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SPECIES ACCIDENTALLY
PRESENT |
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NORTHERN
RIGHT WHALE
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SCIENTIFIC
NAME
- Eubalaena glacialis from the greek eu "good" and from
the latin
balaena (whale "right" to be hunted).
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FAMILY
- Balaenidae
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DIMENSIONS
- Lenght 16-17 mt, weight up to 100 t.
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ASPECT
- Body very dumpy; big head; absent dorsal fin;
large tail; short and large pectoral fins.
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SKIN
and COLORATION - Dark with
sometimes whitish shadings, present parasites above all the head
(sea-louse and small crustaceans).
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| REPRODUCTION
- After the
conceiving that happens in winter to the low latitudes in moderated
waters, in summer migrates in colder waters in order to make food supply
in order then to return to give birth 10 months after in warm waters.
To the birth the puppy measure approximately 6 mt.
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| FANONS
- Very long up to 4,5 mt. |
| BREATH
- Divided in two parts. |
| FEEDING
- Diet composed by little plancton
crustaceans (Copepods). Swims slowly with the mouth opened (it
belongs to the so-called filterer)(Feeding). |
| SWIM
- Very slow misticets owing to the size
and to the feeding exigence (this has helped the whale-men). The
tail emerges in occasion of the short immersions. |
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MIGRATIONS
- The right whale is surely a cetacean able of long migrations, in winter it
os in moderated waters and tropical where it is withheld and reproduce
while in summer migrates towards colder and food rich zones.
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SPECIES
DIFFUSION
- Object of a cruel hunting from
always that has reduced it's number taking the world-wide population on
the hem of the extinction, in slow resumption in the seas of the
south. In the Mediterranean the two sure sights one, the most famous
in front of Taranto (Ita) in the 1877 (animal one beached whose skeleton
still is conserved in Naples).
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SEI
WHALE
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SCIENTIFIC
NAME
- Balaenoptera borealis.
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FAMILY
- Balaenopteridae
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DIMENSIONS
- Lenght up to 20 mt, weight up to 30
t.
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ASPECT
- Slim body; hight and arcuated dorsal fin.
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SKIN
and COLORATION - Clear gray with sometimes whitish spots.
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| REPRODUCTION
- After the conceiving that happens in winter to the low latitudes in
moderated waters, in summer migrates in colder waters in order to make
food supply in order then to return to give birth 11-12 months after
in warm waters. To the birth the puppy measure approximately 4.5 mt
and it's weight is 800 kg.
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| FANONS
- With thin bristle. |
| BREATH
- Vertical,
conical shape, high until to 3 mt.
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| FEEDING
- Heterogenous Diet
composed from small fish to crustaceans of plancton
(the Copepodi)
(Vd. Feeding). |
| SWIM
- Misticets rather fast until to 25 km/h (16
nodes).
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MIGRATIONS
- The boreal Finner is sure a cetacean able of
long migrations, in winter it os in moderated and tropical waters
where it remain and riproduce while in summer migrates towards
colder and rich of food zones.
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SPECIES
DIFFUSION
- Disseminated all over the world, object of a pitiless hunting that
has reduced the world-wide population. In the Mediterranean some
beaching.
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HUMPBACK
WHALE
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SCIENTIFIC
NAME
- Megaptera novaeangliae.
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FAMILY
- Balaenopteridae
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DIMENSIONS
- Medium lenght 13 mt max 18 mt, weight until 30 t.
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ASPECT
- Stocky body; short dorsal fin,
swells on the rostrum, pectoral fins very long until 4 mt.
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SKIN
and COLORATION - Variable, from black to the tawny one with sometimes whitish spots
often on the fins chest straps.
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| REPRODUCTION
- After the
conceiving that happens in winter to the low latitudes in moderated
waters, in summer migrates in colder waters in order to make food supply
in order then to return to give birth 11-12 months after in warm
waters. To the birth puppy measure approximately 4.3 mt.
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| FANONS
- With very irregular bristle. |
| BREATH
- Vertical, hight until to 2
mt. |
| FEEDING
- Heterogenous Diet that varies from
the fish to the Krill (Eufausiacei)(Vd. Feeding). |
| SWIM
- Rather fast Misticets until to 25 km/h
(16 nodes). |
| JUMP
- Misticets with acrobatic abilities in extension during the reproductive season with spectacular jumps.
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| SOUNDS
- Their songs are
between the most complex kind of communication in the nature. |
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MIGRATIONS
- - It's surely a cetacean able of long
migrations, in winter it os in moderated and tropical waters where they
remains and riproduce while in summer migrates towards colder and
rich of food zones.
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SPECIES
DIFFUSION
- Object of a
pitiless hunting that has reduced the world-wide population to the
current 12.000 exemplary approximately. Very rare in the Mediterranean.
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DWARL
SPERM WHALE
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SCIENTIFIC
NAME
- Kogia simus.
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FAMILY
- Physeteridae
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DIMENSIONS
- Lenght until to 2,7 mt, weight until 270 kg.
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ASPECT
- Stocky body; squared head; triangular and big dorsal fin; medium lenght pectoral fins.
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SKIN
and COLORATION - Vanished dark Gray
until to the white of the abdomen, two clear vertical half-moon
behind the eye.
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| TEETH
- Small sharp, revolts to behind, only on jaw,
very rarely on jaw. |
| FEEDING
- Diet composed with Mollusc, and little fish(Vd. Feeding). |
| SWIM
- Misticeti rather slow
able of good immersions. |
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SPECIES
DIFFUSION - Present in
all the moderated waters even if low number. In the Mediterranean a beached exemplary in 1988 in Tuscany (Ita).
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BLAINVILLE'S
BEACHED WHALE
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SCIENTIFIC
NAME
- Mesoplodon from the greekmesos "medium" and oplon
"arm" and odontos "teeth" (armed with medium teeth), densirostris (with a dense
rostrum).
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FAMILY
- Ziphiidae
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DIMENSIONS
- Maximum lenght 4,7 mt, weight until to 1 t.
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ASPECT
- Steamlined body; with little head and visible melon and long
rostrum; little dorsal fin.
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SKIN
and COLORATION - Dark or clear grey.
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| TEETH
- The only tooth sometimes come out from the convexity of the jaw. |
| FEEDING
- Diet composed with fish and calamary(Vd. Feeding). |
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SPECIES
DIFFUSION
- Present in all the oceans. In the Mediterranean the only sure case has been a beaching.
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INDO-PACIFIC
HUMPBACK DOLPHIN
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SCIENTIFIC
NAME
- Sousa chinensis.
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FAMILY
- Delphinidae
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DIMENSIONS
- Maximum lenght 2,5 mt, weight until to 200 kg.
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ASPECT
- Stocky body; long rostrum; melon
pronunced; medium and triangular dorsal fin quite arcuated and with a kind of huncback; large and rounded pectoral fins.
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SKIN
and COLORATION - Much variable from dark gray to white with
little spots of varied type.
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| TEETH
- Strong. |
| HABITAT
- Often torbid
coastal or fluvial Waters. |
| FEEDING
- Diet formed with crustacean and little fish (Vd. Feeding). |
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SPECIES
DIFFUSION
- Present in the Indian Ocean, Africa e
Australia. In the Mediterranean sometimes they could trespass through the Suez Canal.
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HARBOUR
PORPOISE
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SCIENTIFIC
NAME
- Phocoena phocoena.
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FAMILY
- Phocoenidae
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DIMENSIONS
- Medium lenght 1,4 mt, weight 40
kg.
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ASPECT
- Stocky body; absent rostrum; small triangular dorsal fin; little and oval pectoral fin.
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SKIN
and COLORATION - Dark
Back, clear thorax and abdomen white, black line from eye to pectoral fin.
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| TEETH
- Compressed laterally. |
| HABITAT
- Often torbid
coastal or fluvial Waters. |
| TEMPERAMENT
- Timid, they don't play on the ship prow. |
| FEEDING
- Diet formed with calamary, crostacean and little fish (Vd. Feeding). |
| DANGER
and PREDATORY - In
express decline because of the coastal pollution, comes pregiven from
sharks and killer whales. |
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SPECIES
DIFFUSION
- Present in the
boreal hemisphere. In the Mediterranean always it has been thought
abundant from the times of Aristotle; in truth sure it came sometimes
confused with other cetaceans and moreover the coastal pollution can
have reduced the number. Some sight in Africa north (present one
population resident in Mar Nero).
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