SC/65/SM1 Ziphius cavirostris strandings-a short review. Bachara Wojtek 1* and S.A. Norman 2 1 Ziphiidae consultant, Kolejowa 138,05-120 Legionowo, Poland 2 Marine-Med: Marine Research, Epidemiology, and Veterinary Medicine, Bothell, WA, USA * Corresponding author : wojtekplodon@gmail.com Abstract Cuvier’s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris) is a member of the family Ziphiidae and has been recorded from all oceans. This paper summarizes all stranding records that the first author has collected since 1995. Introduction Among 4563 Ziphiidae stranding records in this compilation (accessed 31.12.2012), Ziphius cavirostris was the most common stranded ziphiid species (1473 records–1658 animals) compared with the more common mesoplodonts (Gray’s– Mesoplodon grayi, Blainville’s– Mesoplodon densirostris, Layard’s– mesoplodon layardii, Stejneger’s– Mesoplodon stejnegeri, Sowerby’s– Mesoplodon bidens, Gervais’– Mesoplodon europaeus 480, 289, 290, 285, 268, 263 records – respectively) or northern bottlenose whale (Hyperoodon ampullatus), 285 records. This paper presents a summary of all known Ziphius stranding records, including some of whales caught in nets. The stranding information is compiled from the scientific literature, personal communications and archives (stranding networks), regional newspapers, and the World Wide Web. Calf strandings The number of confirmed recorded strandings of Cuvier’s calves is 34 worldwide. In Table 1, records of 24 strandings for which data could be presented are listed. Known minimal calf length at birth is 270cm (Heyning and Mead, 2009). Lengths ranged from 181 to 269 cm (mean = 235.0; ± 23.0). Mean length (±SD) of stranded male (n=8) and female (n=8) calves was 225.6 (±26.3) and 248.2 (±14.9), respectively (Fig. 1). An interesting finding of note is that some whales at 270cm length still had fetal folds (BW, unpubl. data). Eighteen (81%) of the stranded calves were reported in the North Atlantic, or in adjacent waters, while 13 (62%) occurred around the European coastline and Algeria. Most of the calf strandings occurred between March and September, with a suggestion of a bi-modal distribution (March and July) of strandings (Fig. 2). Table 1. Records of stranded Cuvier’s beaked whale calves* Sex Length date Locality State/Province Country Source F 181 14-05- 1985 Santoña Cantabria Spain Garcia-Castrillo and Cendrero 1987 Stranded with her mother 566cm F 200 13-06- 1973 L'Estartit,Baix Emporda,Girona Cataluña Spain Casinos and Filella 1975 U 200est 28-03- 1990 Moniello,Gozon Asturias Spain Garcia-Castrillo et.al. 1991 F 210est 26-08- 1992 Mortelle,Messina Sicilia Italy CSC** 1995 F 218 20-04- 1964 Pra,Genova Liguria Italy Cagnolaro 1965