Tag / Guimaras

by mondaymorgue

Photo: Coast Guard Public Affairs Office

Philippines: Dead Sperm Bryde’s Whale found in Guimaras
By Frances Mangosing, 25th January 2017;

A decaying body of a Bryde’s Whale (Balaenoptera edeni) was found in the shorelines of Brgy. Sawang, Buenavista in Guimaras on Wednesday.

The cause of death remained unknown.

The Whale was retrieved by the joint personnel of Coast Guard Buenavista and the Guimaras Environment and Natural Resources, the Philippine Coast Guard said in a statement.

The dead Whale was spotted 700 meters from the shoreline by Rex Camarista at about 3 a.m. It was later towed to McArthur’s Wharf.

Known in Filipino as “balyena,” the endangered Whale measures 4.5 meters in length and has an estimated weight of 500 kilos.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer

The carcass is clearly not that of a Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus); it’s a small Rorqual (Balaenoptera sp.), with the prnounced ridges on the head suggesting that it’s a Bryde’s Whale.

The taxonomy of the Bryde’s Whale is still far from settled; what we call the Bryde’s Whale has been split into two subspecies or even distinct species by some authorities: the true Bryde’s Whale, a larger species found in tropical and warm temperate waters worldwide (Balaenoptera brydei), and the Eden’s Whale, a smaller form that may be restricted to coastal waters of the Indo-Pacific (Balaenoptera edeni). Both species(?) have been recorded from tropical waters of Southeast Asia.

by mondaymorgue

Suspected Bryde’s Whale Found!!

A suspected Bryde’s Whale (Balaenoptera edeni) was trapped in a fishing net, approximately 500 meters away from the coastline of Barangay Sawang, Buenavista, Guimaras at around 3:00 AM of January 25, 2017 by a Barangay Kagawad of the said Barangay. The Bryde’s Whale measures 4.35 meters long and 0.99 meters wide. According to the coastguard who assisted in the retrieval of the dead species, a fishing net and rope were found inside its mouth which perhaps resulted to its death. Please help us comfirm its ID!!

Source: Lilian Diana Buston Parreno Facebook, via Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines Facebook

The rostral ridges are diagnostic features seen in Bryde’s Whale (Balaenoptera edeni).

The taxonomy of the Bryde’s Whale is still far from settled; what we call the Bryde’s Whale has been split into two subspecies or even distinct species by some authorities: the true Bryde’s Whale, a larger species found in tropical and warm temperate waters worldwide (Balaenoptera brydei), and the Eden’s Whale, a smaller form that may be restricted to coastal waters of the Indo-Pacific (Balaenoptera edeni). Both species(?) have been recorded from tropical waters of Southeast Asia.

(This is Part 2 of a 2-part photo set)

by mondaymorgue

Suspected Bryde’s Whale Found!!

A suspected Bryde’s Whale (Balaenoptera edeni) was trapped in a fishing net, approximately 500 meters away from the coastline of Barangay Sawang, Buenavista, Guimaras at around 3:00 AM of January 25, 2017 by a Barangay Kagawad of the said Barangay. The Bryde’s Whale measures 4.35 meters long and 0.99 meters wide. According to the coastguard who assisted in the retrieval of the dead species, a fishing net and rope were found inside its mouth which perhaps resulted to its death. Please help us comfirm its ID!!

Source: Lilian Diana Buston Parreno Facebook, via Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines Facebook

The rostral ridges are diagnostic features seen in Bryde’s Whale (Balaenoptera edeni).

The taxonomy of the Bryde’s Whale is still far from settled; what we call the Bryde’s Whale has been split into two subspecies or even distinct species by some authorities: the true Bryde’s Whale, a larger species found in tropical and warm temperate waters worldwide (Balaenoptera brydei), and the Eden’s Whale, a smaller form that may be restricted to coastal waters of the Indo-Pacific (Balaenoptera edeni). Both species(?) have been recorded from tropical waters of Southeast Asia.

(This is Part 1 of a 2-part photo set)

by mondaymorgue

A dead Balaenopterid whale (possibly Omura’s Whale) (Balaenoptera omurai) stranded this morning in Buenavista, Guimaras.

Updated report: It “was trapped in a fishing net, approximately 700 meters away from the coastline of Barangay Sawang, Buenavista, Guimaras at around 3:00 AM of January 25, 2017 by a Barangay Kagawad of the said Barangay. It measures 4.35 meters long and 0.99 meters wide. According to the coastguard who assisted in the retrieval of the dead species, a fishing net and rope were found inside its mouth which perhaps resulted to its death.”

Source: Sheryll Ann Facebook, via Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines Facebook

A discussion on another post about this carcass suggested that it could have been an Omura’s Whale, but the general consensus is that this is more likely to be a Bryde’s Whale (Balaenoptera edeni).

The taxonomy of the Bryde’s Whale is still far from settled; what we call the Bryde’s Whale has been split into two subspecies or even distinct species by some authorities: the true Bryde’s Whale, a larger species found in tropical and warm temperate waters worldwide (Balaenoptera brydei), and the Eden’s Whale, a smaller form that may be restricted to coastal waters of the Indo-Pacific (Balaenoptera edeni). Both species(?) have been recorded from tropical waters of Southeast Asia.

by mondaymorgue

Dead Whale found in Buenavista, Guimaras

Joint personnel of Coast Guard Sub-Station (CGSS) Buenavista and Guimaras Environment and Natural Resources Office (GENRO) hauled the decomposing body of a sperm whale found in the shorelines of Barangay Sawang, Buenavista, Guimaras on January 25, 2017.

Reports revealed that the dead body of the marine mammal was spotted 700 meters away from the shorelines by the barangay kagawad of said barangay identified as Mr Rex Camarista around 3 AM today. Upon receipt of the information, personnel of CGSS Buenavista together with personnel of GENRO proceeded to the area onboard the Coast Guard Aluminum Boat to verify the report. Upon arrival, GENRO personnel identified that the subject mammal was an endangered species of Sperm Whale. The team decided to tow the dead mammal to Mc Arthur’s Wharf.

The dead Whale commonly known as “balyena” measures 4.5 meters in length and has an estimated weight of 500 kilos. The mammal’s body was properly turned-over to GENRO personnel while the cause of its death is still under investigation

Source: Coast Guard Station Iloilo, via Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines Facebook

The photos clearly show that it isn’t a Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus); it’s a small Rorqual (Balaenoptera sp.). The ridges on the head suggest that this was a young Bryde’s Whale (Balaenoptera edeni).

The taxonomy of the Bryde’s Whale is still far from settled; what we call the Bryde’s Whale has been split into two subspecies or even distinct species by some authorities: the true Bryde’s Whale, a larger species found in tropical and warm temperate waters worldwide (Balaenoptera brydei), and the Eden’s Whale, a smaller form that may be restricted to coastal waters of the Indo-Pacific (Balaenoptera edeni). Both species(?) have been recorded from tropical waters of Southeast Asia.