Extensive scarring observed on female or juvenile male sperm whales off the Galápagos Islands

Scarring on sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) has often been noted and attributed to aggression between males. Extensive scarring on female or juvenile male sperm whales has not previously been noted. During 1995, two female or juvenile male sperm whales were observed with extensive scarring on...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inMammalia (Paris) Vol. 62; no. 1; pp. 134 - 139
Main Author HOOKER, S. K
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Paris Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Publications Scientifiques 1998
Subjects
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Autoecology
Biological and medical sciences
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Mammalia
Marine
Physeter macrocephalus
Vertebrata
Galapagos Islands
Pacific Ocean Islands
Pacific Ocean
ISE, Ecuador, Galapagos Is
Marine environment
Vertebrata
Mammalia
Scar
Sex
Observation
Cetacea
Physeter macrocephalus
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Summary:Scarring on sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) has often been noted and attributed to aggression between males. Extensive scarring on female or juvenile male sperm whales has not previously been noted. During 1995, two female or juvenile male sperm whales were observed with extensive scarring on the head and anterior dorsal surface of their bodies. We describe the unusual degree and nature of scarring on one of them and discuss the possible cause of such scarring.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
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ISSN:0025-1461
1864-1547