APPENDIX C 



STRANDED WHALES, DOLPHINS, AND PORPOISES 

 With a Key to the Identification of Stranded Cetaceans of the Western North Atlantic 



Stranded Animals 



As we discussed briefly in tlie introduction to this guide, 

 whales, dolphins, and porpoises sometimes "strand" or 

 "beach" themselves, individually or in entire herds, for a 

 complex of still incompletely understood reasons. Though the 

 reasons suggested for these strandings appear almost as 

 numerous as the strandings themselves, two tenable 

 generalizations have recently been proposed. 



Strandings of lone individuals usually involve an animal 

 which is sick or injured. Mass strandings, involving from 

 several to several hundred individuals, appear to be far more 

 complex and may result from fear reactions, from extremely 

 bad weather conditions, from herd- wide disease conditions, 

 or from failure of the echolocation system due to physiological 

 problems or environmental conditions which combine to 

 reduce its effectiveness, to mention only a few. 



Whatever their causes, however, cetacean strandings 

 usually attract crowds and elicit much public interest and 

 sympathy. There are frequently attempts to save the lives of 

 the animals involved. 



Individually stranded cetaceans rarely survive, even if 

 they are found soon after stranding and transported to 

 adequate holding facilities. This does not mean that every 

 attempt should not be made to save them. 



In mass strandings, some individuals may be entirely 



healthy, and if they are found soon enough after stranding, 

 properly protected and transported, and correctly cared for 

 in the initial few days after collection, they may survive in 

 captivity. Attempts to rescue all the animals in a mass 

 stranding by towing them out to sea have almost always been 

 frustrating because the animals usually swim repeatedly 

 back onto the beach. 



If you discover a stranding and before you become 

 involved in an attempt to save a live stranded animal or to 

 collect data from a dead one, you should be aware of the 

 following: 



Marine mammals are currently protected by law. Under 

 provisions of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, it is 

 unlawful for persons without a permit to handle, harass, or 

 possess any marine mammal. It is within the authority of 

 State officials and employees of the National Marine 

 Fisheries Service to arrange for the care of live animals 

 through certified institutions, such as many of those listed in 

 Appendix E. (Even if the animals were not protected by law, 

 any impulse to take them to backyard swimming pools, for 

 instance, should be tempered by the knowledge that their 

 chances of survival are far greater in an institution with the 

 facilities and expertise to properly care for them.) The best 

 general rule is to notify the nearest State or National Marine 

 Fisheries Service office. If you prefer, however, you may 



Appendix Figure CI. — Whales and dolphins, like this mixed school of false killer whales and bottlenosed dolphins, sometimes strand themselves 

 individually or as entire herds for a complex of still incompletely understood reasons. (Photo from Japan by S. Ohsumi.) 



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