First record of a vagrant Commerson’s dolphin, Cephalorhynchus commersonii, at the southern African continental shelf

• Main Authors: de Bruyn, P.J.N., Hofmeyr, G.J.G., de Villiers, M.S.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: NISC (Pty) Ltd 2016
• Subjects: Cephalorhynchus commersonii; vagrant; distribution; South Africa; Antarctic; Kerguelen; Kerguelen Islands; Antarc*
• Online Access: http://www.ajol.info/index.php/az/article/view/153279

Commerson’s Dolphins Cephalorhynchus commersonii are distributed in two disjunct populations, one around southern South America and the other around the sub-Antarctic Kerguelen Islands. These populations have been shown to be morphologically and genetically distinct and movement between the two populations is unlikely. We report on the sighting of a single specimen over the South African continental shelf on 13 November 2004. To our knowledge this is the first record of this species in South African waters and such a vast distance (over 4000 km) from the known distribution limits.Keywords: Cephalorhynchus commersonii, vagrant, distribution, South Africa