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Article: First Mass Stranding of Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) in the Gulf of California, Mexico
- Article from:
- Aquatic Mammals
- Article date:
- July 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright Aquatic Mammals 2006. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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Abstract
We present the first report of a mass stranding of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Mexican waters. This species is a temporal inhabitant of the region. On 31 July 2000, eight killer whales stranded alive at the southern tip of Isla San José in BahÃa de La Paz (24° 54' N, 110° 35' W). All the individuals died despite the attempts performed by local fishermen to return them to sea. The group consisted of an undetermined number of females, immature males, and two calves. Skin and blubber samples were collected, as well as a skull on 2 August from a 4.6-m immature male. A second skull was collected on 19 August, which belonged to an individual of undetermined sex that measured 5 m ...