Record of a juvenile Omura's whale live stranded in Hainan Island: Evidence of a potential breeding ground in the South China Sea?

Abstract

On January 12, 2011, a very young juvenile Bryde's-like baleen whale was found stranded alive on the east coast of Hainan Island, in the South China Sea. Unfortunately, it died the next morning. This baleen whale showed some unique external morphology and skull features of the Omura's whale (Balaenoptera omurai). Subsequently, it was genetically identified as an Omura's whale using two different mitochondrial DNA markers. This study documents the first confirmed live stranding of a juvenile Omura's whale on Hainan Island, China. Our findings expand the known distribution range of this species in Chinese waters and may indicate that waters around Hainan Island in the South China Sea could be a potential breeding ground for the Omura's whale.

Keywords

• Omura's Whale
• Balaenoptera omurai
• Species identification
• Distribution
• Breeding ground
• South China Sea