Confirmation of the occurrence of a second killer whale morphotype in South African waters

dc.contributor.authorBest, Peter B.
dc.contributor.authorMeyer, M.A.
dc.contributor.authorThornton, Meredith
dc.contributor.authorKotze, P.G.H.
dc.contributor.authorSeakamela, S.M.
dc.contributor.authorHofmeyr, G.J. Greg (Gordon John Gregory)
dc.contributor.authorWintner, S.
dc.contributor.authorWeland, C.D.
dc.contributor.authorSteinke, D.
dc.date.accessioned2014-09-18T07:13:31Z
dc.date.issued2014
dc.description.abstractKiller whales Orcinus orca occur worldwide in a number of morphotypes that differ in size, pigmentation, acoustic behaviour, food type and genetics – some may indeed warrant subspecific or even specific status. Until recently, all killer whales in South African waters were referred to a single morphotype, Type A, but three individuals (two males and one female) that have stranded since 1969 differ in several respects from other killer whales examined from the region. Adult length is some 1–1.5 m smaller, appendages such as dorsal fin and flippers tend to be relatively larger, and tooth wear is excessive. Although dietary information is scant, one stomach contained the remains of several elasmobranchs, identified from a DNA subsample as blue sharks Prionace glauca, a dietary item that, if habitual, might account for the tooth wear. This morphotype, referred to here as ‘flat-toothed’ and which in several respects resembles the offshore form in the North Pacific and the Type 1 form in the North Atlantic, does not seem to have been recorded previously from the Southern Hemisphere.en_US
dc.description.librarianhb2014en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipNational Research Foundation, South Africaen_US
dc.description.urihttp://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tams20en_US
dc.identifier.citationPB Best, MA Meÿer, M Thornton, PGH Kotze, SM Seakamela, GJG Hofmeyr, S Wintner, CD Weland & D Steinke (2014) Confirmation of the occurrence of a second killer whale morphotype in South African waters, African Journal of Marine Science, 36:2, 215-224, DOI:10.2989/1814232X.2014.923783.en_US
dc.identifier.issn1814-232X (print)
dc.identifier.issn0257-7615 (online)
dc.identifier.other10.2989/1814232X.2014.923783
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/42023
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherTaylor & Francisen_US
dc.rights© NISC (Pty) Ltd. African Journal of Marine Science is co-published by NISC (Pty) Ltd and Taylor and Francis. This is an electronic version of an article published in African Journal of Marine Science, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 215-224, 2014. doi : 10.2989/1814232X.2014.923783. African Journal of Marine Science is available online at : http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tams20.en_US
dc.subjectBlue sharken_US
dc.subjectDentitionen_US
dc.subjectMorphometricsen_US
dc.subjectOrcinus orcaen_US
dc.subjectPreyen_US
dc.titleConfirmation of the occurrence of a second killer whale morphotype in South African watersen_US
dc.typePostprint Articleen_US

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