) appears to be distributed worldwide in temperate to tropical waters (Caldwell and Caldwell 1989). There are no stranding records for the east Canadian coast (Willis and Baird 1998). Sightings of these animals in the Western North Atlantic occur primarily along the continental shelf edge and over the deeper waters off the continental shelf (Hansen et al 1994 NMFS unpublished data). Dwarf sperm whales and pygmy sperm whales are difficult to distinguish and sightings of either species are often categorized as Kogia sp. There is no information on stock differentiation for the Atlantic population. In a recent study using hematological and stable-isotope data, Barros et al. (1998) speculated that dwarf sperm whales may have a more pelagic distribution than pygmy sperm whales, and/or dive deeper during feeding bouts. |
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