Shepherd whale
| Shepherd whale | ||||||||||||
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Sketch of a shepherd whale compared in size to a diver |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Tasmacetus | ||||||||||||
| Oliver , 1937 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Tasmacetus shepherdi | ||||||||||||
| Oliver, 1937 |
The Shepherd whale ( Tasmacetus shepherdi ) is a species of whale from the family of the beaked whales (Ziphiidae). The species was named in honor of George Shepherd, who examined the first stranded specimen in New Zealand in 1933 .
distribution
It is a rare species known from only 28 strandings so far, most of them in New Zealand. Other dead specimens were found in Argentina , Australia and the Juan Fernández Archipelago . It is therefore assumed that the Shepherd whale is circumpolar in the waters of the southern hemisphere. There have been unconfirmed sightings of living specimens in the southwest Atlantic and western Pacific . In February 2012, researchers succeeded in filming a group on the open sea for the first time.
features
Shepherd whales differ from all other beaked whale species by their complete set of teeth, so that the species is considered to be the most primitive member of their family. In the males, the front pair of teeth in the lower jaw is elongated. Shepherd whales reach a length of six to seven meters and a weight of up to 6.5 tons. They have a long muzzle and a slightly arched forehead, the flippers and fin are relatively small. The skin of the animals is gray-brown on the upper side and lighter, almost whitish, on the underside.
Way of life
As a fish eater, this whale species differs from the other beaked whales, which mainly feed on squid . From the fact that its prey consists mainly of bottom-dwelling fish from the open seas, and from the rare sightings, it is concluded that the Shepherd whale lives mainly on the high seas and is good at diving. Nothing is known about the behavior and reproduction of the animals.
There are no estimates of the total population of the species, and it has never been commercially hunted. The fact that almost no sightings are known may indicate their shyness, their rarity or both factors at the same time.
Individual evidence
- ^ Spiegel Online: Researchers film rare Shepherd whales for the first time . In: Spiegel online. February 23, 2012. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
literature
- R. Wandrey: Whales and Seals of the World . Franckh-Kosmos Verlags GmbH, 1997, ISBN 3-440-07047-6
Web links
- Tasmacetus shepherdi in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2006. Posted by: Cetacean Specialist Group, 1996. Retrieved on 12 May, 2006.