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The most southerly worldwide sightings of pygmy killer whales (Feresa attenuata)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 May 2014

Kylie Owen  and
David Donnelly
Kylie Owen*
Affiliation:
Cetacean Ecology and Acoustics Laboratory, School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD, Australia, 4343
David Donnelly
Affiliation:
Australian Orca Database, 8 Campbell Parade, Box Hill South, VIC, Australia, 3128
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: K. Owen, Cetacean Ecology and Acoustics Laboratory, School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD, 4343, Australia email: kylie.owen@uqconnect.edu.au
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Abstract

The pygmy killer whale (Feresa attenuata) is a rarely sighted cetacean species that is currently believed to be confined to tropical and subtropical waters. This paper presents four sightings off the east coast of Australia that are believed to be the most southerly sightings of pygmy killer whales worldwide (approximately 37.31°S) and extend the range of this species into temperate regions of Australia. Group sizes ranged from 20–70 individuals and on two occasions a second cetacean species was noted in the presence of the pygmy killer whales. All four sightings occurred when water temperatures were particularly warm for the area (21–25.8°C) and demonstrate the potential for changes in the strength of warm water currents to influence species distributions.

Keywords

distributionEast Australian CurrentFeresa attenuatapygmy killer whalesouthern
Type
Research Article
Information
Marine Biodiversity Records , Volume 7 , 2014 , e46
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2014 

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References

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