Mediterranean sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalus :the precarious state of a lost tribe
First observed in the classical era, a population of sperm whales ( Physeter macrocephalus ) persists to this day in the deep waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Genetic and observational evidence support the notion that this is an isolated population, separated from its Atlantic neighbours. These whal...
Main Authors: | , |
---|---|
Other Authors: | , , |
Format: | Book Part |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Academic Press/Elsevier
2016
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk/en/researchoutput/mediterranean-sperm-whales-physeter-macrocephalus(f910201d-8fe7-4338-9870-284c921ef083).html https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.amb.2016.08.001 |
id |
ftunstandrewcris:oai:research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk:publications/f910201d-8fe7-4338-9870-284c921ef083 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftunstandrewcris:oai:research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk:publications/f910201d-8fe7-4338-9870-284c921ef083 2024-09-15T18:30:28+00:00 Mediterranean sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalus :the precarious state of a lost tribe Rendell, Luke Edward Frantzis, Alexandros Notarbartolo di Sciara, Giuseppe Podestà, Michela Curry, Barbara E 2016 https://research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk/en/researchoutput/mediterranean-sperm-whales-physeter-macrocephalus(f910201d-8fe7-4338-9870-284c921ef083).html https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.amb.2016.08.001 eng eng Academic Press/Elsevier https://research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk/en/researchoutput/mediterranean-sperm-whales-physeter-macrocephalus(f910201d-8fe7-4338-9870-284c921ef083).html urn:ISBN:9780128051528 info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess Rendell , L E & Frantzis , A 2016 , Mediterranean sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalus : the precarious state of a lost tribe . in G Notarbartolo di Sciara , M Podestà & B E Curry (eds) , Mediterranean Marine Mammal Ecology and Conservation . 1st edn , Advances in Marine Biology , vol. 75 , Academic Press/Elsevier , pp. 37-74 . https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.amb.2016.08.001 Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus Mediterranean Sea Endangered bookPart 2016 ftunstandrewcris https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.amb.2016.08.001 2024-07-10T23:32:29Z First observed in the classical era, a population of sperm whales ( Physeter macrocephalus ) persists to this day in the deep waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Genetic and observational evidence support the notion that this is an isolated population, separated from its Atlantic neighbours. These whales depend on mesopelagic squid for food, and appear to occupy a very similar ecological niche to sperm whales in the open oceans. Recent evidence proving that individuals can pass between the eastern and western deep water basins confirms that this is a single population, not isolated into western and eastern stocks. We lack robust information on their population status, but they could number in the hundreds rather than thousands, and current densities appear to be much lower than those reported in the 1950s, suggesting that we should be very concerned about the conservation status of this population. This makes it vitally important to address the serious threats posed by ship strikes and entanglement in fishing nets, especially driftnets, and to carefully monitor other potential sources of anthropogenic impact. A step change in funding to collect better data and a clear shift in policy priorities are needed if we are to be serious about conserving this population. Book Part Physeter macrocephalus Sperm whale University of St Andrews: Research Portal 37 74 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of St Andrews: Research Portal |
op_collection_id |
ftunstandrewcris |
language |
English |
topic |
Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus Mediterranean Sea Endangered |
spellingShingle |
Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus Mediterranean Sea Endangered Rendell, Luke Edward Frantzis, Alexandros Mediterranean sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalus :the precarious state of a lost tribe |
topic_facet |
Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus Mediterranean Sea Endangered |
description |
First observed in the classical era, a population of sperm whales ( Physeter macrocephalus ) persists to this day in the deep waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Genetic and observational evidence support the notion that this is an isolated population, separated from its Atlantic neighbours. These whales depend on mesopelagic squid for food, and appear to occupy a very similar ecological niche to sperm whales in the open oceans. Recent evidence proving that individuals can pass between the eastern and western deep water basins confirms that this is a single population, not isolated into western and eastern stocks. We lack robust information on their population status, but they could number in the hundreds rather than thousands, and current densities appear to be much lower than those reported in the 1950s, suggesting that we should be very concerned about the conservation status of this population. This makes it vitally important to address the serious threats posed by ship strikes and entanglement in fishing nets, especially driftnets, and to carefully monitor other potential sources of anthropogenic impact. A step change in funding to collect better data and a clear shift in policy priorities are needed if we are to be serious about conserving this population. |
author2 |
Notarbartolo di Sciara, Giuseppe Podestà, Michela Curry, Barbara E |
format |
Book Part |
author |
Rendell, Luke Edward Frantzis, Alexandros |
author_facet |
Rendell, Luke Edward Frantzis, Alexandros |
author_sort |
Rendell, Luke Edward |
title |
Mediterranean sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalus :the precarious state of a lost tribe |
title_short |
Mediterranean sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalus :the precarious state of a lost tribe |
title_full |
Mediterranean sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalus :the precarious state of a lost tribe |
title_fullStr |
Mediterranean sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalus :the precarious state of a lost tribe |
title_full_unstemmed |
Mediterranean sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalus :the precarious state of a lost tribe |
title_sort |
mediterranean sperm whales, physeter macrocephalus :the precarious state of a lost tribe |
publisher |
Academic Press/Elsevier |
publishDate |
2016 |
url |
https://research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk/en/researchoutput/mediterranean-sperm-whales-physeter-macrocephalus(f910201d-8fe7-4338-9870-284c921ef083).html https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.amb.2016.08.001 |
genre |
Physeter macrocephalus Sperm whale |
genre_facet |
Physeter macrocephalus Sperm whale |
op_source |
Rendell , L E & Frantzis , A 2016 , Mediterranean sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalus : the precarious state of a lost tribe . in G Notarbartolo di Sciara , M Podestà & B E Curry (eds) , Mediterranean Marine Mammal Ecology and Conservation . 1st edn , Advances in Marine Biology , vol. 75 , Academic Press/Elsevier , pp. 37-74 . https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.amb.2016.08.001 |
op_relation |
https://research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk/en/researchoutput/mediterranean-sperm-whales-physeter-macrocephalus(f910201d-8fe7-4338-9870-284c921ef083).html urn:ISBN:9780128051528 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.amb.2016.08.001 |
container_start_page |
37 |
op_container_end_page |
74 |
_version_ |
1810471938630352896 |