First record of a fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) stranding on the northern Aegean Sea coast of Turkey

09/16/2020 Arda Tonay

First record of a fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) stranding on the northern Aegean Sea coast of Turkey

Arda M. Tonay, Ayhan Dede, Beril Gül, Ayaka Amaha Öztürk

Faculty of Aquatic Sciences, Istanbul University, Ordu Cad. No: 8, 34470, Fatih, Istanbul, TURKEY
Turkish Marine Research Foundation (TUDAV), P.O. Box: 10, Beykoz, Istanbul, TURKEY
Institute of Graduate Studies in Sciences, Istanbul University, Esnaf Hastanesi Binası 4. Kat, Fatih, İstanbul, TURKEY

ORCID IDs: A.M.T. 0000-0003-2718-9328; A.D. 0000-0002-7712-615X; B.G. 0000-0002-0518-0448, A.A.Ö. 0000-0003-2281-7372

Abstract

A stranding of a fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) was reported for the first time from  the Turkish coast of the northern Aegean Sea. A part of skeleton; posterior part of skull, a part of left mandible, ribs with mummified tissues of an individual were found in Saros Bay near Danişment village. The stranded whale was likely to be a juvenile as the estimated body size (13.5-14 m) was lower than the mature body size of those in the northern hemisphere. Although many parts of the specimen were missing and the exact date of the stranding was unknown, the information about such strandings of rare and threatened species like the fin whale is valuable in terms of understanding the regional distribution of the species.

Key words: Fin whale, Balaenoptera physalus, stranding, northern Aegean Sea, Saros Bay

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