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Strandings of a neonate and a pregnant Sowerby's beaked whale (Mesoplodon bidens (Sowerby, 1804)) in Ireland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 August 2022

Seán A. O'Callaghan Open the ORCID record for Seán A. O'Callaghan [Opens in a new window] ,
Louise Overy ,
Lucy Hunt ,
Damian Foxall ,
Maurice Collins  and
Mick O'Connell
Seán A. O'Callaghan*
Affiliation:
Atlantic Technological University, Dublin Road, Galway City, Co. Galway, Ireland Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, Merchants Quay, Kilrush, Co. Clare, Ireland
Louise Overy
Affiliation:
Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, Merchants Quay, Kilrush, Co. Clare, Ireland Munster Technological University, Clash West, Tralee, Co. Kerry, Ireland
Lucy Hunt
Affiliation:
Sea Synergy Marine Awareness, Research & Activity Centre, Waterville, Co. Kerry, Ireland
Damian Foxall
Affiliation:
Sea Synergy Marine Awareness, Research & Activity Centre, Waterville, Co. Kerry, Ireland
Maurice Collins
Affiliation:
O'Leary Collins & Associates, The Fairfield, Cahersiveen, Co. Kerry, Ireland
Mick O'Connell
Affiliation:
Atlantic Technological University, Dublin Road, Galway City, Co. Galway, Ireland
*
Author for correspondence: Seán A. O'Callaghan, E-mail: seanocallaghan212@gmail.com
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Abstract

Sowerby's beaked whale is a deep-diving cetacean species specialized to live in the deep waters of the North Atlantic, including offshore Irish waters. Sightings of Sowerby's beaked whales in this area are infrequent and a substantial increase in our knowledge of their presence comes from recent static acoustic monitoring (SAM) and passive acoustic monitoring (PAM). However, most information on this species has been derived from stranding records, which provide opportunistic insights into this elusive species' cryptic life history. Here we report on the live stranding of a 1200 mm long neonate and an adult 5 m female Sowerby's beaked whale in July 2015 and on the stranding of a 4.9 m pregnant female in September 2020 with a 495 mm long male foetus in the south-west of Ireland. These stranding events provide an important insight into the reproductive life history of this species and provide further evidence that Sowerby's beaked whales calve in offshore Irish waters.

Keywords

EmaciatedfoetusIrelandneonatepregnantSowerby's beaked whalestranding
Type
Marine Record
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 102 , Issue 5 , August 2022 , pp. 309 - 314
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom

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