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Deep-Sea taxon detailsGlobicephala melas (Traill, 1809)
 137097 (urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:137097)
accepted
Species
marine,
(of ) Traill, T. S. T. (1809). Description of a new species of whale, Delphinus melas. In a letter from Thomas Stewart Traill, M. D. to Mr. Nicholson. <em>Journal of Natural Philosophy, Chemistry, and the Arts.</em> 22: 81--83., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/829112 [details]
Note Scapay Bay, Pomona, Orkney Islands, Scotland, UK
From editor or global species database
Type locality Scapay Bay, Pomona, Orkney Islands, Scotland, UK [details]
Distribution in all oceans except Northern Indian Ocean and North Pacific (where they occurred historically off Japan).
Distribution in all oceans except Northern Indian Ocean and North Pacific (where they occurred historically off Japan). [details] Distribution Antarctica/Southern Ocean; Southeast Pacific; Eastern Atlantic Ocean, Indo-West Pacific; Western Atlantic Ocean
Distribution Antarctica/Southern Ocean; Southeast Pacific; Eastern Atlantic Ocean, Indo-West Pacific; Western Atlantic Ocean [details]
Fordyce, E.; Perrin, W.F. (2025). World Cetacea Database. Globicephala melas (Traill, 1809). Accessed through: Glover, A.G.; Higgs, N.; Horton, T. (2025) World Register of Deep-Sea species (WoRDSS) at: https://www.marinespecies.org/DeepSea/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=137097 on 2025-04-18
Glover, A.G.; Higgs, N.; Horton, T. (2025). World Register of Deep-Sea species (WoRDSS). Globicephala melas (Traill, 1809). Accessed at: https://marinespecies.org/deepsea/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=137097 on 2025-04-18
Date action by
original description
(of ) Traill, T. S. T. (1809). Description of a new species of whale, Delphinus melas. In a letter from Thomas Stewart Traill, M. D. to Mr. Nicholson. <em>Journal of Natural Philosophy, Chemistry, and the Arts.</em> 22: 81--83., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/829112 [details]
context source (PeRMS) Reyes, J. (2009). Ballenas, delfines y otros cetáceos del Perú. Una fuente de información. <em>Lima- Perú. Squema-Ediciones.</em> 160 pp. [details] basis of record van der Land, J. (2001). Tetrapoda, <B><I>in</I></B>: Costello, M.J. <i>et al.</i> (Ed.) (2001). <i>European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels,</i> 50: pp. 375-376 (look up in IMIS) [details] additional source Carwardine, M., E. Hoyt, R. E. Fordyce and P. Gill. 1998. Whales, dolphins and porpoises. Time-Life Books. Nature Company Guides, USA. 288 p. [details] additional source Animal Diversity Web. <em>University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.</em> , available online at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/index.html [details] additional source Muller, Y. (2004). Faune et flore du littoral du Nord, du Pas-de-Calais et de la Belgique: inventaire. [Coastal fauna and flora of the Nord, Pas-de-Calais and Belgium: inventory]. <em>Commission Régionale de Biologie Région Nord Pas-de-Calais: France.</em> 307 pp., available online at http://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/145561.pdf [details] additional source Mead, J. G.; Brownell, R. L. Jr. (2005). Cetacea. <em>In Wilson, D.E. & D.M. Reeder (eds). Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed), Johns Hopkins University Press, 2,142 pp.</em> 723--743., available online at http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/ [details] additional source Rice, D. W. (1998). Marine mammals of the world. Systematics and distribution. <em>Society for Marine Mammalogy Special Publication.</em> 4., available online at http://www.marinemammalscience.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/MarineMammalsOfTheWorld.pdf [details] additional source Hershkovitz, P. (1966). Catalog of Living Whales. <em>Bulletin of the United States National Museum.</em> (246): 1-259., available online at https://doi.org/10.5479/si.03629236.246 [details] additional source Jefferson, T. A., M. A. Webber and R. L. Pitman. (2008). Marine mammals of the world. Academic Press, Amsterdam. [details] additional source IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, available online at http://www.iucnredlist.org [details] additional source Perrin, W.F.; Würsig, B.; Thewissen, J.G.M. (2009). Encyclopedia of marine mammals. Second edition. Academic Press: London. ISBN 978-0-12-373553-9. xxix, 1316 pp. (look up in IMIS) [details] additional source King, C.M.; Roberts, C.D.; Bell, B.D.; Fordyce, R.E.; Nicoll, R.S.; Worthy, T.H.; Paulin, C.D.; Hitchmough, R.A.; Keyes, I.W.; Baker, A.N.; Stewart, A.L.; Hiller, N.; McDowall, R.M.; Holdaway, R.N.; McPhee, R.P.; Schwarzhans, W.W.; Tennyson, A.J.D.; Rust, S.; Macadie, I. (2009). Phylum Chordata: lancelets, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals. <em>in: Gordon, D.P. (Ed.) (2009). New Zealand inventory of biodiversity: 1. Kingdom Animalia: Radiata, Lophotrochozoa, Deuterostomia.</em> pp. 431-554. [details] additional source Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). , available online at http://www.itis.gov [details] ecology source Looby, A.; Erbe, C.; Bravo, S.; Cox, K.; Davies, H. L.; Di Iorio, L.; Jézéquel, Y.; Juanes, F.; Martin, C. W.; Mooney, T. A.; Radford, C.; Reynolds, L. K.; Rice, A. N.; Riera, A.; Rountree, R.; Spriel, B.; Stanley, J.; Vela, S.; Parsons, M. J. G. (2023). Global inventory of species categorized by known underwater sonifery. <em>Scientific Data.</em> 10(1). (look up in IMIS), available online at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02745-4 [details]   Present Inaccurate Introduced: alien Containing type locality
From editor or global species database
Diet squid mostly but also a variety of fish. [details]Distribution in all oceans except Northern Indian Ocean and North Pacific (where they occurred historically off Japan). [details] Distribution Antarctica/Southern Ocean; Southeast Pacific; Eastern Atlantic Ocean, Indo-West Pacific; Western Atlantic Ocean [details] Habitat offshore; generally occupy areas of high relief or submerged banks. [details] Holotype None; see Lectotype [details] IUCN Red List Category Data Deficient (DD) [details] Importance Are still hunted in Faero Islands. [details] Lectotype Figured specimen, one of 92 whales stranded December 1806; skull in British Museum (Natural History), no. 363a--44.12.3.2, purchased 1844 from Traill. [details] Morphology Distinguishing characteristics: black-coloured whales with a white belly, spherical melon and a robust body. No constriction at the neck and the body is quite cylindrical from the head backward to the region of the dorsal fin. Dorsal fin has a long base, it is low, directed backwards and is set for forward on the body. 8-13 teeth in each of the 4 jaws and flippers which are 1/5 of the body length. [details] Reproduction Female matures sexually at 6-7 years, male not until 12 years. In North Atlantic, mate in February and March in warm water and the young are born between July and October 15 to 16 months later in cooler water. Nursed for 20 months. Remain with their mother for 2 years. [details] Type locality Scapay Bay, Pomona, Orkney Islands, Scotland, UK [details] Unreviewed
Dimensions Legth: male 13-25' (4-7.6 m), female 10-18 1/2' (3-5.6 m), at birth 6' (1.9 m) [details]Habitat temperate and subpolar, mostly oceanic [details] Predators None [details]
Marine Life Information Network - UK
To Barcode of Life (10 barcodes) To Biodiversity Heritage Library (54 publications) To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Globicephala melas) To GenBank (114535 nucleotides; 87344 proteins) To Global Biotic Interactions (GloBI) To IUCN Red List (Least Concern) To NMNH Extant Collection (MMP STR 18640 Globicephala melas - carcass) To PESI To ITIS |
