Journal of Threatened Taxa |
www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 August 2022 | 14(8): 21733–21735
ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893
(Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7962.14.8.21733-21735
#7962 | Received 08 April 2022 | Final
received 13 June 2022 | Finally accepted 20 July 2022
Opportunistic
sighting of a Sperm Whale Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758 in Lakshadweep
Archipelago
Manokaran Kamalakannan
1, C.N. Abdul Raheem 2, Dhriti
Banerjee 3 & N. Marimuthu 4
1 Zoological Survey of
India, Western Ghat Regional Centre, Kozhikode,
Kerala 700053, India.
2 Department of
Environment and Forests, Kavaratti Island,
Lakshadweep 682555, India.
3 Zoological Survey of
India, M-Block, New Alipore, Kolkata, West Bengal 700053, India.
4 Zoological Survey of
India, FPS Building, Indian Museum Complex, Kolkata, West Bengal 700016, India.
1 kamalakannanm1@gmail.com
(corresponding author), 2 abdu.dweep@gmail.com, 3 dhritibanerjee@gmail.com,
4 marimuthu@zsi.gov.in
Editor: M. Nithyanandan, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research
(KISR), Salmiya, Kuwait. Date
of publication: 26 August 2022 (online & print)
Citation: Kamalakannan,
M., C.N.A. Raheem, D. Banerjee & N. Marimuthu (2022).Opportunistic
sighting of a Sperm Whale Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758 in Lakshadweep
Archipelago. Journal of Threatened Taxa 14(8): 21733–21735. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7962.14.8.21733-21735
Copyright: © Kamalakannan et al. 2022. Creative Commons
Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and
distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the
author(s) and the source of publication.
Funding: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India.
Competing interests: The authors
declare no competing interests.
Acknowledgements: We thank the Ministry
of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India and the
Director, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata for the facility provided through
the ZSI-in-house program, Fauna of Protected Areas of Lakshadweep
(F206-22/2021-22/Tech./1084/24.01.2022). Thanks are due to the research permit
and logistic support at Lakshadweep Islands to Shri. Santhosh Kumar Reddy, the
Conservator of Forests and Dr. Syed Ali, RFO, Environment and Forest
Department, Kavratti Island, Lakshadweep. The first author thanks Dr. V.D. Hegde,
Scientist- E & Officer-in-Charge, ZSI, WGRC, Kozhikode for all the
necessary facilities and encouragements.
Author contributions: conceived the study—DB; conducted the survey &
field photography—NM; logistics support and survey—CNAR; wrote the manuscript
and review—MK & NM. All authors contributed to the article and approved the
submitted version.
The Sperm
Whale Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus,
1758 is a large-sized toothed marine mammal belonging to the order Cetartiodactyla and family Physeteridae.
It is the only living species of the genus Physeter
(Mittermeier & Wilson 2014). It is the world’s largest toothed whale having
the biggest brain of any animal species (Marino 2004). This species is
characterised by a very large and rounded head which hold large quantities of a
waxy substance known as spermaceti; the blowhole opens at angle from the left side
of nasal passage; body colour is deep black to brownish-gray
above with white markings around lips; instead of a dorsal fin, this species
has distinct thick, low, and triangular humps (Jefferson et al. 1993; Menon
2014). It may live alone, or in small groups of 20–40 individuals or more in
greater than 1,000 m deep oceans and undertake extensive migration (Taylor et
al. 2019). Their distribution range is from Antarctic and cold-temperate waters
(Northern hemisphere) to tropical waters (Mittermeier & Wilson 2014). In
India, this species has been recorded all along the coastal states of Gujarat,
Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Lakshadweep Islands,
and Andaman & Nicobar Islands (Kumarran 2012;
Marine Mammals of India database 2022).
Recently, the
Government of India declared three protected areas in the Lakshadweep
archipelago. Among these, Pitti Island (Pitti Islet) is the one where Zoological Survey of India
conducted a marine faunal exploration under MoEFCC-ZSI
in-house activity during February 2022. During the survey period, a
single Sperm Whale was observed while partially breaching through the
water surface on 7 February 2022 at 0853 h (Beaufort Sea state 1). It was
recorded between Kavaratti and Pitti
Island (10.6530N & 72.5980E). Based on the
distinctive large rounded head (Image 1a), an angled bushy blow of water from
the left side of its nose (Image 1b) and the thick and triangular hump on the
back (Image 1c), the whale was confirmed as Physeter
macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758. However, the
size of the whale and its behaviour except breaching
could not be ascertained as it was observed at a distance of about 500 m.
Although the Sperm
Whale ranges worldwide, their record in Lakshadweep coasts is limited. From
1890 to 2018, there are 10 records of Sperm Whale reported from Kalpeni and Chetlat Islands of
the Lakshadweep archipelago, of which eight records are strandings
(James 1990; James & Panicker 1994; Pande et al. 2009). After 2009, only a stranding report was
documented without locality information from Lakshadweep (a fisherman record)
in 2018 (Marine Mammals of India database 2022). Here, we report an
opportunistic sighting of a Sperm Whale from Pitti
Island of Lakshadweep archipelago. Pitti Island lies
within the Indian Ocean Cetacean Sanctuary (IOCS). Sperm Whales occur in the
IOCS which is a potential feeding and calving ground (De Boer et al. 2003).
Besides the common
threats from natural and anthropogenic impact, the illegal ambergris (a solid
waxy substance that originates from the digestive system of Sperm Whale)
trade is considered as a major threat to this species (Anonymous
2021, 2022; Raveendran 2022). Due to rafting behavior at the surface between
deep dives, it is also more vulnerable to vessel strikes (NOAA Fisheries 2022).
Thus, this species is classified as ‘Vulnerable’ globally by the IUCN Red List
of Threatened Species (2022) and listed under Appendix I of the CITES and
Schedule II of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Increased survey
efforts could aid in monitoring whales and other cetaceans in exclusive
economic zone (EEZ) of India. Further this observation indicates that
opportunistic data from such efforts could also be beneficial for framing
conservations strategies under Schedule- I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection)
Act, 1972.
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