—Continued from previous page

Bryde’s whales have been recorded throughout the Eastern Caribbean island chain
and have been reported year-round in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of
Venezuela. In 1983, a Bryde’s whale was stranded for some days in the Tobago Cays,
and in 2005 a Bryde’s whale was taken in the Bequia fishery. This past August, a
young Bryde’s whale stranded at Union Island, also in the Grenadines (see Caribbean
Compass October 2009 “A Whale Visits Union Island”). Scientists wonder if the spe-
cies is extending its range due to global warming.

Occasional Visitors

BLUE WHALE

What words can do justice to the colossal blue whale, the giant among giants, the
largest animal ever to have lived on Earth. With mottled blue-grey bodies typically
24 metres (80 feet) long and weighing more than 100 tons, they out-measure a
Boeing 737. What’s more, blues have big babies. At birth calves measure seven

SUVS HOW

 

Big blue whales are infrequent visitors

metres (23 feet) long and weigh 2.5 tons. When weaned eight months later, they can
weigh up to 50,000 pounds and be 15 metres (50 feet) long.

Reports of blue whales in the Caribbean are rare, with only two reliable reports of
strandings in the Gulf of Mexico. Their blue-grey mottling pattern is highly variable
and is so unique that it can be used to identify individuals. Often a yellowish sheen
of diatoms coats the body and is most visible on the whale’s underside.

FIN WHALE

Known as the “greyhound of the sea,” the fin whale appears as a slender, silver-
streaked form, barely disturbing the water as it surfaces to breathe. Its tremendous

YALISSOY W¥ITIIM,

Fin whales can be
confused with Bryde’s
or sei whales

 

speed and massive size make the fin whale one of the most impressive of all whales.
The double band of almost metallic silver, called a “chevron”, which loops from the
lower jaw up to the side just behind the blowhole, makes it possible to recognize
individuals. The species has a unique coloration — the right lower jaw is white,
whereas the left lower jaw is dark grey. This distinctive asymmetry, which is rare in
mammals, may be related to feeding strategies or social cues. Occasional sightings
in the Gulf of Mexico indicate that the species is not a frequent visitor but some may
winter in the region.

SEI WHALE

The sei (pronounced “say”) whale looks like a scaled-down version of the fin whale
with a single rostral ridge and without white on the right side. The underside and
the flanks of the sei whale often carry small, pitted, oval scars that are characteristic
of this species, presumably the bites of lampreys or cookie-cutter sharks.

Together the sei and fin whales are arguably the fastest of the great whales, capa-

SOOMYVIA TIS" SLLOIAISY

 

ble of swimming at up to 25 knots for short distances. In Caribbean waters, sei
whales have been reported traveling alone or in small groups off the coasts of Puerto
Rico and Dominica.

COMMON MINKE WHALE

The common minke whale is the smallest of the “great whales”. It has the dubious
distinction of bearing the brunt of current commercial whaling hunts for the simple
reason that most of the larger and more valuable species were recklessly overexploited.

The species may segregate depending on age, sex and reproductive condition in

Above: The sei
whale loolcs like
a small version
of the fin whale

NOOS/GY¥M SITWH.LYN

_ —_ ee

Right: Minke
whales are
usually seen
alone or in
small groups

 

different geographic areas of their range. Very little is known about the reproductive
and breeding habits of the minke whale. A few mother-and-calf sightings and record-
ings of minke whale sounds suggest that some calving grounds may be in tropical
waters. Usually seen alone or in small groups, the minke has been reported on
Anguilla Bank and the Anegada Passage, as well as off the coasts of Puerto Rico, the
Dominican Republic and Dominica.

Dr. Nathalie Ward, PhD is a consultant for the United Nations Environment
Programme’s Caribbean Marine Mammal Programme, and while in the United States
works for the US Marine Sanctuary Program.

 

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