Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-dlnhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T04:24:29.578Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A dead specimen of gray whale in El Salvador: a southernmost distribution record

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 April 2011

Jose Enrique Barraza
Jose Enrique Barraza*
Affiliation:
Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, Col. y Calle Las Mercedes, San Salvador, El Salvador
*
Correspondence should be addressed to:J. Enrique Barraza, Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, Colonia y Calle Las Mercedes, San Salvador, El Salvador emails: [email protected], [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

I present the first documented record of a dead gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) discovered at Playas Negras, La Union on the Pacific coast of El Salvador, Central America, on 21 July 2010. The stranded specimen also represents the southernmost record of this species anywhere. No necropsy was performed thus the cause of death is unknown.

Keywords

Eschrichtius robustusEl Salvadorgray whalestranding
Type
Research Article
Information
Marine Biodiversity Records , Volume 4 , December 2011 , e35
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Acevedo-Gutierrez, A. (1994) First record of a sea lion Zalophus californianus, at Isla del Coco, Costa Rica. Marine Mammal Science 10, 484–485.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Acevedo, A. and Smultea, M.A. (1995) First records of humpback whales including calves at Golfo Dulce and Isla del Coco, Costa Rica, suggesting overlap of northern and southern hemisphere populations. Marine Mammal Science 11, 554–560.Google Scholar
Acevedo-Gutierrez, A., Brennan, A.B., Rodriguez, P. and Thomas, M. (1997) Resightings and behavior of false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) in Costa Rica. Marine Mammal Science 13, 307–314.Google Scholar
Best, P.T. (2008) Nineteenth-century evidence for the Golfo de Panama as a migratory destination for southern humpback whales, including the first mention of singing. Marine Mammal Science 24, 737–742.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Calambokidis, J., Darling, J.D., Deecke, V., Gearin, P., Gosho, M., Megill, W., Tombach, C.M., Goley, D., Toropova, C. and Gisborne, B. (2002) Abundance, range and movements of a feeding aggregation of gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) from California to southeastern Alaska in 1998. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 4, 267–276.Google Scholar
Escorza-Treviño, S., Archer, F.I, Rosales, M., Lang, A. and Dizon, A.E. (2005) Genetic differentiation and intraspecific structure of Eastern Tropical Pacific spotted dolphins, Stenella attenuata, revealed by DNA analyses. Conservation Genetics 6, 587–600.Google Scholar
Fertl, D., Acevedo-Gutierrez, A. and Darby, F.L. (1996) A report of killer whales (Orcinus orca) feeding on a carcharinid shark in Costa Rica. Marine Mammal Science 12, 606–611.Google Scholar
Jones, M. L. and Swartz, S. (2009) Gray whale Eschrichtius robustus. In Perrin, W.F., Würsig, B. and Thewissen, J.G.M. (eds) Encyclopedia of marine mammals. 2nd edition. San Diego, CA: Elsevier, pp. 503–511.Google Scholar
Reilly, S.B. (1990) Seasonal changes in distribution and habitat differences among dolphins in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. Marine Ecology Progress Series 66, 1–11.Google Scholar
Reeves, R.R., Stewart, B.S., Clapham, P.J. and Powell, J. (2002) National Audubon Society guide to marine mammals of the world. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.Google Scholar
Rice, D.S. and Wolman, A.A. (1971) The life history and ecology of the gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus). American Society of Mammalogists, Special Publication 3, 1–142.Google Scholar
Scott, M. and Chivers, S. (2009) Movements and diving behavior of pelagic spotted dolphins. Marine Mammal Science 25, 137–160.Google Scholar
Quintana-Rizzo, E. and Gerrodette, T. (2009) Primer estudio sobre la diversidad, distribución y abundancia de cetáceos en la Zona Económica Exclusiva del Océano Pacifico de Guatemala. Reporte preparado para el Chicago Board of Trade Endangered Species Fund, Chicago Zoological Society, Guatemala, Guatemala.Google Scholar
Rodriguez de la Gala-Hernández, S., Heckel, G. and Sumich, J.L. (2008) Comparative swimming effort of migrating gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) and calf cost of transport along Costa Azul, Baja California, Mexico. Canadian Journal of Zoology 86, 307–313.Google Scholar
Saenz, J.C., Wong, G. and Carrillo, E. (2004) Ballenas y Delfines de America Central. Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad, Costa Rica.Google Scholar
Urban, R., Rojas-Bracho, J.L., Perez-Cortes, H., Gomez-Gollardo, A., Swartz, S., Ludwig, S. and Brownell, R.L. Jr (2003) A review of gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) on their wintering grounds in Mexican waters. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 5, 281–295.Google Scholar