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Dear all,
On behalf my colleague R. Charles Anderson, I would
like to announce the publication of the following paper in "Aquatic
Mammals":
Anderson, R.C., Clark, R., Madsen, P.T., Johnson,
C., Kiszka, J. & Breysse, O., 2006. Observations of Longman's beaked whale
(Indopacetus pacificus) in the western Indian Ocean. Aquatic
Mammals, 32(2): 223-231.
Abstract
Seventeen new sightings, and a total of 32 records,
of the little-known Longman's beaked whale, (Indopacetus pacificus)
(also called tropical bottlenose whale or Indo-pacific beaked whale) are
reported from the western Indian Ocean. Field identification features are
reviewed, and the possibilities of confusion with other beaked whales are noted.
Mean group size for the western Indian Ocean sightings was 7.2 individuals (n =
22, SD = 10.9, range = 1 to 40). This is smaller than previously published
estimates from the Pacific, reflecting a relatively large number of new
sightings of individuals and small groups, which, in turn, reflect the recent
description of the external appearance of this species. Recorded dive times were
either short (mean = 14 min, range = 11 to 18 min, n = 5) or long (mean = 26
min, range = 20 to 33 min, n = 19). Longman's beaked whales appear to be widely
distributed in the warmer (> 27° C) waters of the western Indian Ocean, but
most sightings were over or adjacent to deep slopes (depths 250 to 2,000+ m).
Mean sighting rates were much higher in the western Indian Ocean (1 sighting per
31 sea days for visual surveys) and particularly around the Maldives (1 sighting
per 21 sea days) than have been reported from the Pacific (1 sighting per 200
sea days). Longman's beaked whales may therefore be more common in the western
Indian Ocean than in the Pacific, although survey methodologies used in the two
oceans were not identical. Widespread gillnet fisheries may pose a potential
threat to this species in the Indian Ocean.
Please contact me for a pdf copy to
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Best,
Jeremy
KISZKA. |
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