Secac Sightings! 3.900 There’s evidence of 30 species of cetaceans belon - sightings ging to 7 families in the Canary Archipel, which is a 34.5 % of the 87 species described in the whole pla - net; this makes The Canary Islands one of the areas with more diversity of cetaceans in the Atlantic North, specially with rare oceanic species and little known globally.
Journeys Under effort Out of effort
are one of The Canary Islands diversity the areas with more tlantic of cetaceans in the A North. teventura Lanzarote and Fuer t of high are a reference poin ns: 28 diversity of cetacea he Canary species of the 30 in t here. Islands are present Secac Secac 4.700 horas 58.820 miles hours Watching Sailing (108.010 km) Marine Mammals Did you Marine Mammals There’s evidence of 87 cetaceans species in the planet. As all the mammals, they’re warm-blooded animals, know they do breath atmospheric air, they give birth and feed the young with the milk from their mammary glands. that… There’s a huge variety of shapes and sizes, from 1,5m exceeding rarely the 50 kg (as for example the Vaquita) , to 28 m and more with 100.000kg (as the Blue rorqual).
More than 70 million years of evolution
65 million years
Mesonchids Pakicetus Ambulocetus
The incursion into the water was gradual and took As a result of a progressive adaptation to this environment, cetaceans show place probably in the rivers , lakes and estuaries. an extreme anatomic and physiologic specialization, considering that they’ve lost the majority of the morphological characteristics which identify the rest of the mammals. Adaptation to the marine environment These animals have colonized a wide range of aquatic ecosystems, as the freshwater species located in the watercourses of some rivers (Amazon, Indo, Ganges and the Yellow River); and many other marine species distributed in the estuaries, shallow-water coves, continental coasts and the open sea. These ones show a cosmopolitan distribution in the seas and oceans, and the other ones are located only in certain areas.
Social behaviour · Strong association. They do prefer to associate with other cetacean species. · They can recognise each other after a long-term separation. · Long-lasting bonds are present between the mother and the young. · They help each other in case of sickness or blessures. · They are capable of recognising themselves in front of the mirror. · Sex is important either to solve conflicts among them, either to experience pleasure. · They are able to learn the language of symbols. ·They have different personalities.
Feeding
30 million years
Rodocetus Basilosaurus Humpback whales or yubarta Killer whale
Their eyes and kidneys had to face a high-concentration of salt; their hair There were some changes in their anatomy and stopped being and insulating thermal medium, to develop an adaptive physiology in order to dive into deeper waters. mechanism as for example a layer of grease avoiding the heat-loss, or the increase of size, among others. Rough-toothed dolphin Steno bredanensis ant! The rough-toothed dolphin is a relati - mport I d vely large species, with adults ranging ution an e distrib gh- from 175 and 275 cm in length, and Th f the Rou ulation o rly weighing between 100 and 150 kilo - pop in is poo ed Dolph n. grams. Most of the research activity tooth unknow ood and concerning the dolphin has been di - underst t to be e though rected to the tropical and subtropical roups ar ges, G ssembla oceanic waters and this specie is pre - porary a als tem individu sent in The Canary Archipel during the y related closel ith one whole year. aining w 150 Kg and rem another.
275 Cm
Common bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus tant! The maximum length for adults animals is Impor 381 cm for the males and 367 cm for the fe - erally are gen he Females males, t males, weighing between 150 and 650 kg; ing than ngest-liv is 50. this specie is present in The Canary Archipel lo of living ge age me during the whole year; common bottlenose avera ribed so has desc as dolphins live in little groups called pods that The EU ry Island he Cana typically number about 15 individuals; some reas of t ecial a eas of sp bottlenose populations live closer to the ected ar prot ue to the shore which depth does not exceed 600 m. vation d conser pecies. of this s 650 Kg presence
381 Cm Short-beaked common dolphin Delphinus delphis rtant! Impo em plex syst Adults vary in length depending of the geo - ve a com graphical zone with a maximum of 260 cm; They ha th sides ion in bo though the majority of this species does not f colorat minds o which re exceed the 230; males are generally longer he body of t into and heavier, and range in mass from 80 to nd clock is of a sa on, what 130 kg. This species is present in The Canary al positi orizont their Islands from december to April. h e to blur y positiv ver mislead ette and silhou ors. 136 Kg d predat preys an
260 Cm
Striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba nt! orta circle Imp k bands two blac cross the Adults length vary from 180 and 250 cm One or en run a s s, and th se band the eye per. The r and weighing between 80 and 165 kg. o the flip e flippe back, t idth of th r- The striped dolphin inhabits temperate to the w e. Two fu widen same siz - or tropical and subtropical, off-shore are the from be which ipes run black str ort and waters. This species is present in the Ca - ther one is sh he the ear; ipper. T nary Islands the whole year. hind ove the fl s just ab thickens end ger and es er is lon til it curv oth anks un rior to ng the fl lly just p alo r the be spe- wn unde is a shy 165 Kg do ock. This f ships. he tail st esence o t re the pr cies befo
250 Cm Sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus
18 m
57.000 Kg
Males are 18 m long and weight 57.000 kg and females doesn’t exceed the 13 m long and weight 20.000 kg. They are frequently in the waters of the Canary Archipel du - ring the whole year. Sperm whales are usually found in groups of females travelling together with the young.
Risso’s dolphin Grampus griseus Adults length vary between 330 y 410 cm being the males usually t! longer than females, weighing between 250 and 500 kg, though portan they don’t use to exceed the 400 kg. Population is all around the Im eus ithet gris ecific ep st world. The presence in the Canary Islands is evident during the The sp led almo the mott in whole year, with resident population in the North of Gran Cana - efers to of the sk r y colour ria and in the eastern part of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. rred gre rn sca dually tu h will gra iduals whic der indiv . Even ol whitish ite. ostly wh appear m 500 Kg
410 Cm
portant! Im species, several feed on , but They nt squid y the gia uid, notabl lossal sq arger co lso the l rse fish, a and dive opuses, t of the oct main die this the . being n waters norther males in
ce of There’s been eviden giants squids type 13 m Architheusis in their sume stomachs. They con body a 3 to 3.5 % of their ents weight which repres dults. 20.000 400 to 1.000 kg in a Kg
Cuvier’s beaked whale Ziphius cavirostris
nt! The length and weight of adults can Importa reach up to 650 cm and 2.000 kg respec - Cuvier makes The long dive of the tively. It is widely distributed in the wa - g mammal it the deepest-divin ters which depth reached is more than d is 3.000 m which depth reache 1.000 m. Cuvier's has a cosmopolitan This species ( two hours diving). distribution in deep, offshore waters r Zifius species) (together with othe from the tropics to the cool temperate ass strandings has suffered many m seas. The presence in the Canary Islands s and in other in the Canary Island is evident during the whole year with lit - 2.000 ue to the use of parts of the world d tle population in some of the islands es - Kg ises during naval antisubmarine no pecially in the eastern part of Lanzarote exercises. and Fuerteventura.
650 Cm Atlantic spotted dolphin Stenella frontalis portant! The length and weight of this adult Im omposed lation is c species vary depending on the geo - ing popu re’s Herd s, and the graphical area. The maximum length dividual of 200 in wo f at least t and weight in the Canary Islands is vidence o : one e l varieties 190 cm and 80 kg respectively. This graphica the geo ocated in specie is endemic to temperate- warm l variety l coasta m and the and tropical waters of the Atlantic. It al platfor ontinent rounding is present in the Canary Islands during c c, and sur er oceani s the the whole year. oth nds, as it i eanic isla the oc Islands. 80 Kg e Canary case of th
190 Cm
Killer whale Orcinus orca
nt! 980 Cm Importa of killer The type en in the Males adults are much bigger than females. The whale se males maximum length is 980 cm and maximum Islands weight is 9.000 kg; the females maximum length is Canary 700 which weight is 4.000kg. This cosmopolitan tuna. feeds on species with neritic-oceanic habits is distributed in 9.000 oceans all around the world, especially in cold and Kg temperate waters. It is strange the presence of this species in the Canary Islands. Pygmy sperm whale Kogia breviceps nt! Importa y Sperm The adult length goes from 270 and th Pygm rm 340 cm weighing 315 to 408 kg. Bo warf spe ale and D Strictly oceanic, wh big e show a Pygmy sperm whales are found whal e throughout the tropical, subtropical y with th milarit ish and temperate waters of the Oceans. si is a whit rk.There It is present in the Canary Islands du - sha n ing, ofte ring the whole year. mark false ed as a " 408 Kg describ eye. ind each gill", beh
340 Cm
Dwarf sperm whale Kogia sima rtant! Impo ave whales h The adult length goes from 210 and 270 cm of sperm oth type way from weighing 135 to 272 kg. Strictly oceanic, B o back a ndency t oats. Dwarf sperm whales are found throughout a te proach b r than ap f is the tropical, subtropical and temperate wa - rathe the dwar pygmy, ark Like the res of a d ters of the Oceans; and show more tropical pel 12 lit te- ble to ex hen frigh character than the pygmy sperm whale. It is a stance w dish sub ibly to present in the Canary Islands during the red d—poss attacke whole year. ned or tors. ny preda put off a 272 Kg
270 Cm Regulations Strandings There’s a wide-ranging legislation Important Issue! in favour of cetaceans’ conservation Call us to 112 or directly to ( Berne Convention in 1979 and 626649984 in case of sighting The Royal Decree 1727/2007). of a whale in the beach or floating calmly.
Conservation and Threats
Cetaceans have an economic interest, besides the ecological, educational and scientific Although the cetaceans in the islands are healthy, they’re more vulnerable to importance in the Canary Islands due to the development of tourism dedicated to the human activities such as fishing, habitat degradation, pollution, sea traffic and whales and dolphins watching. This kind of tourism, regulated in the Canary Islands by fishing industry; these are the main activities threatening the species survival. the Decreet 178/2000, was the result of the increased tourism in 2008, welcoming a half million visitors and producing a direct income of 19.8 million euros. Code of behaviour During the whole year we can observe the presence of cetace - · To avoid the simultaneous traffic of boats (to avoid more than ans in their natural habitat. It is necessary to respect the code of three) around the same group of cetaceans. conduct of these animals in order to avoid a negative impact. · Do not dumping overboard objects or food, and do not try to Any type of boat approaching less than 500 meters the cetace - feed them. ans must: · Do not touch them, swimming or diving without previous authorization around the animals. · To Slow down speed during navigation; don’t ever navigate faster than the animals and avoid sudden maneuvers. · To avoid sudden noises and high tones near these animals (especially sudden changes of speed and direction). · To navigate as parallel as possible to the cetaceans keeping a reasonable distance. · To move away at a minimum speed. List of species in the Canary Islands Short-beaked common dolphin , Delphinus delphis (Linnaeus, 1758). Dwarf sperm whale, Kogia sima (Owen, 1866). Common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus (Montagu, 1821). Sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus (Linnaeus, 1758). Striped dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba (Meyen, 1833). Cuvier’s beaked whale, Ziphius cavirostris (G. Cuvier, 1823). Atlantic spotted dolphin, Stenella frontalis (G. Cuvier, 1829). Blainville’s beaked whale, Mesoplodon densirostris (Blainville, 1817). Spinner dolphin, Stenella longirostris (Gray, 1828). Gervais’ beaked whale, Mesoplodon europaeus (Gervais, 1855). Fraser’s dolphin, Lagenodelphis hosei (Fraser, 1956). Sowerby’s beaked whale, Mesoplodon bidens (Sowerby, 1804). Risso’s dolphin, Grampus griseus (G. Cuvier, 1812). True’s beaked whale, Mesoplodon mirus , (True, 1913). Rough-toothed dolphin, Steno bredanensis (G. Cuvier en Lesson, 1828). Northern bottlenose whale, Hyperoodon ampullatus (Forster, 1770). Short-finned pilot whale, Globicephala macrorhynchus (Gray, 1846). Blue whale, Blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus (Linnaeus, 1758). Long-finned pilot whale , Globicephala melas (Traill 1809). Fin whale, Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758). Killer whale, Orcinus orca ( Linnaeus, 1758). Sei whale, Balaenoptera borealis (Lesson, 1828). False killer whale, Pseudorca crassidens (Owen, 1846). Pygmy Bryde’s whale , Balaenoptera edeni , (Anderson, 1879). Pygmy killer whale, Feresa attenuata (Gray, 1874). Common minke whale, Balaenopeta acutorostrata (Lacépède, 1804). Harbour pourpose, Phocoena phocoena (Linnaeus, 1758). Humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae (Borowski, 1781). Pygmy sperm whale, Kogia breviceps (Blainville, 1838). North atlantic right whale, Balaena glacialis (Müller, 1776).
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