Introducon to cetaceans

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! Overview

1. Introducon to cetaceans • What is a cetacean • , or ? 2. UK cetacean species

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! 1. Introducon to cetaceans

• Cetaceans: refers to a specific group of marine : , and

• Cetus: ‘large sea ’

• Cetaceans evolved from a group of carnivorous , closely related to arodactyls (sheep, pigs, cale)

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! • Closely related to hippos!

1. Introducon to cetaceans

Species diversity • There are approximately 73 species and 15 baleen species

Found in a variety of habitats: • Freshwater and saltwater • Water ranging from 1.9oC to 40oC • Water ranging in 4m to 2000m in depth

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! 1. Introducon to cetaceans

Whale, dolphin or porpoise? • Two main suborders: toothed whales and baleen whales • Toothed whales (odontocetes): • Teeth • disnct melon, use echolocaon • one blowhole • generally smaller, with males somemes larger • Baleen whales (myscetes) : • Baleen instead of teeth • small or vesgial melon • two blowholes instead of one • Generally larger than toothed whales, females larger than males www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk!

1. Introducon to cetaceans

So what about dolphins and porpoises? • Family ‘Delphinidae’ : oceanic dolphins including species such as bolenose dolphins, killer whales, ! pilot whales and melon headed whales

• Family ‘ Phocoenidae’: porpoises such as the , Dall’s porpoise and the • Main visible difference is the teeth! • Dolphins: conical • Harbour porpoise: spade shaped • Depending on the species, some differences in size, head shape and dorsal fin shape

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! 2. Cetaceans in UK waters

28 Species recorded in British and Irish Waters

Common Species Rare Species 13 Regular Species: Harbour porpoise Risso’s dolphin Common dolphin White-beaked dolphin White-sided dolphin

• www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! General notes on species ID

What is it?? • Size • Shape • Dorsal fin: size & posion • Rostrum • Colouraon • Behaviour

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! Bolenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! Bolenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus

• large, stocky dolphin • 2.5 – 4 metres in length • long pectoral fins • short, stubby beak • moderately tall, sickle shaped dorsal fin

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! Bolenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus

• dark to varying shades of grey along back, sides and flanks, with pale stomach

• social , groups of 6 – 25 animals, although may form larger aggregaons

• slow breeder

• sexual maturity 5 – 15 yrs

• single calf every 3 - 5 yrs

• long lifespan: male 35-45 yrs female 40-50 yrs

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! What to look for…

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! Harbour porpoise phocoena

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! Harbour porpoise Phocoena phocoena

• small, rotund body • smallest cetacean found in UK waters • 1.3 – 1.5 metres in length • small rounded head and no disnct beak • small, triangular dorsal fin

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! Harbour porpoise Phocoena phocoena

• from the surface they appear dark grey in colouring, although their sides and belly are much lighter.

• found singly, or in groups of 2-3 animals, occasionally form larger groups of 10-20 animals

• single calf every 1 - 2 yrs

• sexual maturity at 3 – 5 yrs

• short life span, usually no more than 15 yrs

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! What to look for…

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! What’s the difference?

bolenose dolphin harbour porpoise

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! Minke whale acutorostrata

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! Minke whale distribuon

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! Minke whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata

• 6.9-8.5 meters long • relavely tall, sickle shaped dorsal fin • narrow pointed triangular head • white pectoral fins • slow surfacing

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! Risso’s dolphin Grampus griseus

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! Risso’s dolphin distribuon

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! Risso’s dolphin Grampus griseus

• 2.8-3.3 meters

• large tall fin

• dark body covered in scars, turning lighter with age

• bulbous forehead, no disnct beak

• pointed pectoral fins

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! Short-beaked common dolphin Delphinus delphis

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! Common dolphin distribuon

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! Short-beaked common dolphin Delphinus delphis • 1.6-2.6 meters

• centrally-placed slender dorsal fin, sickle-shaped

• hourglass paern of tan or yellowish-tan on lower flanks, becoming pale grey behind fin.

• low, tapering forehead with disnct groove separang long slender black beak

• very acve

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! Long-finned pilot whale Globicephala melas

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! Pilot whale distribuon

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! Long-finned pilot whale Globicephala melas • 4-6 meters

• black body, paler throat patches

• bulbous round head

• low fin with long base

• highly social, matriarchal society

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! Killer whale Orcinus orca

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! Distribuon of the killer whale

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! Killer whale Orcinus orca

•Largest member of the dolphin family, males: 6-8m, females 5-7m •No disnct beak •Sexually dimorphic, males idenfied by large , straight dorsal fins (1.8m), females and juveniles, shorter and curved •Large paddle shaped pectoral fins • long lived, females up to 90 years, males up to 60 years in the wild •Different eco-types have different diets, UK populaon probably feeds on both fish and marine mammals • highly social species, matriarchal society www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! Humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! The humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae

•11.5-15 meters long • large rotund body • huge flippers with white markings • knobbly fluke with white paerns •bushy blow • dorsal hump • oen seen breaching and lobtailing

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! Fin Whale Balaenoptera physalus

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! Fin Whale Balaenoptera physalus • Second largest growing up to 25m • Females slightly larger than males • Tall bushy blow 4-6m high • Asymmetric white marking on lower right jaw • Sighted alone or in small groups

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! Sei whale Balaenoptera borealis

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! Sei whale Balaenoptera borealis

• Third largest baleen whale, up to 18m • One of the fastest cetaceans in the world (up to 50km/hr) • V-shaped head with single central ridge • Very high, erect dorsal fin • Vercal bushy blow up to 3m

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! Northern bolenose whale Hyperodon ampullatus

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! Northern bolenose whale Hyperodon ampullatus

• Thames whale • About 10m in length • Bulbous head and disnct beak; long and white in males, grey in females • Bushy blow, about 2m in height and directed slightly forward • Deep diving species • Feed mainly on fish • Most commonly sighted April to September in Northern European waters

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! White beaked dolphin albirostris

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! White beaked dolphin Lagenorhynchus albirostris

• Large, stocky dolphin, up to ca. 3m • Stubby, white beak • Tall, erect dorsal fins • Disncve white blaze along side of body • Most commonly sighted in Scotland • Acrobac, social animals, oen observed feeding with other dolphin or whales species

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! White-sided dolphin Lagenorhynchus acutus

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! White-sided dolphin Lagenorhynchus acutus

• Up to 2.8m • Stubby, black beak • Yellow band extending from white blaze along the side • Lile known, seem to be social • Acve at surface • Found offshore in the North Atlanc ocean

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! Thank you for listening!

www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk! Get in touch! Email: katrin.lohrengel@seawatchfoundaon.org.uk Twier: @WelshCetaceans www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk!