The Most Southerly Record of a Stranded Bowhead Whale, Balaena mysticetus, from the Western North Atlantic Ocean

An immature female bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) was discovered stranded dead at Witless Bay Point, just south of Mobile Point (47°14' 68.00"N, 52°47' 90.00"W) on the southern shore of the Avalon Peninsula of the island of Newfoundland (Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada) on...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:ARCTIC
Main Authors: Ledwell, Wayne, Benjamins, Steven, Lawson, Jack, Huntington, Julie
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: The Arctic Institute of North America 2009
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/63323
Description
Summary:An immature female bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) was discovered stranded dead at Witless Bay Point, just south of Mobile Point (47°14' 68.00"N, 52°47' 90.00"W) on the southern shore of the Avalon Peninsula of the island of Newfoundland (Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada) on 15 April 2005. This is the second bowhead found stranded dead in Newfoundland in seven years. The first, also an immature female, was discovered in a fjord in northeastern Newfoundland near Rattling Brook (49°40' N, 56°10' W) in October 1998. These animals represent the only bowhead whales known to have been sighted, alive or stranded dead, in waters around the island of Newfoundland. Some possible causes of the death of this most recent animal are discussed, including chronic inflammation of the vertebrae and the associated locomotive difficulties. Le 15 avril 2005, on a trouvé un baleineau boréal femelle (Balaena mysticetus) en détresse morte à Witless Bay Point, juste au sud de Mobile Point (47°14' 68.00"N, 52°47' 90.00"O), sur la côte sud de la presqu’île Avalon de l’île de Terre-Neuve (Terre-Neuve et Labrador, Canada). Il s’agissait de la deuxième baleine boréale retrouvée en détresse à Terre-Neuve en sept ans. La première, également une jeune femelle, avait été trouvée dans un fjord du nord-est de Terre-Neuve, près de Rattling Brook (49°40' N, 56°10' O) en octobre 1998. Il s’agit des seules baleines boréales à n’avoir jamais été repérées, vivantes ou mortes, dans les eaux entourant l’île de Terre-Neuve. Certaines des causes possibles de la mort récente de ce baleineau sont abordées ici, dont une inflammation chronique des vertèbres et les troubles locomoteurs qui en découlent.