Among the thousands of vacationers and shoppers at the V&A Waterfront this week, there has been one visitor that has really stood out. The arrival of a Dwarf Sperm Whale inside the busy harbour presents a real once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see this enigmatic and almost mythical creature. The animal has been here for around a week, and there is no telling how long it will stay, so get down there now! I was lucky to learn about the presence of this fascinating animal through the South African Rare Bird Network (SARBN). Occasionally when non-feathered species of sufficient rarity are found in the country an announcement goes out anyway, which is usually well received, as most birders are interested in natural things other than birds too. I got out to the Waterfront around late morning on Friday, and after 20 frustrating minutes the diminutive cetacean appeared. It hung around for at least an hour and entertained onlookers by swimming around the small harbour and floating lazily on the surface curiously peering up at the people on the quayside. After getting satisfying photographs I retired to Quay 4 restaurant for a celebratory beer and burger while I watched in comfort as the Whale piqued the curiosity of passers-by. The poor thing did appear to have sustained an injury, probably a boat strike judging from the pattern of wounds on the nose. The harbour is very busy, with tourist cruises departing and docking constantly throughout the day. One hopes that they have been notified of this local celebrity and will exercise a little more care in future.
A little bit of information about this rare, exciting, and beautiful species: The Dwarf Sperm Whale is a deep sea species that normally resides beyond the continental shelf, and is therefore almost never seen. They are the smallest of all the whale species, measuring in at a maximum of 2.7 m and 250 kg - nothing compared to its better-known cousin the Sperm Whale at 20 m length and 57 000 kg! So little is known about the species that it cannot be given a conservation status, so it is considered as Data Deficient by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature). Most of what we know about this species is gleaned from washed up carcasses. We do know that they are distributed almost globally outside of the Arctic and Antarctic circles, and that their diet consists mainly of squid and crab. The species, like most other whales, was (and still is in some parts of the world) targeted in the whaling industry, where they were/are hunted mainly for fats and oils. The Dwarf Sperm Whale, Pygmy Sperm Whale and the Sperm Whale are the 3 members of the Physeteroidea family. They are called 'sperm' whales because of the waxy substance that is found in their head cavity, spermaceti. This substance has the appearance and consistency of human sperm at body temperature, which led to the belief that it had something to do with the whale's reproductive system. This has since been debunked, but what use it has to the whale is still being debated. The leading theory at this point is that spermaceti is an effective sound conducting medium, and helps in echolocation. These whales hunt for squid at depths so great that there is minimal light penetration, so effective echolocation is a necessity for survival.
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AuthorI am a birder, biologist, and nature blogger. I post about my trips, informative tidbits, and things I think are interesting. Archives
July 2017
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