False killer whale Pseudorca crassidens mass stranding at Long Beach on South Africa's Cape Peninsula, 2009

A mass stranding of false killer whales Pseudorca crassidens at Long Beach near the village of Kommetjie (34°8.18'S, 18°9.77'E) on the Cape Peninsula, South Africa, in May 2009 is described. Theestimated size of stranded group was 55 animals, which is close to the median size of P. crassid...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Kirkman, Steve, Meÿer, M A, Thornton, M
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: National Inquiry Services Centre 2010
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17297
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2989/1814232X.2010.481168
https://open.uct.ac.za/bitstream/11427/17297/1/Kirkman_False_killer_whale_Pseudorca_2010.pdf
Description
Summary:A mass stranding of false killer whales Pseudorca crassidens at Long Beach near the village of Kommetjie (34°8.18'S, 18°9.77'E) on the Cape Peninsula, South Africa, in May 2009 is described. Theestimated size of stranded group was 55 animals, which is close to the median size of P. crassidens groups that have stranded previously in South Africa (58). Five of the stranded individuals succumbed, 36 were euthanised and 14 were rescued. This was the eighth known mass stranding of this species to occur in South Africa, with all these events occurring on the irregular south-west coast of the Western Cape province.