Byrd et al.: Strandings as indicators of marine mammal biodiversity and human interactions 
7 
1400 
V) 
cn 
.E 1200 
TO 
2 1000 
GO 
"5 800 
1 600 
T3 
C 
400 
Figure 2 
Number of marine mammal strandings (n=1847) reported in North Caro- 
lina during 1997-2008 by family. The families Delphinidae and Phocidae 
are subdivided to show the large contribution of a single species (white 
bars: coastal bottlenose dolphin [ Tursiops truncatus] and harbor seal [Ph- 
oca uitulina] respectively) to other species in each family (black bars). 
Kogia spp., the pair stranded with 
an adult male. Total length was mea- 
sured (i.e., not estimated) for 570 fe- 
males and 679 males identified to 
species (Table 3). The average length 
of the coastal bottlenose dolphins clas- 
sified as perinates ( 72= 179) was 105.8 
cm (standard deviation [SD] =9.6 ). Of 
those dolphins, 28 were <95 cm, the 
size of the smallest measured neonate 
in NC during 1992-99 (Thayer et ah, 
2003). 
Live strandings accounted for 15% 
of all strandings; more than 41% of 
pelagic odontocetes (40% of delphi- 
nids, 52% of Kogia spp., 15% of ziphi- 
ids, and 75% sperm whales) and 60% 
of pinnipeds were found alive. Of the 
282 live strandings (233 cetaceans, 65 
seals), 41% died on their own, 29% 
were euthanized, 15% were trans- 
ferred to a rehabilitation facility (36 
seals, 7 cetaceans), and 13% were im- 
mediately released or relocated. The 
fate was unknown for the remaining 2 
animals, both dwarf sperm whales: 1) 
one animal was attacked by a shark 
at the time of the stranding, and 2) a 
calf was reported but gone when the 
Table 2 
Marine mammal stranding group events (mother-calf pairs, mass strandings) (n = 19) during 1997-2008 
in North Carolina. 
Year 
Month 
Day 
Species 
Mother- 
calf pair 
Mass 
stranding 
No. of 
animals 
Habitat 
1997 
Jan 
6 
Tursiops truncatus coastal 
yes 
no 
2 
Ocean 
1998 
Sep 
13 
Kogia breviceps 
yes 
no 
2 
Ocean 
1999 
Nov 
11 
Kogia sima 
yes 
no 
2 
Ocean 
1999 
Nov 
29 
Kogia sima 
yes 
no 
2 
Ocean 
2000 
Feb 
9 
Stenella frontalis 
no 
yes 
2 
Ocean 
2000 
Sep 
15 
Kogia sima 
yes 
no 
2 
Ocean 
2001 
Feb 
1 
Delphinus delphis 
no 
yes 
7 
Ocean 
2001 
Sep 
21 
Mesoplodon densirostris 
yes 
no 
2 
Ocean 
2003 
Apr 
1 
Tursiops truncatus coastal 
yes 
no 
2 
Ocean 
2003 
Nov 
23 
Kogia breviceps 
yes 
no 
2 
Ocean 
2004 
May 
27 
Tursiops truncatus coastal 
yes 
yes 
3 
Inshore 
2005 
Jan 
15 
Globicephala macrorhynchus 
yes 
yes 
33 
Ocean 
2005 
Jan 
16* 
Kogia sima 
yes 
yes 
3 
Ocean 
2005 
Aug 
22 
Stenella coeruleoalba 
no 
yes 
12 
Ocean 
2006 
Feb 
17 
Kogia sima 
yes 
yes 
3 
Ocean 
2006 
Sep 
2 
Kogia breviceps 
no 
yes 
3 
Ocean 
2006 
Oct 
17 
Tursiops truncatus coastal 
yes 
no 
2 
Ocean 
2007 
Feb 
5 
Kogia sima 
yes 
no 
2 
Ocean 
2007 
Jul 
28 
Kogia breviceps 
yes 
yes 
3 
Inshore 
* Genetically confirmed calf recovered 19 January 2005. 
