contact one of the institutions listed in the appendix and ask 

 them to handle the situation. Some will already have permits 

 to investigate strandings. Most will be anxious to help. 



Although you cannot remove the animal from the beach 

 without a permit, you can help keep it alive until it can be 

 removed. Here are a few hints. WhUe waiting for help to 

 arrive, endeavor to keep the animal as comfortable as 

 possible. If it is not too large and surf conditions permit, it 

 should be removed to shallow water where it is barely afloat. 

 The buoyancy of the water will reduce the stress to the animal 

 and will help to keep it cool and prevent overheating— a real 

 danger to stranded cetaceans. 



Whether or not the animal can be floated, care should be 

 taken to protect it from sunburn, drying out, and 

 overheating. If it is afloat, exposed parts should be frequently 

 splashed down. If it is high and dry, it should be covered with 

 damp cloth, particularly on the dorsal fin, flippers, and 

 flukes, and the body and the terrain should be frequently 

 watered to prevent the animal from overheating in the areas 

 in contact with the sand or rock. 



In any case, be careful to leave the blowhole free so that 

 the animal can breathe. Note also that the eyes are 

 particularly sensitive and susceptible to injury; they should 

 be covered with a wet cloth and treated with special care. 

 With luck, this careful handling will be rewarded with the 

 animal's being picked up and transported to an aquarium, 

 where it can receive proper attention. But even if the animal 

 cannot be saved, collection and examination of the carcass can 

 provide valuable information to scientists working on the 

 biology of cetaceans, or on such problems as their disease 

 conditions and the effects of environmental pollutants on 

 them. Dead stranded cetaceans even in advanced stages of 

 decomposition are also an important source of materials for 

 museum study and display. Therefore, every attempt should 

 be made to get the carcass into the best hands. Dead 

 cetaceans, like the live ones, are protected by law and may 

 not be removed without a permit. The procedure for 

 obtaining permission to collect them is the same as that 

 outlined for live strandings. The majority of the institutions 

 along the western North Atlantic coast will respond to calls 



about live or dead strandings. Even if you are unable to 

 contact an appropriate official, you can still collect some 

 valuable information by identifying the specimen, using the 

 following key, and by collecting measurements (see 

 Appendix D). 



Identifying the Animal 



Cetaceans may be found during or shortly after the 

 stranding or many months later, when the carcass is bloated 

 or rotted nearly beyond recognition. If the stranded animal is 

 alive or freshly dead, it can be identified by any of the 

 characteristics itemized in the text. But even if it is in an 

 advanced stage of decomposition it can be identified using the 

 key below. In general numbers and descriptions of teeth 

 (Table 1) and numbers and descriptions of baleen plates 

 (Table 2) persist longest as reliable identifying characteris- 

 tics. If they are still detectable on the carcass, numbers and 

 lengths of ventral g^rooves may also be used to separate the 

 balaenopterine whales.' 



In order to use the key below, begin with the first pair of 

 opposing characteristics— one of the two will apply to the 

 specimen you are examining. On the line following that state- 

 ment there will be a paragraph number, go to that paragraph. 

 There you will find two more paired, opposing characteristics. 

 Again, one of the two will apply to the specimen you are ex- 

 amining. Select that one and go to the paragraph indicated on 

 the line following it. Continue this procedure until the state- 

 ment which is true for your specimen is followed by a species 

 name instead of a reference to another paragraph. This name 

 identifies the specimen. To verify your identification goto the 

 discussion of that species in the text. With a little practice and 

 careful attention to details, identification of whales, 

 dolphins, and porpoises will become easier. 



'The tables were prepared primarily from Tomilin (1967) and 

 supplemented by miscellaneous published papers and our own 

 observations. The sections on toothed whales in the key were developed 

 following the general outline of Moore (1953). 



KEY TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF STRANDED CETACEANS 

 OF THE WESTERN NORTH ATLANTIC 



1. a. Double blowhole: noteethpresent in either jaw; baleen plates in upper jaws. 



(Baleen whale) Goto2 



b. Single blowhole: teeth present (sometimes concealed beneath the gums): no baleen plates in upper 



jaw. (Toothed whale) Goto9 



2. a. Ventral grooves present; dorsal fin present; viewed in profile, upper jaw relatively flat and broad. 



(Balaenopterine whale) Go to 3 



b. Ventral grooves absent: dorsal fin absent: viewed in profile, upper jaw and lower lips strongly 



arched: upper jaw very narrow. (Right whale) Go to 8 



3. a. Ventral grooves end before navel. ^ p '° f 



b. Ventral grooves extend to or beyond navel Go to 5 



'Counts of ventral grooves are made between the flippers and do not include shorter grooves often found on the side of the head and on the side above the 

 flippers. 



164 



