Results
Distribution of Melon-headed Whales:
A total of two confirmed oppotunistic sightings of melon-headed whales were recorded over the four field seasons of effort of the leeward coast of Domincia. In addition, there were three unconfirmed sightings.The melon-headed whale is a member of the cooloquially termed group, the "blackfish", as it is one of a few species of cetacean with very dark black skin. In particular, this speices and the pygmy killer whale, another of the "blackfish" are particularly hard to distinguish in the field. As a result, there were four sightings during which we were unable to make a determination between these two species. Figure 8, below, identifies the location and distribution of all "blackfish" sightings across all four field seasons. The few sightings of melon-headed whales distribute themselves along the much of the leeward coast.
For distributions for other species, click on species of interest: sperm whale , pantropical spotted dolphin , Fraser's dolphin, bottlenose dolphin, false killer whale, humpback whale, short-finned pilot whale, Cuvier's beaked whale, striped dolphin, rough-toothed dolphin, Atlantic spotted dolphin, Gervais' beaked whale, and the distribution of unidentified sightings.
Figure 8 - All "blackfish" sightings 2005-2008
Continue to Results: Cetacean Diversity