View source for Tropical bottlenose whale

{{Short description|Species of mammal}}
{{Speciesbox
|image = Indopacetus pacificus 2.jpg
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=Pitman, R.L. |author2=Brownell Jr. |author3=R.L. |date=2020 |title=''Indopacetus pacificus'' |volume=2020 |article-number=e.T40635A50380449 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T40635A50380449.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
| status2 = CITES_A2 
| status2_system = CITES 
| status2_ref = <ref>{{Cite web|title=Appendices {{!}} CITES|url=https://cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php|access-date=2022-01-14|website=cites.org}}</ref>
| image2 = Indopacetus pacificus size.svg
| image2_caption = Size compared to an average human
| genus = Indopacetus
| parent_authority = [[Joseph Curtis Moore|Moore]], 1968
| species = pacificus
| authority = ([[Heber Albert Longman|Longman]], 1926)
| range_map = Cetacea range map Longman 27s Beaked Whale.png
| range_map_caption = Tropical bottlenose whale range
| synonyms = ''Mesoplodon pacificus'' Longman, 1926
}}

The '''tropical bottlenose whale''' ('''''Indopacetus pacificus'''''), also known as the '''Indo-Pacific beaked whale''' or '''Longman's beaked whale''', was considered to be the world's rarest [[cetacean]] until recently, but the [[spade-toothed whale]] now holds that position. As of 2010, the species is now known from nearly a dozen strandings and over 65 sightings.<ref>{{cite book |last=Pitman |first=R. L. |year=2009 |chapter=Indo-Pacific beaked whale – ''Indopacetus pacificus'' |title=Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediamari00perr |url-access=limited |edition=2nd |editor1-last=Perrin |editor1-first=W. F. |editor2-last=Würsig |editor2-first=B. |editor3-last=Thewissen |editor3-first=J. G. M. |publisher=Academic Press |location=Amsterdam |pages=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediamari00perr/page/n634 600]–602 |isbn=978-0-12-373553-9 }}</ref> This is the [[monotypic taxon|only species]] in the [[genus]] '''''Indopacetus'''''.

==History of discovery==
The species has had a long history riddled with misidentifications, which are now mostly resolved. A skull and jaw found on a beach in [[Mackay, Queensland]], in 1882, provided the basis for the initial description of this species by H. A. Longman in 1926.<ref name=audubon>{{cite book|title=Guide to Marine Mammals of the World|author=Reeves, R.|author2=Stewart, B.|author3=Clapham, P.|author4=Powell, J.|name-list-style=amp|page=[https://archive.org/details/guidetomarinemam00folk/page/266 266]|year=2002|isbn=0-375-41141-0|publisher=A.A. Knopf|location=New York|url=https://archive.org/details/guidetomarinemam00folk/page/266}}</ref> Other researchers were not convinced, and felt this specimen might instead represent a Pacific form of [[True's beaked whale]] or a female [[bottlenose whale]]. Almost 30 years after Longman's original publication, a second skull was discovered near Danane, [[Somalia]] (1955). This specimen likely stranded on the coast, but was subsequently processed into fertilizer. Only the skull survived. Biologist Joseph C. Moore used this skull, together with the original Mackay specimen, to effectively demonstrate that Longman's beaked whale was a unique species and elevated it to its own genus, ''Indopacetus''.

Dalebout et al. (2003) <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://whitelab.biology.dal.ca/md/Indopacetus_2003.pdf|title=Biology.dal.ca|website=Whitelab.biology.dal.ca|access-date=29 March 2022}}</ref> used a combination of genetic and morphological analyses to identify four further specimens, including a complete adult female with a fetus found in the [[Maldives]] in January 2000. The other remains consisted of a skull from [[Kenya]] collected some time before 1968, and two juvenile males from [[South Africa]] from strandings in 1976 and 1992. Based on morphological analyses, Dalebout et al. concluded that the genus ''Indopacetus'' was a valid one. The external appearance and colour pattern of this species was also revealed, and a firm connection was established with the mysterious tropical bottlenose whales that had been sighted in the Indian and Pacific Oceans since the 1960s. While this paper was in press, a specimen that was first misidentified as a [[Baird's beaked whale]] washed up in Kagoshima, [[Japan]], in July 2002.

==Description==
Longman's beaked whales look rather similar to both [[mesoplodon]]t [[beaked whales]] and bottlenose whales, which led to a great deal of taxonomic confusion. The Maldives female had a robust body like the bottlenoses, although this may be a distortion, since the less-decomposed female specimen from Japan had a laterally compressed body typical of ''[[Mesoplodon]]''. The juvenile specimens have a very short beak similar to a bottlenose whale, but the adult females seen so far have had rather long beaks sloping gently into a barely noticeable melon organ. Additionally, the dorsal fins of adult specimens seem unusually large and triangular for beaked whales, whereas in juveniles they are rather small and swept back.

An adult male specimen has yet to wash up, but sightings of the tropical bottlenose whale indicate they have a rather bulbous melon, two teeth located towards the front of the beak, and scars from fighting with the teeth. Scars from [[cookiecutter shark]]s are also rather common on the whale. The rather unusual coloration of the juveniles helped connect the Longman's to the tropical bottlenose whale; both have dark backs behind the blowholes, which quickly shade down to a light gray and then white. The blackness from the back extends down to the eye of the whale except for a light spot behind the eye, and then continues on in a line towards the flipper, which is also dark.

Dark markings are also present on the tip of the beak and rostrum. The females have a simpler coloration; the body is typically grayish except for a brown head. The coloration appears to be rather variable in this species. The female specimen from the Maldives was 6&nbsp;m (20&nbsp;ft) in length, with a 1&nbsp;m (3&nbsp;ft) fetus, and the Japanese female was 6.5&nbsp;m (22&nbsp;ft) in length. Reports of tropical beaked whales put them even longer, in the 7 to 9m (23 to 29.5&nbsp;ft) range,<ref name=MMS99>{{cite journal |last1=Pitman|first1=Robert L.|last2=Palacios|first2=Daniel M.|last3=Brennan|first3=Patricia L. R.|last4=Brennan|first4=Bernard J.|last5=Balcomb|first5=Kenneth C.|last6=Miyashita|first6=Tomio|title=Sightings and possible identity of a bottlenose whale in the tropical Indo-Pacific: ''Indopacetus pacificus''?|journal=Marine Mammal Science|date=April 1999|volume=15|issue=2|pages=531–549|doi=10.1111/j.1748-7692.1999.tb00818.x|bibcode=1999MMamS..15..531P |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230094679 
}}</ref> which is larger than any mesoplodont and more typical of a bottlenose whale. No weight estimation or reproductive information is known.

==Behavior==
[[File:Tropical bottlenose whale.jpg|thumb|left|A pod of Longman's beaked whales travelling.]]
Tropical bottlenose whale observations indicate they travel in larger groups than any other local species of beaked whales. The size of the pods ranges from the tens up to 100, with 15 to 20 being typical, and the groups appear very cohesive. 

Their pods are sometimes associated with other species, such as short-finned [[pilot whale]]s, [[bottlenose dolphin]]s, [[spinner dolphin]]s, and [[humpback whale]]s.<ref name=MMS99 /> 

Tropical bottlenose whales have been known to [[Whale surfacing behaviour|breach]] the surface,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://swfsc.noaa.gov/textblock.aspx?Division=PRD&ParentMenuId=637&id=16444 |title=HICEAS 2010: Weekly Blog from NOAA Ship McArthur II |publisher=Southwest Fisheries Science Center |date=24 December 2015 |access-date=23 November 2015}}</ref> and they normally have visible, but short, blows. Their dives last between 11 and 33 minutes, with one individual diving for least 45 minutes.<ref name=IndieSightings>{{cite journal |last1=Anderson |first1=R. C. |last2=Clark |first2=R. |last3=Madsen |first3=P. T. |last4=Johnson |first4=C. |last5=Kiszka |first5=J. |last6=Breysse |first6=O. |year=2006 |title=Observations of Longman's Beaked Whale (''Indopacetus pacificus'') in the Western Indian Ocean |journal=[[Aquatic Mammals]] |volume=32 |issue=2 |pages=223–231 |doi=10.1578/AM.32.2.2006.223 |bibcode=2006AqMam..32..223A }}</ref>

==Population and distribution==
Strandings and sightings indicate the species ranges across the [[Indian Ocean]] from southern and eastern Africa to the Maldives,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.carefordolphins.net/tc/index.php?cat=h&pge=h11|title=Care for dolphins|website=Carefordolphins.net|access-date=29 March 2022}}</ref> Sri Lanka, and east to Myanmar, with a Pacific range extending from Australia to Japan. However, if the sightings of tropical beaked whales are taken into account, the range of this whale is more extensive; they have been sighted from the [[Arabian Sea]] including the [[Gulf of Aden]]<ref name=IndieSightings /> to [[Guadalupe Island]] and the [[Gulf of California]] (the sightings off [[Mexico]] (in 1992 and 1993) are probably extralimital, as they are associated with abnormally warm water during [[El Niño-Southern Oscillation|El Niño]] events). Sightings in the Gulf of Mexico are possible, which may indicate they are present in the tropical Atlantic Ocean, as well. The most frequent observations have occurred off the coasts of [[Hawaii]]. Although only a single specimen has washed up in Hawaii, they are apparently rather common; a 2002 survey estimated 766 animals. No other population estimates exist for other locales, although a single individual was apparently identified in the [[Comoro Islands]] in the summer of 2002–2003.<ref>[http://www.iwcoffice.co.uk/_documents/sci_com/SC58docs/SC-58-O6.pdf Kiszka, J., O. Breysse, M. Vely, and K. Boinali. 2006. Marine mammals around the Comoros archipelago (Mozambique Channel): recent records and review of available information] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714204353/http://www.iwcoffice.co.uk/_documents/sci_com/SC58docs/SC-58-O6.pdf |date=2014-07-14 }}. Scientific Committee Report to the International Whaling Commission. SC-58-O6</ref> One whale was observed from a [[whale-watching]] vessel off [[Choshi]] in December, 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://choshi-iruka-watching.co.jp/|title=銚子の海で感動体験、イルカクジラウォッチング &#124; 時には5,000頭ものイルカの群れに出会うことも！イルカ、クジラ、オットセイ、渡り鳥…どんな生き物に出会えるかはお楽しみ。どこまでも続く水平線、波に揺られながらその時だけの旅が始まります。|website=Choshi-iruka-watching.co.jp|access-date=29 March 2022}}</ref> Possible sightings were made off [[Tokara Islands]]<ref name=MMS99 /> and [[Bonin Islands]], as well.<ref>{{cite journal|publisher=The Ogasawara Whale Watching Association|year=2002|title=アカボウクジラに 会えるかも！？|url=http://www.owa1989.com/admin/wp-content/uploads/gogai001.pdf|journal=イルカ通信 2002年９月21日 号外001|access-date=2015-01-16}}</ref> They have also recorded off [[New Caledonia]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lejsl.com/actualite/2013/11/19/nouvelle-caledonie-des-baleines-d-une-espece-rare-s-echouent-sur-une-plage|title = ANIMAUX. Nouvelle-Calédonie: Des baleines d'une espèce rare s'échouent sur une plage|website=Lejsl.com | date=19 November 2013 }}</ref>

The range of Longman's beaked whales was once considered to be restricted to warmer waters of Pacific, but stranding records in recent years revealed they may migrate further north to sub-Arctic regions such as off [[Hokkaido]]. No occurrence has been confirmed in the [[Sea of Japan]], but a possible Longman's beaked whale stranded on a beach near [[Vladivostok]] in 2011.<ref>[http://deita.ru/news/nature/01.06.2011/168148-kit-samoubijtsa-najden-pod-nakhodkoj/ печать Кит-самоубийца найден под Находкой] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170620105857/http://deita.ru/news/nature/01.06.2011/168148-kit-samoubijtsa-najden-pod-nakhodkoj/ |date=2017-06-20 }}. 2011. Deita News Agency. retrieved on 9 June 2014</ref>

In 2009, the first confirmed sighting was made of tropical bottlenose whales in the southern [[Bay of Bengal]].<ref>Afsal, V.V, P. P. Manojkumar, K.S.S.M. Yousuf, B. Anoop and E. Vivekanandan (2009). The first sighting of Longman's beaked whale, ''Indopacetus pacificus'', in the southern Bay of Bengal. Marine Biodiversity Records, pp. 1–3.</ref> In the summer and fall of 2010, researchers aboard the NOAA ship ''McArthur II'' made two sightings of groups of tropical bottlenose whales off Hawaii. The first sighting consisted of a "large, active group" of over 70 individuals surfacing rapidly and breaching on occasion; the second sighting, late in October, did not last as long, as the group "ran away".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/region/west-coast|title=West Coast &#124; NOAA Fisheries|date=1 March 2022|website=Fisheries.noaa.gov|access-date=29 March 2022}}</ref> Increasingly more sightings and strandings have been recorded in Taiwan and surrounding small islands such as at [[Yilan County, Taiwan|Yilan]]<ref>Wang J. Y.. Yang S. C.. 2006. Unusual cetacean stranding events of Taiwan in 2004 and 2005. (pdf). Journal of Cetacean Research and Management 8. pp.283–292. Retrieved on April 02, 2017</ref> the [[Green Island, Taiwan|Green Island]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://marine.cpami.gov.tw/english/filesys/dlarea/55/file2.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2016-03-02 |archive-date=2016-10-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161006180026/http://marine.cpami.gov.tw/english/filesys/dlarea/55/file2.pdf }}</ref> and [[Orchid Island]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://simagaga1972.pixnet.net/blog/post/29807235|title=號外！號外！大鯨魚擱淺蘭嶼紅頭灘(11/20 04:54更新) @ 夏天~等我回來 :: 痞客邦 ::|website=Simagaga1972.pixnet.net|date=18 November 2009 |access-date=29 March 2022}}</ref><ref>Syaman L., 2013, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfJEbtNwunQ 朗氏緣鯨擱淺]. [[YouTube]]</ref> An entangled individual was saved by local fishermen off [[Pakistan]] in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://vimeo.com/119522377|title=Longman's beaked whale successfully released in Pakistani waters|access-date=29 March 2022|website=Vimeo.com}}</ref>

Since Dalebout et al. (2003), additional strandings have been reported in the [[Philippines]] (2004), [[Taiwan]] and [[Myanmar]] (2005),<ref>[https://archive.today/20120718003555/http://projects.csg.uwaterloo.ca/inweh/display.php?ID=5580]  </ref> the [[Andaman Islands]] (2009), and [[Maui]] (2010).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/search/mammals/|title=Mammals Collections Search|website=Collections.nmnh.si.edu|access-date=29 March 2022}}</ref>

==Conservation==
No records report the whale being hunted, although individuals have been trapped in fishing nets off Sri Lanka and a stranding in Taiwan in 2005 involving a cow-calf pair may have been due to nearby naval exercises.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Yang|first1=W.-C.|last2=Chou|first2=L.-S.|last3=Jepson|first3=P. D.|last4=Brownell|first4=R. L.|last5=Cowan|first5=D.|last6=Chang|first6=P.-H.|last7=Chiou|first7=H.-I.|last8=Yao|first8=C.-J.|last9=Yamada|first9=T. K.|last10=Chiu|first10=J.-T.|last11=Wang|first11=P.-J.|last12=Fernandez|first12=A. |title=Unusual cetacean mortality event in Taiwan, possibly linked to naval activities |journal=Veterinary Record |date=2008 |volume=162 |issue=6 |pages=184–185 |doi=10.1136/vr.162.6.184|pmid=18263919|arxiv=cond-mat/0606434|s2cid=28719592}}</ref> The tropical bottlenose whale is covered by the Memorandum of Understanding for the Conservation of Cetaceans and Their Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region ([[Pacific Islands Cetaceans Memorandum of Understanding|Pacific Cetaceans MOU]]).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pacificcetaceans.org/|title=Pacific Cetaceans|website=Pacificcetaceans.org|access-date=29 March 2022}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of cetaceans]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
*[http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/PR2/Stock_Assessment_Program/Cetaceans/Longman_Beaked_Whale_(Hawaii)/po04longmansbeakedwhalehawaii.pdf Longman's Beaked Whale Hawaiian Stock. Revised 3/15/05.]
*{{cite journal |title=Appearance, Distribution, and Genetic Distinctiveness of Longman's Beaked Whale, Indopacetus pacificus |last1=Dalebout |last2=Ross |last3=Baker |last4=Anderson |last5=Best |last6=Cockcroft |last7=Hinsz |last8=Peddemors |last9=Pitman |year=2003 |journal=Marine Mammal Science |volume=19 |issue=3 |pages=421–461 |doi=10.1111/j.1748-7692.2003.tb01314.x |bibcode=2003MMamS..19..421D |url=http://whitelab.biology.dal.ca/md/Indopacetus_2003.pdf}}
*''National Audubon Society Guide to Marine Mammals of the World'' Reeves et al., 2002. {{ISBN|0-375-41141-0}}.
*''Sightings and possible identification of a bottlenose whale in the tropical Indo-Pacific: Indopacetus pacificus?'' Pitman, Palacios, Brennan, Brennan, Balcomb and Miyashita, 1999. ''Marine Mammal Science'' Vol 15, pp 531–549.
*''Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals'' Robert L. Pitman, 1998. {{ISBN|0-12-551340-2}}
*''Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises'' Carwardine, 1995. {{ISBN|0-7513-2781-6}}
*''More skull characters of the beaked whale Indopacetus pacificus and comparative measurements of austral relatives'' J.C. Moore 1972. Field Zoology. Vol 62 pp 1–19.
*''Relationships among the living genera of beaked whales with classifications, diagnoses and keys'' J.C. Moore 1968. Field Zoology. Vol 53, pp 206–298.
{{refend}}

==External links==
*[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2172543.stm Rare whale washes up in South Africa]
*[https://archive.today/20030114083811/http://svrsh1.kahaku.go.jp/sendai/indexE.html On an unidentified beaked whale found stranded in Kagoshima]
*[http://www.wdcs.org Whale & Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS)]

{{Cetacea|O.}}
{{Odontoceti|C.}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q910093}}
{{Portal bar|Cetaceans|Mammals|Marine life}}

[[Category:Cetaceans of the Pacific Ocean]]
[[Category:Ziphiids]]
[[Category:Mammals described in 1926]]