Diet of Pygmy Sperm Whales (Kogia breviceps) in the Hawaiian Archipelago

Authors

Kristi West, Hawai‘i Pacific University, 45-045 Kamehameha Highway, Kaneohe, Hawai‘i
William Walker, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA
Robin Baird, Olympia, Washington
Whitney White, Hawai‘i Pacific University, 45-045 Kamehameha Highway, Kaneohe, Hawai‘i
Gregg Levine, Kailua, Hawai‘i
Eric Brown, Kalaupapa National Historical Park, P. O. 2222, Kalaupapa, Hawai‘i
David Schofield, NOAA Pacific Islands Regional Office, National Marine Fisheries Service

Date of this Version

2009

Comments

Published in MARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE.

Abstract

The biology and ecology of the pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps) is poorly understood among odontocetes (McAlpine 2002). In Hawaiian waters, pygmy sperm whales are the second most frequently recorded stranded cetacean species, with 35 strandings documented between 1963 and 2008 (Shallenberger 1981, Nitta 1987, Maldini et al. 2005, NMFS database). Despite the high frequency of strandings, sightings of this species in Hawaiian waters are rare (Baird 2005). Given the low number of sightings, examination of stranded animals provides virtually the only means to study the biology and ecology of pygmy sperm whales in the area.