Cetacean research

The Mediterranean population of Cuvieŕs beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris), a deep-diving cetacean, is genetically distinct from the Atlantic, and subject to a number of conservation threats, in particular underwater noise. It is also cryptic at the surface and relatively rare, so obtain robust knowledge on distribution and abundance presents unique challenges. Here we use multiplatform and multiyear survey data to analyse the distribution and abundance of this species across the Mediterranean Sea. We use a novel approach combining heterogeneous data gathered with different methods to obtain a single density index for the region. A total of 594,996 km of survey effort and 507 sightings of Cuvier’s beaked whales, from 1990 to 2016, were pooled together from 24 different sources. Data were divided into twelve major groups according to platform height, speed and sea state. Both availability bias and effective strip width were calculated from the sightings with available perpendicular distance data. This was extrapolated to the rest of the sightings for each of the twelve groups. Habitat preference models were fitted into a GAM framework using counts of groups as a response variable with the effective searched area as an offset. Depth, coefficient of variation of depth, longitude and marine regions (as defined by the International Hydrographic Organization) were identified as important predictors. Predicted abundance of groups per grid cell were multiplied by mean group size to obtain a prediction of the abundance of animals. A total abundance of 5799 (CV = 24.0%) animals was estimated for the whole Mediterranean basin. The Alborán Sea, Ligurian Sea, Hellenic Trench, southern Adriatic Sea and eastern Ionian Sea were identified as being the main hot spots in the region. It is important to urge that the relevant stakeholders incorporate this information in the planning and execution of high risk activities in these high-risk areas.

The fossil record of marine mammals in the state of Baja California Sur has been mentioned it for more than 60 years. Cetaceans fossil record from Oligocene has gained importance due they are a key event in the phylogeny and taxonomic classification of Cetacea clade. This study given a framework of the areas and geological formations with cetaceans fossil record from the Oligocene in Baja California Sur and includes possible primitive cetacean families that constitute its fauna. The San Gregorio and El Cien Formations have Oligocene strata with age of 30 to 23.5 million years (Late Rupelian-Chattian) and their outcrops are exceptional in cetacean fossil and other faunas. These horizons are important nationally because they have a singular fossil record of Oligocene marine mammals. The Museo de Historia Natural de la Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur has an extensive record of skeletal elements (skulls, articulated specimens, ear bones, teeth, etc.) of a high scientific value in the study of primitive cetaceans. The collection was started in 1988 and has expanded to date. Hitherto we know that this record probably has about 20 different species and perhaps the families of these groups are about 10 to 14. Some possible families of primitive mysticetes present in Baja California Sur are Aetiocetidae, Cetotheriopsidae, Eomysticetidae, and probably specimens from superfamily Balaenopteroidea; while the possible primitive odontocetes are Agorophiidae, Squalodontidae and Dalpiazinidae. The record fossil of Neoceti (Mysticeti and Odontoceti) from Oligocene in Baja California Sur has specimens that have not been described at level family, genus and species.

Captive cetacean attractions are growing in number globally, their operators citing entertainment, education, and conservation as benefits. Those for and against developing such attractions claim public support. Previous public opinion research, however, shows little consensus, partly due to the introduction of biases in study design that influence participants' responses. Those involved in, or concerned with, developing and licensing these attractions need to better understand what drives the lack of consensus to take socially-acceptable decisions.

The melon-headed whale Peponocephala electra (Gray 1846) is a species of Odontocetes known as “Blackfish” with pelagic habits and a tropical and subtropical distribution. The presence of this species in Venezuela was first reported from a possible sighting near the country’s central coast. Six new reports based on living and dead stranded animals have been recorded throughout the venezuelan coast. Detailed comparisons were made between specimens of other species of whales (eg Feresa attenuata and Pseudorca crassidens) with P. electra registered specimens for a correct identification. These strandings of Peponocephala electra represent the first reports for venezuelan coast, also, increasing the number of reports of melon-headed whales in the Southern Caribbean.

First Record of the Killer Whale (Orcinus orca Linnaeus, 1758) off the Coasts of Akka (Acre) and Nahariya, Northern Occupied Palestine, and Beirut, Lebanon.

By: Sharif Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher Mohammad Ahmad Ahmad Mostafa Abdallah Mohammad Khalaf-Prinz Sakerfalke von Jaffa.

التسجيل الأول للحُوت القاتل قُبالة سواحل مدينتي عكا ونهاريا ، شمال فلسطين المُحتلة ، وقُبالة ساحل مدينة بيروت ، لُبنان
  بقلم : الشريف أ. د. نورمان (نُعمان) علي بسام علي طاهر مُحمد أحمد أحمد مُصطفى عبدالله مُحمد خلف اليافاوي العيزري

Abstract: Divers spotted a Killer Whale (Orcinus orca Linnaeus, 1758) named "Riptide" 2.25 kilometers off the Coasts of Akka (Acre) and Nahariya, Northern Occupied Palestine, where the water is 15 meters deep; and it was earlier spotted off the coast of Beirut, Lebanon. This whale was travelling from Iceland, crossing over 8000 km from home. This is the first time a killer whale has been seen off Palestinian and Lebanese shores.

مُلخص : رصد غواصين حوتاً قاتلاً معروفاً بإسم "ريبتايد" على بعد 2.25 كيلومترًا قبالة سواحل مدينتي عكا ونهاريا ، شمال فلسطين المُحتلة ، حيث يبلغ عُمق المياه 15 متراً ؛ كما تم رصدهُ سابقاً قبالة ساحل مدينة بيروت اللبنانية . وقد قدم هذا الحوت من أيسلندا ، قاطعاً مسافة أكثر من 8000 كيلومتراً عن موطنه . وهذه هي المرة الأولى التي يُشاهد فيها الحوت القاتل قُبالة الشواطئ الفلسطينية واللبنانية .

Reference: : Khalaf-Prinz Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Sharif Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher Mohammad Ahmad Ahmad Mostafa Abdallah Mohammad (August 2021). First Record of the Killer Whale (Orcinus orca Linnaeus, 1758) off the Coasts of Akka (Acre) and Nahariya, Northern Occupied Palestine, and Beirut, Lebanon. Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178-6288. Volume 39, Number 200, August 2021, pp. 1-17. Published by Prof. Dr. Norman Ali Khalaf Department for Environmental Research and Media, National Research Center, University of Palestine, Gaza, State of Palestine. https://cetacea-3.webs.com/killer-whale-palestine

This article discusses the largely forgotten anti-whaling protests in Norway and Japan at the beginning of the twentieth century. It shows that fishing communities around the world protested almost simultaneously against the introduction of Norwegian-style industrial whaling, even though the protesting fishermen did not compete for the same marine resources as the whalers. Analysing Norwegian and Japanese fishermen's knowledge reveals that whales played a crucial part in pre-industrial coastal fishing, as they were partly responsible for bringing fish closer to the shore. The article argues that fishing communities around the world had developed 'coeval moral ecologies', believing that the killing and flensing of whales caused environmental pollution, hurting coastal flora and fauna, and thus ultimately diminishing the coastal ecosystem on which the fishing communities depended. Fisheries scientists, politicians, and whalers have, however, downplayed this fishermen's knowledge by presenting allegedly unbiased scientific data that did not indicate a relationship between whaling and fishing.

Field experiments with Aquamark 100 and Aquamark 200 pingers were conducted in the bottom set gill net fishery for turbot in the Black Sea coast between March and June 2012. The aim of the experiment was to evaluate (i) the effectiveness of two types of pingers to reduce by catch rate of harbour porpoises, and (ii) the effects of pingers on the catches of the target fish species (Psetta maxima) and non-target fish species (Raja clavata, Suqualus acanthias and Trigla lucerna) in the turbot set gillnet fishery. A total of 246 specimens (95 P. maxima, 138 R. clavata, 8 P. phocoena, 4 S. acanthias and 1 T. lucerna) were caught during both Aquamark 100 and Aquamark 200 pingers trials. Catches of Psetta maxima and other fish species (Raja clavata, Suqualus acanthias and Trigla lucerna) were not affected by the sound of the pingers in the active nets. Catch of target P. maxima and non-target fish R. clavata were similar as were also for most caught species. 6 P. phocoena (2 in control and 3 in active nets with Aquamark 100) and 2 P. phocoena (1 in control and 1 in active nets with Aquamark 200) were caught in controls and active nets. There are no statistical differences between active and passive net catch per unit effort among the fish species and also cetaceans. As a conclusion, the acoustic signals clearly showed that these pinger types did not reduce by catch of harbour porpoise from the turbot gill net in the eastern Black Sea coasts, Turkey. The acoustic signals of both pinger types also did not affect the catch of target and non-target fish species. Résumé : Essai de deux types de dispositifs acoustiques de dissuasion (pingers) pour réduire la capture du marsouin commun, Phocoena phocoena (Cetacea: Phoconidae) par la pêcherie de turbot (Psetta maxima) au filet maillant en Mer Noire, Turquie. Des expérimentations sur le terrain avec des pingers Aquamark 100 et Aquamark 200 ont été menées dans la pêcherie de turbot au filet maillant sur la côte de la Mer Noire entre mars et juin 2012. Le but de cette expérience était d'évaluer (i) l'efficacité de deux types de pingers à réduire le taux de prise des marsouins communs, et (ii) les effets des pingers sur les prises de poissons cibles (Psetta maxima) and les poissons non-cibles (Raja clavata, Suqualus acanthias et Trigla lucerna) dans le pêche au filet maillant. Un total de 246 spécimens (95 P. maxima, 128 R. clavata, 8 P. Phoconea, 4 S. acanthis et 1 T. lucerna) ont été capturés à la fois par les essais des pingers Aquamark 100 et Aquamark 200 au cours de l'étude. Les prises de Psetta maxima et des autres espèces de poissons (Raja clavata, Suqualus acanthis et Trigla lucerna) n'ont pas été affectées par le son des pingers dans les filets. Les capture de la cible P. maxima et le poisson non-cible R. clavata étaient similaires ainsi que pour la plupart des espèces capturées. 6 P. phocoena (2 dans les témoins et 3 dans les filets avec Aquamark 100) et 2 P. Phocoena (1 dans les témoins et 1 dans les filets avec Aquamark 200) ont été capturés.

Throughout human history, coastal and marine resources have been a vital part of human subsistence. As a result archaeological faunal assemblages from coastal sites often contain large quantities of skeletal remains indicative of human interaction with marine mammals. However, these are often hard to identify due to a unique combination of factors regarding the procurement, utilisation, morphological and physical characteristics of marine mammal bones. These factors often result in a large number of archaeological cetacean and pinniped specimens fragmented beyond visual recognition, being labelled ‘whale’ or ‘marine mammal’. In this paper we report the development of a Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS) method of collagen fingerprinting, for efficient and low cost discrimination of a wide range of marine mammal species including cetaceans and pinnipeds. We apply the technique to more than fifty archaeological specimens from seven different North Atlantic sites ranging from the Mesolithic until the Early Modern period.

Maritime traffic is one of many anthropogenic pressures threatening the marine environment. This study was specifically designed to investigate the relationship between vessels presence and cetacean sightings in the high sea areas of the Western Mediterranean sea region. We recorded and compared the total number of vessels in the presence and absence of cetacean sightings using data gathered during the summer season (2009-2013) along six fixed transects repeatedly surveyed. In locations with cetacean sightings (N=2667), nautical traffic was significantly lower, by 20%, compared to random locations where no sightings occurred (N=1226): all cetacean species, except bottlenose dolphin, were generally observed in locations with lower vessel abundance. In different areas the species showed variable results likely influenced by a combination of biological and local environmental factors. The approach of this research helped create, for the first time, a wide vision of the different responses of animals towards a common pressure.

Six baleen whale species are found in the temperate western North Atlantic Ocean,
with limited information existing on the distribution and movement patterns for most.
There is mounting evidence of distributional shifts in many species, including marine
mammals, likely because of climate-driven changes in ocean temperature and circulation.
Previous acoustic studies examined the occurrence of minke (Balaenoptera
acutorostrata) and North Atlantic right whales (NARW; Eubalaena glacialis). This study
assesses the acoustic presence of humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae), sei (B. borealis),
fin (B. physalus), and blue whales (B. musculus) over a decade, based on daily
detections of their vocalizations. Data collected from 2004 to 2014 on 281 bottommounted
recorders, totaling 35,033 days, were processed using automated detection
software and screened for each species' presence. A published study on NARW
acoustics revealed significant changes in occurrence patterns between the periods
of 2004–2010 and 2011–2014; therefore, these same time periods were examined
here. All four species were present from the Southeast United States to Greenland;
humpback whales were also present in the Caribbean. All species occurred throughout
all regions in the winter, suggesting that baleen whales are widely distributed
during these months. Each of the species showed significant changes in acoustic occurrence
after 2010. Similar to NARWs, sei whales had higher acoustic occurrence
in mid-Atlantic regions after 2010. Fin, blue, and sei whales were more frequently
detected in the northern latitudes of the study area after 2010. Despite this general
northward shift, all four species were detected less on the Scotian Shelf area
after 2010, matching documented shifts in prey availability in this region. A decade
of acoustic observations have shown important distributional changes over the range
of baleen whales, mirroring known climatic shifts and identifying new habitats that
will require further protection from anthropogenic threats like fixed fishing gear, shipping,
and noise pollution.

Limited resources and increasing environmental concerns have prompted calls to identify the critical questions that most need to be answered to advance conservation, thereby providing an agenda for scientific research priorities. Cetaceans are often keystone indicator species but also high profile, charismatic flagship taxa that capture public and media attention as well as political interest. A dedicated workshop was held at the conference of the Society for Marine Mammalogy (December 2013, New Zealand) to identify where lack of data was hindering cetacean conservation and which questions need to be addressed most urgently. This paper summarizes 15 themes and component questions prioritized during the workshop. We hope this list will encourage cetacean conservation-orientated research and help agencies and policy makers to prioritize funding and future activities. This will ultimately remove some of the current obstacles to science-based cetacean conservation.

Der Chilenischer Blauwal (Balaenoptera musculus chilensis Khalaf, 2020) / The Chilean Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus chilensis Khalaf, 2020).

von: Sharif Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher Mohammad Ahmad Ahmad Mostafa Abdallah Mohammad Khalaf-Prinz Sakerfalke von Jaffa.

الحُوت الأزرق التشيلي (بالينوبترا مُوسكيولوس تشيلنسيس خلف ، 2020)
بقلم : الشريف أ. د. نورمان (نُعمان) علي بسام علي طاهر مُحمد أحمد أحمد مُصطفى عبدالله مُحمد خلف اليافاوي العيزري

Abstract (Zusammenfassung): Es gibt fünf verschiedene Unterarten von Blauwalen: der Nördlicher Blauwal Balaenoptera musculus musculus Linnaeus, 1758 des Nordatlantiks und des Nordpazifiks, der Antarktischer Blauwal Balaenoptera musculus intermedia Burmeister, 1871 der Antarktischen Zone und des Südlichen Ozeans, der Zwergblauwal Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda Ichihara, 1966 aus dem Indischen Ozean und südwestlichen Südpazifik rund um Australien, der Großer Indischer Blauwal Balaenoptera musculus indica Blyth, 1859 aus dem nördlichen Indischen Ozean, und der neu benannte Chilenische Blauwal Balaenoptera musculus chilensis Khalaf, 2020 & Balaena musculus chilensis Khalaf, 2020 (Khalaf, Mai 2020; ZooBank, Mai 2020) vor Chile und dem südöstlichen Pazifik.    
Der Chilenischer Blauwal B. m. chilensis Khalaf, 2020 ist mittelgroß zwischen Zwergblauwalen und Antarktischen Blauwalen. Die chilenische Unterart unterscheidet sich wesentlich von Zwergblauwalen und Antarktischen Blauwalen, und wird als eigenständige Unterart anerkannt, unter Berücksichtigung von Körpermaßen (maximale Länge, mittlere Länge bei Geschlechtsreife, Verhältnis von Länge zu Breite der Bartenplatten, maximale Breite der Schnauze, Schnauzen-Augen-Abmessungen, Länge der Schwanzregion, Fluke-Anus-Länge), geografische Trennung, akustische Ruftypen, mtDNA- und Mikrosatelliten-genetische Beweise (nukleare und mitochondriale Marker). Infolgedessen wurde diese besondere Unterart im Mai 2020 vom palästinensisch-deutschen Zoologen Prof. Dr. Norman Ali Bassam Khalaf-Prinz Sakerfalke von Jaffa wissenschaftlich als Balaenoptera musculus chilensis Khalaf 2020 bennant.

Abstract: There are five distinct subspecies of blue whales: the Northern Blue Whale Balaenoptera musculus musculus  Linnaeus, 1758 of the North Atlantic and North Pacific, the Antarctic Blue Whale Balaenoptera musculus intermedia Burmeister, 1871 of the Antarctic Zone and Southern Ocean, the Pygmy Blue Whale Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda Ichihara, 1966 found in the Indian Ocean and southwestern South Pacific Ocean around Australia, the Northern Indian Ocean Blue Whale Balaenoptera musculus indica Blyth, 1859 found in the Northern Indian Ocean, and the newly named Chilean Blue Whale Balaenoptera musculus chilensis Khalaf, 2020 & Balaena musculus chilensis Khalaf, 2020 (ZooBank, May 2020) found off Chile and the southeastern Pacific Ocean (Khalaf, May 2020, November 2021, December 2021).
The Chilean Blue Whale B. m. chilensis Khalaf, 2020 is intermediate in size between pygmy blue whales and Antarctic blue whales. The Chilean subspecies is recognized as a distinct subspecies taking into account body measurements (maximum length, mean length at sexual maturity, ratio of length to width of baleen plates, maximum width of the rostrum (snout), snout-eye dimensions, length of the tail region, fluke-anus length), geographical segregation, acoustic call types, mtDNA and microsatellite genetic evidence (nuclear and mitochondrial markers), which is substantially different from pygmy blue whales and Antarctic blue whales. As a result, the distinct subspecies was scientifically named in May 2020 as Balaenoptera musculus chilensis Khalaf, 2020 by the Palestinian-German Zoologist Prof. Dr. Norman Ali Bassam Khalaf-Prinz Sakerfalke von Jaffa (Khalaf, May 2020, November 2021, December 2021).

مُلخص  هناك خمسة سُلالات مُتميزة من الحيتان الزرقاء : الحوت الأزرق الشمالي ( بالينوبترا مُوسكيولوس مُوسكيولوس لينيوس ، 1758 ) والذي يعيش في شمال المُحيط الأطلسي وشمال المُحيط الهادي ، وحوت أزرق القطب الجُنوبي ( بالينوبترا مُوسكيولوس إنترميديا ) والذي يعيش في المنطقة القطبية الجُنوبية والمُحيط الجُنوبي ، والحوت الأزرق القزمي ( بالينوبترا مُوسكيولوس برفيكودا ) والذي يعيش في المُحيط الهندي وجنوب غرب جنوبي المُحيط الهادي حول أستراليا ، وحوت أزرق شمالي المُحيط الهندي ( بالينوبترا مُوسكيولوس إنديكا ) والذي يعيش في شمال المُحيط الهندي ، والحوت الأزرق التشيلي ( بالينوبترا مُوسكيولوس تشيلنسيس خلف ، 2020 ) و (بالينا مُوسكيولوس تشيلنسيس خلف ، 2020) (زووبنك ، مايو 2020) ، والذي يعيش قبالة سواحل تشيلي وجُنوب شرق المُحيط الهادي (خلف ، مايو 2020 ، نوفمبر 2021 ، ديسمبر 2021) .  الحوت الأزرق التشيلي يتوسط حجماً الحيتان الزرقاء القزمية والحيتان الزرقاء القطبية الجُنوبية . ولقد تم التعرف على السُلالة التشيلية من الحيتان الزرقاء كسُلالة مُحددة ومُتميزة ، مع الأخذ بعين الاعتبار القياسات الجسمية (الطول الأقصى ، مُتوسط الطول عند النُضج الجنسي ، نسبة طول إلى عرض الصفائح البالينية ، العرض الأقصى لمنطقة الخطم ، أبعاد المسافة ما بين منطقة الخطم والعين ، طول منطقة الذيل ، المسافة الطولية ما بين الذيل وفتحة الشرج) ، والإنفصال الجغرافي ، وأشكال النداءات الصوتية ، والأدلة الجينية (المؤشرات النووية والميتوكوندريية) ، والتي دلت على أن الحيتان الزرقاء التشيلية تختلف إختلافاً جوهرياً عن الحيتان الزرقاء القطبية الجنوبية والحيتان الزرقاء القزمية . ونتيجة لذلك ، فقد تم عِلمياً في مايو 2020 تسمية السُلالة التشيلية من الحيتان الزرقاء بإسم ( بالينوبترا مُوسكيولوس تشيلنسيس خلف ، 2020) من قِبل عالم الأحياء الفلسطيني – الألماني الأستاذ دكتور نورمان (نُعمان) علي بسام خلف اليافاوي العيزري  (خلف ، مايو 2020 ، نوفمبر2021 ، ديسمبر 2021) .

Reference: Khalaf-Prinz Sakerfalke von Jaffa, Sharif Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Ali Taher Mohammad Ahmad Ahmad Mostafa Abdallah Mohammad (Dezember 2021). Der Chilenischer Blauwal (Balaenoptera musculus chilensis Khalaf, 2020) / The Chilean Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus chilensis Khalaf, 2020) /الحُوت الأزرق التشيلي (بالينوبترا مُوسكيولوس تشيلنسيس خلف ، 2020)  . Gazelle: The Palestinian Biological Bulletin. ISSN 0178 – 6288. Volume (Band) 39, Nummer 204, Dezember 2021, Seiten(S) pp. 34-70. Published by Prof. Dr. Norman Ali Khalaf Department for Environmental Research and Media, National Research Center, University of Palestine, Gaza, State of Palestine. (In German, English and Arabic and with German, English and Arabic Abstracts). https://cetacea-4.webs.com/ & https://issuu.com/dr-norman-ali-khalaf/docs/chilenischer_blauwal

The Mediterranean population of Cuvieŕs beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris), a deep-diving cetacean, is genetically distinct from the Atlantic, and subject to a number of conservation threats, in particular underwater noise. It is also cryptic at the surface and relatively rare, so obtain robust knowledge on distribution and abundance presents unique challenges. Here we use multiplatform and multiyear survey data to analyse the distribution and abundance of this species across the Mediterranean Sea. We use a novel approach combining heterogeneous data gathered with different methods to obtain a single density index for the region. A total of 594,996 km of survey effort and 507 sightings of Cuvier’s beaked whales, from 1990 to 2016, were pooled together from 24 different sources. Data were divided into twelve major groups according to platform height, speed and sea state. Both availability bias and effective strip width were calculated from the sightings with available perpendicular d...

The study examined the extent of the cetacean strandings in Italy, with a particular focus on Sicily Island. The paper aimed to contribute to the description of a pattern that contemplates the “regular and rare” cetacean species passage along the Sicilian coast. The estimate of marine cetacean strandings was extrapolated from the National Strandings Data Bank (BDS—Banca Dati Spiaggiamenti) and evaluated according to a subdivision in three coastal subregions: the Tyrrhenian sub-basin (northern Sicilian coast), the Ionian sub-basin (eastern Sicilian coast), and the Channel of Sicily (southern Sicilian coast). Along the Italian coast, more than 4880 stranding events have been counted in the period 1990–2019. Most of these were recorded in five Italian regions: Apulia, Sicily, Sardinia, Tuscany, and Calabria. Approximately 15% of the recorded strandings in Italy occurred on the Sicilian coast. In Sicily Island, 725 stranded cetaceans were recorded in 709 stranding events, resulting in a...