New extralimital record of a narwhal (Monodon monoceros) in Europe

On 27 April 2016, a dead narwhal (Monodon monoceros) was found on the bank of the River Scheldt, Belgium. It was the first record of this high Arctic cetacean in Belgium, and one of the most southerly records ever in Europe. Due to the decomposition of the carcass, the results of the autopsy remaine...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Haelters, Jan, Kerckhof, Francis, Doom, Marjan, Evans, Peter, Van den Neucker, Tom, Jauniaux, Thierry
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2018
Subjects:
Biology and Life Sciences
narwhal
Monodon monoceros
stranding
Belgium
historic records
WHALES DELPHINAPTERUS-LEUCAS
ARCTIC MARINE MAMMALS
AGGRESSIVE TUSK USE
DIVING BEHAVIOR
CLIMATE-CHANGE
THYROID-GLAND
KILLER WHALES
BAFFIN-ISLAND
MOVEMENTS
IMPACTS
Arctic
Baffin Island
Arctic marine mammals
Baffin
Climate change
Delphinapterus leucas
narwhal*
Online Access:https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8544822
http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8544822
http://dx.doi.org/0.1578/AM.44.1.2018.39
https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8544822/file/8544825
Description
Summary:On 27 April 2016, a dead narwhal (Monodon monoceros) was found on the bank of the River Scheldt, Belgium. It was the first record of this high Arctic cetacean in Belgium, and one of the most southerly records ever in Europe. Due to the decomposition of the carcass, the results of the autopsy remained inconclusive, but it is likely that the animal had died due to a long process of starvation. In the stomach, a large number of litter items were found which were probably ingested during the process of dying. We further provide information on the sighting of the live animal prior to the stranding and present an overview of the very few known records of narwhal in northwestern Europe.

Similar Items