Title
An extreme extra-limital record of a strap-toothed beaked whale Mesoplodon layardii from the northern Indian Ocean in Myanmar
Author(s)
Chit, A. M.;Smith, B. D.;Tun, M. T.
Published
2012
Publisher
Marine Biodiversity Records
Abstract
On 29 February 2011 a strap-toothed beaked whale Mesoplodon layardii stranded in the mouth of the Pyin Sa Lu and Thaung Du rivers bordering the northern Indian Ocean in Myanmar at approximately 16°N of the equator. This stranding occurred more than 5000 km from the normal distribution of the species in cold temperate waters below 35°S. Mesoplodonts are the most poorly known of all cetaceans; however, due to the large number of documented strandings and the species' distinctive appearance, the distribution of strap-toothed beaked whales is probably the best known of the genus. For these reasons, the Myanmar stranding is believed to be an anomalous extra-limital occurrence rather than an extension of the species' normal distribution. © 2012 Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom.
Keywords
beaked whales;cetaceans;extra-limital record;Mesoplodon;Myanmar;stranding;strap-toothed
Access Full Text
A full-text copy of this article may be available. Please email the WCS Library to request.
![]()
Back
PUB13555