First records of Mesoplodon europaeus (Gervais, 1855), Gervais’ Beaked Whale (Cetacea, Ziphiidae, Mesoplodon), and other beaked whales in Suriname, South America

By

De Boer, Marijke N
Van Den Bergh, Michiel
Pool, Monique
Willems, Tomas

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2023-3-23

Original Publication

Check list : journal of species lists and distribution

Volume

19

Series / Issue

Issue: 2

Pages

209--214

Subjects

cetacean , Conservation , Demerara Plateau , Guiana basin , marine spatial planning , megafauna survey , wider Caribbean region

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

[São Paulo, Brazil] Luís Felipe Toledo 2005-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15560/19.2.209

 

Abstract

A group of Mesoplodon europaeus (Gervais, 1885), Gervais’ Beaked Whales, were recorded along the Demerara Plateau (Suriname) at depths of 2,300 and 2,700 m.  These are the first records of the species within the Guiana Basin. The Demerara Plateau may well offer an important habitat for deep-diving beaked whales, but further research is needed. We emphasize that, in light of a recent increase in oil and gas exploitation activities, there is an urgency to develop effective regionally and nationally specific conservation measures for whales in Suriname.