Papers by Frederick Wenzel - NOAA Federal
two US citizens, Brian Minnehan and Phillip Quimett, reported the sighting of a large seal c. 25 ... more two US citizens, Brian Minnehan and Phillip Quimett, reported the sighting of a large seal c. 25 m off Ponta Preta beach, along the southwestern (leeward) coast of Sal. The;' observed the seal for about 30 minutes. Both observers are thoroughly familiar with harbour seals Phoca uitulìnaL.,1758, as they had observed that species numerous times in their home state of Washington, USA. They claimed that the seal observed on Sal was 2-3 times larger than any seal that they had ever observed in Washington. The seal was somewhat curious and frequently looked around. Unfortunately, no photographs were taken. We searched the area from the coast and at sea for several days after the reported obsenration, but could not relocate the animal. During the following days, local fishermen (both young and old) were interviewed about sightings of seals in the area. Only two fishermen showed any knowledge of their occulrence. Their allegecl sightings had been made along the southern coast of Sal 'not very long ago'. None of the fishermen interviewed was aware of any hunting of seals on Sal or elsewhere within the Cape Verde Islands.
The movements of individual humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) can be tracked by matching p... more The movements of individual humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) can be tracked by matching photographs of the distinctive markings on the ventral sides of their tail flukes. During the winter-spring seasons of 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 a total of 42 individual humpbacks were identified by fluke photographs from the waters of the Cape Verde Islands. These were compared with photographs taken elsewhere in the North Atlantic. One match was made with a whale previously photographed in the Denmark Strait off Iceland, providing the first direct evidence of a link between the humpbacks in tropical waters of the eastern North Atlantic and a high-latitude feeding ground. This finding is consistent with the mitochondrial DNA evidence of at least two distinct breeding populations of humpback whales in the North Atlantic. The presence of cows with young calves as well as singers during the humpback mating and calving season implies that waters surrounding the Cape Verde archipelago constitute a breeding and calving ground for an eastern North Atlantic population of humpback whales.
Observations of whales and dolphins in the Cape Verde Islands obtained in 1 995 and 1996 are repo... more Observations of whales and dolphins in the Cape Verde Islands obtained in 1 995 and 1996 are reported and data on the occurrence of 14 taxa are given, including four not previously reported from the region, viz. Bryde's Whale Balaenoptera edeni, Klller Whale Orcinus orca, Rough-toothed Dolphin Steno bredanensis, and Striped Dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba. An earlier report of Fin Whale B. physalus is reviewed and re-identified as B. cf . borealís. Status and occurrence of the Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae are discussed at some length. Unpublished observations from other observers are also included and a short account on the history of whaling in the islands is given. A list of all cetacean taxa reliably recorded in the Cape Verde region is presented and unsubstantiated reports are briefly discussed.
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Papers by Frederick Wenzel - NOAA Federal