Northernmost record of Shepherd’s beaked whale (Tasmacetus shepherdi) – a morphological and genetic description from a stranding from Shark Bay, Western Australia.

A dead Shepherd’s beaked whale (Tasmacetus shepherdi), a species with one of the least understood distributions among cetaceans, was found on a beach in Shark Bay, Western Australia, extending its known range northward to 26°20′S—the northernmost record for this species. Genetic analysis confirmed the identification, while age estimation via tooth dentine growth layers suggested the specimen was between 12 and 15 years old. This discovery challenges previous assumptions about T. shepherdi’s circumpolar distribution in temperate Southern Hemisphere waters (33°S–50°S) and provides critical data on its range, morphology, and genetics.

Holyoake, C., Holley, D., Spencer, P. B. S., Salgado-Kent, C., Coughran, D., & Bejder, L. (2013). Northernmost record of Shepherd’s beaked whale (Tasmacetus shepherdi) – a morphological and genetic description from a stranding from Shark Bay, Western Australia. Pacific Conservation Biology, 19(2), 169–174. https://doi.org/10.1071/pc130169