Abstract:
All known records of pygmy right whales Caperea marginata in Namibia since 1978 are summarised for the first
time, including 12 strandings (live and recently dead animals) and skeletal remains from at least eight more individuals.
The majority of strandings and remains were located in the Walvis Bay region, where the coastal topography
of the bay and lagoon may be a primary cause for the relatively high incidence of strandings in this area. Strandings
appear to occur only during the austral summer, between November and March. All but two of the records for which
age is available were juveniles, suggesting that the area offshore of Walvis Bay may function as a seasonal nursery
ground and that the inexperience of younger animals may cause them to become ‘entrapped’ in the bay. These data
contribute substantially to the limited information on pygmy right whale distribution worldwide and the cetacean
fauna of Namibia.
