False killer whale Pseudorca crassidens mass stranding at Long Beach on South Africa’s Cape Peninsula, 2009

Abstract

A mass stranding of false killer whales Pseudorca crassidens at Long Beach near the village of Kommetjie (34°8.18′ S, 18°9.77′ E) on the Cape Peninsula, South Africa, in May 2009 is described. The estimated size of stranded group was 55 animals, which is close to the median size of P. crassidens groups that have stranded previously in South Africa (58). Five of the stranded individuals succumbed, 36 were euthanised and 14 were rescued. This was the eighth known mass stranding of this species to occur in South Africa, with all these events occurring on the irregular south-west coast of the Western Cape province.

Keywords: false killer whale; mass stranding; Pseudorca crassidens; South Africa

African Journal of Marine Science 2010, 32(1): 167–170