Bottlenose whale
Encyclopedia
The Northern bottlenose whale is a species
of the ziphiid family
, one of two members of the Hyperoodon genus. The northern bottlenose was hunted heavily by Norway
and Britain
in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It is one of the deepest diving mammals known, reaching maximum depths of between 493-1453m.
is extremely bluff. The beak is long and white on males but grey on females. The dorsal fin
is relatively small at 30 – and set behind the middle of the back. It is falcate (sickle-shaped) and usually pointed. The back is mid-to-dark grey. They have a lighter underside.
Weight estimates are hard to come by. For the northern bottlenose whale, 5800 – is given somewhat consistently.
and is found in cool and subarctic waters such as the Davis Strait
, the Labrador Sea
, the Greenland Sea
and the Barents Sea
. They prefer deep waters. The total population is unknown but likely to be of the order of 10,000. "The Gully
", a huge submarine canyon east of Nova Scotia
, has a year-round population of around 160 whales.
On 20 January 2006, a northern bottlenose whale was spotted in Central London
in the River Thames
. The River Thames whale
reached as far up river as Albert Bridge
. It was moved onto a barge and rescuers
hoped to take it out to sea, but it died following a convulsion
on 21 January during its rescue. Its skeleton is now in the Natural History Museum
in London.
of northern bottlenoses it is estimated that there were 40,000–50,000 individuals in the North Atlantic. Between 1850 and 1973, 88,000 individuals were caught, primarily by Norwegian and British whalers. The population is very likely to be much reduced compared to pre-whaling figures. Since whaling ended the primary concern to conservationists is the number of oil and gas developments around the Gully.
Norway stopped hunting the whale in 1973 but northern bottlenose whales are still hunted in the Faroe Islands
, especially in the villages of Hvalba
and Sandvík
on Suðuroy
.
The northern bottlenose whale is listed on Appendix II of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS
). It is listed on Appendix II as it has an unfavourable conservation status or would benefit significantly from international co-operation organised by tailored agreements.
In addition, the Northern bottlenose whale is covered by the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas (ASCOBANS
), and the Memorandum of Understanding Concerning the Conservation of the Manatee and Small Cetaceans of Western Africa and Macaronesia ( Western African Aquatic Mammals MoU).
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of the ziphiid family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
, one of two members of the Hyperoodon genus. The northern bottlenose was hunted heavily by Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It is one of the deepest diving mammals known, reaching maximum depths of between 493-1453m.
Physical description
The two species are fairly rotund and measure 9.8 metres (32.2 ft) in length when physically mature. The melonMelon (whale)
The melon is an ovoid-shaped, fatty organ found in the forehead of all toothed whales , including dolphins and porpoises and believed to be used in echolocation....
is extremely bluff. The beak is long and white on males but grey on females. The dorsal fin
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
is relatively small at 30 – and set behind the middle of the back. It is falcate (sickle-shaped) and usually pointed. The back is mid-to-dark grey. They have a lighter underside.
Weight estimates are hard to come by. For the northern bottlenose whale, 5800 – is given somewhat consistently.
Population and distribution
The northern bottlenose whale is endemic to the North Atlantic OceanAtlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
and is found in cool and subarctic waters such as the Davis Strait
Davis Strait
Davis Strait is a northern arm of the Labrador Sea. It lies between mid-western Greenland and Nunavut, Canada's Baffin Island. The strait was named for the English explorer John Davis , who explored the area while seeking a Northwest Passage....
, the Labrador Sea
Labrador Sea
The Labrador Sea is an arm of the North Atlantic Ocean between the Labrador Peninsula and Greenland. The sea is flanked by continental shelves to the southwest, northwest, and northeast. It connects to the north with Baffin Bay through the Davis Strait...
, the Greenland Sea
Greenland Sea
The Greenland Sea is a body of water that borders Greenland to the west, the Svalbard archipelago to the east, Fram Strait and the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Norwegian Sea and Iceland to the south. The Greenland Sea is often defined as part of the Arctic Ocean, sometimes as part of the...
and the Barents Sea
Barents Sea
The Barents Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located north of Norway and Russia. Known in the Middle Ages as the Murman Sea, the sea takes its current name from the Dutch navigator Willem Barents...
. They prefer deep waters. The total population is unknown but likely to be of the order of 10,000. "The Gully
The Gully (Atlantic)
The Gully is a large underwater canyon in the Atlantic Ocean near the edge of the eastern continental shelf of North America. It is located east of Nova Scotia near Sable Island....
", a huge submarine canyon east of Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, has a year-round population of around 160 whales.
On 20 January 2006, a northern bottlenose whale was spotted in Central London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
. The River Thames whale
River Thames whale
The River Thames whale was a juvenile female Northern Bottlenose whale which was discovered swimming in the River Thames in central London on Friday 20 January 2006. According to the BBC, she was five metres long and weighed about seven tonnes...
reached as far up river as Albert Bridge
Albert Bridge, London
Albert Bridge is a Grade II* listed road bridge over the River Thames in West London, connecting Chelsea on the north bank to Battersea on the south bank...
. It was moved onto a barge and rescuers
British Divers Marine Life Rescue
British Divers Marine Life Rescue is a British charity established in 1988 to train for, and respond to marine animals in distress in British waters and on coasts....
hoped to take it out to sea, but it died following a convulsion
Seizure
An epileptic seizure, occasionally referred to as a fit, is defined as a transient symptom of "abnormal excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain". The outward effect can be as dramatic as a wild thrashing movement or as mild as a brief loss of awareness...
on 21 January during its rescue. Its skeleton is now in the Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
in London.
Conservation
Prior to the beginning of whalingWhaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil. Its earliest forms date to at least 3000 BC. Various coastal communities have long histories of sustenance whaling and harvesting beached whales...
of northern bottlenoses it is estimated that there were 40,000–50,000 individuals in the North Atlantic. Between 1850 and 1973, 88,000 individuals were caught, primarily by Norwegian and British whalers. The population is very likely to be much reduced compared to pre-whaling figures. Since whaling ended the primary concern to conservationists is the number of oil and gas developments around the Gully.
Norway stopped hunting the whale in 1973 but northern bottlenose whales are still hunted in the Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
, especially in the villages of Hvalba
Hvalba
Hvalba is a village and a municipality, which consists of Hvalba, Nes-Hvalba and Sandvík. The total population of Hvalba Municipality was 723 as of 1 January 2010; the population of Hvalba and Nes was 626 and the population of Sandvík was 97. Hvalba is one of the larger villages in the Faroe...
and Sandvík
Sandvík
Sandvík is the northernmost village of the island of Suðuroy in the Faroe Islands. It is situated on the northern side of a shallow fjord. The small village was earlier known as Hvalvík until 1913...
on Suðuroy
Suðuroy
Suðuroy is the southernmost of the Faroe Islands. The island covers 163.7 km². In 2010 there were 4763 inhabitants, but there has been a gradual decline in the population numbers ever since the 1950s....
.
The northern bottlenose whale is listed on Appendix II of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS
Bonn Convention
The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals aims to conserve terrestrial, marine and avian migratory species throughout their range...
). It is listed on Appendix II as it has an unfavourable conservation status or would benefit significantly from international co-operation organised by tailored agreements.
In addition, the Northern bottlenose whale is covered by the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas (ASCOBANS
ASCOBANS
ASCOBANS is a regional agreement on the protection of small cetaceans that was concluded as the “Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas” under the auspices of the UNEP Convention on Migratory Species, or Bonn Convention, in September 1991 and came into force...
), and the Memorandum of Understanding Concerning the Conservation of the Manatee and Small Cetaceans of Western Africa and Macaronesia ( Western African Aquatic Mammals MoU).
External links
- Marine Bio: Northern Bottlenose Whale
- Northern Bottlenose Whale
- BBC: Whale spotted in central London
- Whale & Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS)
- Northern Bottlenose Whale - ARKive bio
- Northern Bottlenose Whale - The Beaked Whale Resource
- Convention on Migratory Species page on the northern bottlenose whale
- Official website of the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas
- Website of the Memorandum of Understanding Concerning the Conservation of the Manatee and Small Cetaceans of Western Africa and Macaronesia at CMS