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Dwarf sperm whales with distinctive dorsal fins ( top, middle; top right individual with notch in middle of fin), photographed off the island of Hawai‘i, 9 October 2003, and possible resighting (bottom) of one individual, photographed 20 October 2003.
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Sightings of dwarf (Kogia sima) and pygmy (K. breviceps) sperm whales in Hawaiian waters have only rarely been reported. As part of boat-based surveys of odontocete cetaceans around the main Hawaiian Islands between 2000 and 2003, Kogia were observed on 18 occasions. Kogia were sighted most frequently in deeper portions of the study area (mean dept...
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Context 1
... were obtained to confirm field identifications. Table 1 sum- marizes research effort from 2000 through 2003. During 2000 and 2001 all search effort was in shallow waters, defined to be less than 500 m in depth. In 2002 search effort was in shallow waters off Maui/L ̄na‘i, as well as in both shallow and deep waters off the Wai‘a- nae and south coast of O‘ahu, and in shallow and deep waters off the island of Hawai‘i. In 2003 search efforts covered both shallow and deep areas off all the main Hawaiian Islands. A total of 340 groups of odontocetes was seen during the surveys, and 15 species were documented. Kogia were observed on 18 occasions (Table 2, Figure 1), and groups were identified to species on 14 occasions (13 groups of dwarf sperm whales and one group of pygmy sperm whales). Photographs obtained from 8 of the 13 dwarf sperm whale sightings were used to confirm species identifications. Half of the Kogia sightings were off the island of Hawai‘i, and 8 of the remaining 9 sightings were off Kaua‘i or Ni‘ihau (Table 2). Water depth was available for 17 of the 18 sightings; mean water depth was 1,425 m (SD 1⁄4 954 m), with a range from 450 to 3,200 m. For positively identified groups of dwarf sperm whales, mean water depth was 1,565 m (SD 1⁄4 1,017 m). Quantitative infor- mation on depth of search effort was only available for effort from O‘ahu east to Hawai‘i and differed between island areas. The deep- est average depth of search effort was off Hawai‘i (median 1⁄4 1,142 m, 50% of effort between 500 and 1,400 m), and the shallowest average depth of search effort was off Maui and L ̄na‘i (median 1⁄4 100 m, approximately 50% of effort between 1 and 100 m). The average depth of search effort off O‘ahu was intermediate (median 1⁄4 549 m, with approximately 50% of effort between 200 and 600 m). Group sizes for dwarf sperm whales ranged from 1 to 6 (mean 1⁄4 2.33, SD 1⁄4 1.56). Be- havior of individuals in most groups was similar: animals logged at the water’s surface for periods of up to a few minutes, then slowly sank or slow rolled out of sight and were not resighted. In contrast, healthy captive animals are often active and even breach at times (Manire et al. 2004). The largest group ob- served, of six dwarf sperm whales, was un- usual in that all individuals would resurface within a few minutes of diving. This group contained two mother-infant pairs, with infants estimated to be less than a year of age based on body size, and it is likely that the short dive times documented were related to the young age and thus reduced diving capa- bilities of the infants (cf. Noren et al. 2002). Based on the proportion of identified dwarf sperm whales to pygmy sperm whales, I suspect most of the Kogia spp. were dwarf sperm whales, because the two species should be similarly identifiable. Using only those positively identified to species, dwarf sperm whales rank as the sixth most frequently observed species of odontocete around the main Hawaiian Islands, representing 3.8% of total sightings. Using only sightings from 2002 and 2003 in Beaufort 0–2 sea conditions, dwarf sperm whale sightings represent 5.2% of the total sightings. Off Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau, dwarf sperm whales were the fourth most frequently observed species, representing 12.1% of total sightings near those islands in Beaufort 0–2 conditions. Mean Beaufort sea state for Kogia sightings was 0.8 (SD 1⁄4 0.8), reflecting the difficulty of spotting Kogia in anything other than ideal conditions. Given that surveys were regularly undertaken in sea conditions up to and including Beaufort 3 (and occasion- ally Beaufort 4 or 5), it is likely that Kogia are much more common near the main Hawaiian Islands than represented by these sighting rates. The high sighting rate off Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau is most likely an artifact of survey conditions off those islands; during surveys off those islands over 50% of the effort was in sea conditions of Beaufort 0 or 1, whereas sea conditions off other islands were typically greater (e.g., Baird et al. 2003). The relative lack of Kogia sightings off O‘ahu, Maui, and L ̄na‘i likely reflects the distribution of search effort over more shallow waters off those islands. The average depth of dwarf sperm whale sightings off the island of Hawai‘i (mean 1⁄4 861 m, SD 1⁄4 105 m) was qualita- tively similar to the depth of search effort and similar to depths reported for Kogia spp. in the Gulf of Mexico (Baumgartner et al. 2001), though substantially deeper than depths reported for dwarf sperm whales off the Bahamas (MacLeod et al. 2004). Dolar and Perrin (2003) found no correlation between sighting rates and water depth for dwarf sperm whales around the Philippines, with sightings over a range in depths from 117 to 3,744 m. As has been reported elsewhere, Kogia often dived before close approaches. How- ever, it was possible on several occasions to obtain photographs of dwarf sperm whales that can be used to identify individuals (e.g., Figure 2), and there is one possible match 11 days apart off the island of Hawai‘i, demonstrating that the technique of individual photo-identification can be used with this species under some circumstances. Vessels were provided by the Wild Whale Research Foundation, Island Marine Insti- tute, and Joe Mobley of the University of Hawai‘i. Erin Estrada extracted depth data for examination of the depth distribution of effort. Bob Pitman confirmed identifications based on photographs. I particularly thank Annie Gorgone, Allan Ligon, Dan McSweeney, and Daniel Webster for help in the field. Nelio Barros, Susan Chivers, Karin Forney, Joe Mobley, and Dan Salden all made helpful comments on the manuscript. Baird, R. W., D. J. McSweeney, D. L. Webster, A. M. Gorgone, and A. D. Ligon. 2003. Studies of odontocete population structure in Hawaiian waters: Results of a survey through the main Hawaiian Islands in May and June 2003. Report prepared under Contract No. AB133F-02-CN- 0106 and available from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Western Administrative Support Center, 7600 Sand Point Way N.E., Seattle, Washington 98115. Baird, R. W., D. J. McSweeney, A. D. Ligon, and D. L. Webster. 2004. Tagging feasibility and diving of Cuvier’s beaked whales ( Ziphius cavirostris ) and Blainville’s beaked whales ( Mesoplodon densirostris ) in Hawai‘i. Report prepared under Order No. AB133F-03-SE-0986 to the Hawai‘i Wildlife Fund, Volcano, Hawai‘i, and available from the Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, La Jolla, California 92037. Barlow, J. 2003. Cetacean abundance in Hawaiian waters during summer/fall of 2002. Southwest. Fish. Sci. Cent. Admin. Rep. LJ-03-13. Baumgartner, M. F., K. D. Mullin, L. N. May, and T. D. Leming. 2001. Cetacean habitats in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Fish. Bull. 99:219–239. Dolar, L., and W. Perrin. 2003. Dwarf sperm whale ( Kogia sima ) habitats in the Philippines. Page 44 in Abstracts of the 15th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals, Greensboro, North Carolina, 14–19 December 2003. Society for Marine Mammalogy, Lawrence, Kan- sas. Edmonson, C. H. 1948. Records of Kogia breviceps from the Hawaiian Islands. J. Mammal. 29:76–77. Golden Software. 2003. Surfer. Version 6.0. Golden Software, Golden, Colorado. MacLeod, C. D., N. Hauser, and H. Peck- ham. 2004. Diversity, relative density and structure of the cetacean community in summer months east of Great Abaco, the Bahamas. J. Mar. Biol. Assoc. U.K. 84:469–474. Manire, C. A., H. L. Rhinehart, N. B. Barros, L. Byrd, and P. Cunningham-Smith. 2004. An approach to rehabilitation of Kogia spp. Aquat. Mamm. 30:257–270. Mazzuca, L., S. Atkinson, B. Keating, and E. Nitta. 1999. Cetacean mass strandings in the Hawaiian Archipelago, 1957–1998. Aquat. Mamm. 25:105–114. McAlpine, D. F. 2002. Pygmy and dwarf sperm whales Kogia breviceps and K. sima. Pages 1007–1009 in W. F. Perrin, B. Wursig, and J. G. M. Thewissen, eds. En- cyclopedia of marine mammals. Academic Press, San Diego. Mobley, J. R., S. S. Spitz, K. A. Forney, R. A. Grotefendt, and P. H. Forestell. 2000. Distribution and abundance of odontocete species in Hawaiian waters: Preliminary results of 1993–98 aerial surveys. Southwest. Fish. Sci. Cent. Admin. Rep. LJ-00- 14C. Noren, S. R., G. Lacave, R. S. Wells, and T. M. Williams. 2002. The development of blood oxygen stores in bottlenose dol- phins ( Tursiops truncates ): Implications for diving capacity. J. Zool. (Lond.) 258:105– 113. Shallenberger, E. W. 1981. The status of Hawaiian cetaceans. Marine Mammal Com- mission Report No. MMC-77/23. Willis, P. M., and R. W. Baird. 1998. Status of the dwarf sperm whale, Kogia simus , with special reference to Canada. Can. Field-Nat. ...
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Citations
... There are significant challenges when observing these deep-diving and elusive species at sea (Baird, 2005;Geraci and Lounsbury, 2005). Stranding reports can therefore provide critical information on species biology and distribution, in addition to threats and individual health (Peltier et al., 2012;Beasley et al., 2013;Bonato et al., 2016). ...
This Short Communication describes the stranding of a pregnant dwarf sperm whale (Kogia sima) in Palk Bay, India. The dwarf sperm whale is little understood in Indian waters and considered to be one of the most unusual and rare stranded cetaceans in some parts of Tamil Nadu. While these whales have been more common in Palk Bay over recent years, only few stranding events have been reported. This study focuses on the first-documented stranding of a pregnant dwarf sperm whale in Indian waters, highlighting the significance of Palk Bay and associated waters as breeding grounds which can impact the population status.
... There are two species worldwide that represent the genus Kogia: the Pygmy Sperm Whale (Kogia breviceps (Blainville, 1838)) and the Dwarf Sperm Whale (Kogia sima (Owen, 1866)). Due to their similar morphological appearance, they can be difficult to differentiate at sea (Baird 2005). It is because of these similarities that they were believed to be the same species until 1966, at which time they were officially recognized as two separate species (Handley 1966). ...
On 1 May 2022, the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) received a report of
a live stranded whale in Glengarriff, Co. Cork. We identified it as a Dwarf Sperm
Whale, which was the first confirmed record of this species in Ireland, alive or dead.
The animal refloated itself, however, it was reported dead the following day and
collected for post mortem examination. The animal was found to be a 2.25 m female, pregnant with a 315 mm male foetus. Although the ultimate cause of death was live stranding, nothing was found during the gross examination which would have caused this animal to strand. This species normally occurs in deep, temperate and tropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, and it remains unclear whether climate change will have a significant impact on Dwarf Sperm Whale populations. Strandings data offers a means of monitoring changes in deepwater cetacean species distribution and mortality over extended time scales. It is important that cetacean strandings are reported to national strandings programmes to allow researchers identify trends in the distribution of cetacean species, to investigate the potential drivers of change and mortality, to record population genetics, and to learn as much as they can from the examination of stranded individuals.
... Thus, animals can only be observed in extremely calm sea conditions when "logging" at the surface (Plön, 2023;Plön and Baird, 2022). As a result, sightings of either species in the wild are uncommon and only a couple of locations have been identified globally where conditions are conducive to conduct boat-based research of these species (MacLeod et al., 2004;Baird et al., 2022); however, animals often dive as soon as a boat approaches closely (Würsig et al., 1998;Baird, 2005). As a result, little is known about the biology of the species and previous knowledge has been learned from stranded or by-caught specimens (Ross, 1979;Odell et al., 1984;Bossart et al., 1985Bossart et al., , 2007Reyes and Van Waerebeek, 1992;Plön, 2004Plön, , 2008Chivers et al., 2006;West et al., 2009;Viricel, 2012;Keenan-Bateman et al., 2016;Piboon et al., 2022). ...
Little is known about the biology of pygmy (Kogia breviceps) and dwarf (K. sima) sperm whales as these animals are difficult to observe in the wild. However, both species strand frequently along the South African, Australian and New Zealand coastlines, providing samples for these otherwise inaccessible species. The use of DNA samples from tissue and DNA extracted from historical material, such as teeth and bone, allowed a first analysis of the population structure of both species in the Southern Hemisphere.
... 2). In the Pacific Ocean, stranding records have been documented from Chile and Peru (Hückstädt and Antezana 2001;Van Waerebeek et al. 1987), the Gulf of California (Brownell 1969;Vidal et al. 1987), California (Eliason and Houck 1986;Hubbs 1951), and Washington State (Rice 1998;Scheffer and Slipp 1948), as well as Hawai'i (Baird 2005;Edmonson 1948;Sylvestre 1983;Thomas et al. 1990), Guam (Eldredge 1991(Eldredge , 2003, New Caledonia (Sylvestre 1988), Japan (Omura and Takahashi 1981), Taiwan (Wang et al. 2002), Borneo (Harrison and Jamuh 1958), New Zealand (Brabyn 1991;Sylvestre 1983), and South Australia (Hale 1947(Hale , 1959(Hale , 1962(Hale , 1963. ...
... Kogia sima has been scheduled under the category I species of Wildlife Protection Act of India [1]. This animal is widely distributed in temparate and tropical waters of Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans [2,3,4]. Kogia sima usually occurs mainly in seaward from the continental slope to deep ocean waters and inshore appearance of this Dwarf Sperm Whale is uncommon [4,5]. ...
... This animal is widely distributed in temparate and tropical waters of Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans [2,3,4]. Kogia sima usually occurs mainly in seaward from the continental slope to deep ocean waters and inshore appearance of this Dwarf Sperm Whale is uncommon [4,5]. India represents 25% distribution of the worlds' total marine mammals and particularly Kogia sima in Indian waters are very limited and poorly understood [6,7,8]. ...
... The position and length of the dorsal fin is the noticeable characteristic to differentiate the two species during field based observation. In Kogia sima, dorsal fin is positioned approximately midway along the back and is relatively tall, whereas in Kogia breviceps, the fin is positioned posterior to the midpoint of the back and is relatively short [4]. The present study reports the death of male Dwarf Sperm Whale in Gulf of Mannar whose morphological characters is measured and highlighted the threats and risk to the poorly known marine mammals in Indian Ocean. ...
Aims: Present study aims to highlight an accidental death of a male Dwarf Sperm Whale scientifically known as Kogia sima which found to be as Least Concern (LC) as per IUCN Red List data. Kogia sima represents important higher trophics of marine ecosystem which faced the several threats and conservation need in Gulf of Mannar, India.
Study Design: The study undertaken during extensive coral reef monitoring survey was carried out in Gulf of Mannar under the CRAM Project of National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR). The present report emphasize the Morphometric observation of the dead Kogia sima and try to find out possible cause of death by examining in situ investigation.
Place and Duration of Study: The field study was taken in Vedalai Sea shore (N09°15.626’, E79°04.977’) under the Mandapam Union of Ramnathapuram District of Tamil Nadu. The male whale specimen was found on 5th May, 2019 lying dead on the sandy seashore.
Methodology: Animal was photographed and morphological attributes were measured to identify the specimen. Several injuries have been highlighted in the paper which helps in investigating the cause of death.
Results: The Dwarf Sperm Whale was infant and has mild damage on the mouth parts including scuff off skin from the body and severe blood clotting at major part of the right side near to pectoral fin. Death of this infant is not clear but it is assumed that the male infant has lost from his parents and came to the inshore area of Mandapam where it gets stuck with running boat or boulder rocks as this immature whale limits its diving capabilities. The necessary morphological characters and measures have been listed in Table 1.
Conclusion: This unfortunate death clearly indicated that acute information on ecological behavior of Dwarf Sperm Whale is still under data collection stage in India and that previous conservation efforts in country must be reviewed in terms of role of local authorities, live stranded cetaceans and hunting or incidental killing which in future can build a road map for effective action plans to save this marine mammal.
... Stranding reports and sighting surveys are important sources of information regarding the distribution and biology of uncommonly sighted Kogia species (Beasley et al., 2013;Bonato et al., 2016). Due to the morphological similarities, it is extremely difficult to differentiate the two species during sighting events (Willis and Baird, 1998;Baird, 2005). The distribution of K. breviceps from Indian waters is poorly understood (Molur et al., 1998;Kumaran, 2002;Jeyabaskaran and Vivekanandan, 2013) due to the challenges in field identification (Chantrapornsyl et al., 1991). ...
The identity of a stranded cetacean from the Palk Bay has been confirmed as a pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps) by the partial sequencing of mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase subunit-I (COI). The specimen was unambiguously discriminated from the COI sequence of Kogia sima by matching exactly with the sequence of K. breviceps. Stranding events of the pygmy whales are considered to be uncommon. The sequence developed for K. breviceps is the first of its kind attempt from Indian waters.
... We next compared the four whale species with the best diving abilities to 20 comparatively shallow-diving species to study the genetic basis of deep diving in cetaceans. The deep-diving species are sperm whale (reported to dive to 1,860 m for >1 h) (35), Blainville's beaked whale (1,251 m for 57 min) (36,37), and dwarf and pygmy sperm whales [species in the family Kogiidae with highly similar ecology and habitat (up to 1,425 m for 43 min) (38)(39)(40)]. We retrieved 1,803 genes from HypoxiaDB, a hypoxiaregulated protein database (41), and observed 39 genes with at least one specific amino acid change unique to the deep-diving group (SI Appendix, Table S28). ...
The ancestors of marine mammals once roamed the land and
independently committed to an aquatic lifestyle. These macroevolutionary
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we generated high-quality genome assemblies of 17 marine mammals
(11 cetaceans and six pinnipeds), including eight assemblies
at the chromosome level. Incorporating previously published data,
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histories and identified numerous idiosyncratic and convergent
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land to water in marine mammal lineages. Genes associated with
the formation of blubber (NFIA), vascular development (SEMA3E),
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... That said, dwarf sperm whales have been the subject of direct study at sea in both the Bahamas and Hawaiʻi (Baird, 2005(Baird, , 2016Dunphy-Daly et al., 2008). Around the main Hawaiian Islands, dwarf sperm whales have been irregularly encountered during a long-term multi-species study of odontocetes (Baird, 2016;Baird et al., 2013). ...
Dwarf sperm whales (Kogia sima) have been studied rarely at sea. We used photo‐identification, boat‐ and drone‐based behavioral observations, and citizen science photo contributions to examine site fidelity, spatial use, and behavior in Hawaiʻi. Sighting rates were highest in island slope (500–1,000 m) waters. Over 40% of photo‐identified individuals were linked by association in the same social network. More than half of the very distinctive individuals were seen more than once, and 28.5% were seen in multiple years, with one individual seen 14 times over a 15‐year span. Resighted individuals and those in the main cluster of the social network were found in significantly shallower water than individuals that were not resighted or that were in isolated clusters. Distances between resighting locations suggest small home ranges. This suggests an insular slope‐dwelling population that overlaps with an offshore population. Evidence of unsuccessful predatory attempts by large sharks was recorded on four individuals, and linear wounds consistent with interactions with line fisheries were documented on three individuals. Surface and subsurface behavior recorded by drone revealed vigilance behavior likely to minimize predation risk. Lessons learned from this study can be applied elsewhere to increase knowledge of this poorly known and difficult‐to‐study species.
... Observations of pygmy sperm whales are challenging to obtain in the wild because they are inconspicuous when on the water surface; they undertake long dives and prefer the deep-water niche. Additionally, they are usually found as single individuals or in small aggregations (2-3 individuals), displaying evasive behaviors in response to approaching boats (Jefferson et al., 1993;Willis and Baird, 1998;Baird, 2005). ...
... Kogia spp. are small-bodied (2-2.7 m) deep diving cetaceans that travel in small groups (1-6 animals) (Willis and Baird, 1998;Baird, 2005). Their foraging dives are roughly 25 min long and are interspersed with short surfacings (Plön, 2004;West et al., 2009); at the surface they produce neither visible blow nor engage in visible surface behaviors (Willis and Baird, 1998;Baird, 2005). ...
... are small-bodied (2-2.7 m) deep diving cetaceans that travel in small groups (1-6 animals) (Willis and Baird, 1998;Baird, 2005). Their foraging dives are roughly 25 min long and are interspersed with short surfacings (Plön, 2004;West et al., 2009); at the surface they produce neither visible blow nor engage in visible surface behaviors (Willis and Baird, 1998;Baird, 2005). These factors make them extremely difficult to study, and almost all information on their distribution has been gained from records of stranded individuals (summaries in Willis and Baird, 1998;Taylor et al., 2012). ...
... Blainville's, Cuvier's, and BWC beaked whales averaged encounter times less than 16 min in sharp contrast to the relatively long (91 min) average encounter duration for Longman's beaked whales (Table 3). Visual sighting data for Blainville's and Cuvier's beaked whales indicate that both of these species are not particularly social, dive in sync, and generally occur in small groups of only 2-3 animals (Baird, 2005(Baird, , 2019Aguilar de Soto et al., 2020;Hill et al., 2020;Alcázar-Treviño et al., 2021). Visual group size estimates for Longman's beaked whales during surveys in the Hawaiian Islands varied from 15 to 60 animals (Bradford et al., , 2021 and have been observed breaking into smaller subgroups and diving in a staggered rotation (Yano et al., 2018). ...
The distribution, abundance, and habitat of cryptic cetacean species such as beaked whales and dwarf/pygmy sperm whales (Kogia spp.) are challenging to study due to their long dive times and/or very limited surface behavior. Even less is known in minimally studied and remote regions, including the Mariana Archipelago and parts of the broader western Pacific. In 2018, we deployed a network of eight Drifting Acoustic Spar Buoy Recorders (DASBRs) on the west side of the Mariana Archipelago with the goal of examining the distribution and habitat of beaked whales and Kogia spp. in this region using passive acoustic monitoring. Concurrently, conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) data were collected within the drift area and combined with satellite oceanographic data to build Ensemble Random Forest Models to identify specific oceanographic features that determine the distribution of these species. DASBRs deployed at locations ranging from 13°N to 18°N generally drifted from east to west between the Mariana Archipelago and the West Mariana Ridge. Spectral and temporal characteristics of echolocation signals were used to identify the presence of beaked whales and Kogia spp. species. This dataset contained frequency modulated (FM) pulses characteristic of Longman’s (Indopacetus pacificus), Cuvier’s (Ziphius cavirostris), and Blainville’s (Mesoplodon densirostris) beaked whales, as well as the unidentified beaked whale FM pulse known as the “BWC,” along with narrow-band high frequency clicks from Kogia spp. The detection rate was substantially higher for all species on the five tracks in the region north of 15.5°N than for those drifts occurring farther south. Species distribution models suggest that differences in the oceanographic characteristics between the northern and southern regions may impact foraging opportunities, possibly explaining the specific ecological niche for these species within this water mass. This is the first study of the distribution of cryptic cetacean species within the wider Mariana Archipelago region. We demonstrate that autonomous drifting acoustic recorders, combined with environmental sampling and remote satellite data are a powerful tool for studying the habitat dependent distribution of cryptic cetacean species.
