Studies of two humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, stranded at Fraser Island, Queensland

8 Pages·1991·3.1 MB·

by  R A Paterson

STUDIES OF TWO HUMPBACK WHALES. MEGAPTERANOVAEASGUAE*
STRANDED AT FRASER ISLAND. QUEENSLAND
R.A. PATERSON AND S. VAN DYCK
Paterseii, R.A. and Van Dyck. S., 1991 07 01: Studies of (wo Humpback Whales.
Megupteta novaeanyhue. stranded at Fiascr Island, Queensland. Metnoln Of tkt
QueenslandMitsem 30(2): 343-350; Brisbane, ISSN 007Q-S835.
In 1989 two Humpback Whales, Megaptera novaean^lioe, siranded at Fraser Island,
Queensland. One specimen was an H.1m female yearling and the olher a 4.2m male
new-bom call. Skeletal material, soft tissue, baleen, blubber and external parasites were
recovered Histological examinalions were made of tissues from the heart, lungs, liver,
kidneysand frontal bone(callonly).Thecauseofdeath tn the yearlingwasnot determined
O
whereas the call probably died from shaik attack. Humpback Whale. Megapiera
novueungitae. SWWWtfflgS, fraserIsland, Queensland.
Robert A. Paterson and Stephen Van Oyck, Queensland Museum, PO Box 300, South
Brisbane, Queet^lomi4i?/;,s February, 1991.
Although Humpback Whales migrate close to tified. The head and baleen were removed and
Southern Hemisphere continental shores (Daw- blubber samples taken. The gastro-intestinal
bin, 1966), records of strandings are relatively tract was empty.
uncommon (Bannister, 1989). Prior to 1989 the When the site was revisited on 2 September
Queensland Museum (QM) had records o\~ five 1989 itwasdiscovered that the carcasshadbeen
standings (Paterson, 1986) but the deposited washed7kmfurthernorthduringstormyweather
material was fragmentary apart from a skull, the and the majority ofthe cervical and lumbarver-
loIlection of which was described in detail hv tebrae were lost.
Wclsby0931).
Material recovered from two Humpback MALE CALF,
Whalesstrandedat Fraser Island(Fig. I) in 1989 JM7303was4.2m longand stranded at Moon
was a significant addition to the QM collodion Point (25°14'S, 153WE) on 17 October 1989.
The specimens are registered JM7302 and Eye-witness accounts indicated that a larger
JM7303 in the Queensland Museum Mammal (adult) Humpback Whale was present in deep
Department. wateradjacentto Moon Point earlieronthesame
day while a calf, presumably the subsequently
SPECIMEN DESCRIPTIONS stranded animal, wasseen swimming steadily in
shallow water close to the shore. The actual
FEMALEYEARLING, stranding was not witnessed. When discovered
JM7302was8Jm long, indicatinga yearling, the animal was bleeding from a large right axil-
and stranded during good weather conditions lary wound anddied soon after. The carcasswas
near Brown's Rocks (24°4fvS, I53°I6E) on 3 recoveredsomehourslater, takento Uranganon
July 1989. Eye-witness accounts indicated that the mainland where it was frozen, and sub-
the animal was alive in the surf-zone but dead sequently transported to the QM, It had suffered
whenwashedashore.Whenexaminedontheday numerousshark bites includingalarge,although
followingstranding,therightdorsolateral aspect healing, ventral wound. The humerus and large
ofthecarcasswasburiedduetotidal action(Fig. severed vessels were evident in the base of the
2). Apart from superficial shark bites on the previously noted axillary wound (Fig. 5). ThcTe
flukesandcaudalpeduncletherewasnoexternal were 24 ventral grooves and no evidence of
evidence of injury. Barnacles, Coronula external parasites. The specimen was east and
diadema andConchodermaauritum,were noted moulded for permanent display in the
particularlyontheprotuberancebeneaththechin Queensland Museum.
and on the pectoral fins, flukes and genital aper- The lawnvwasremovedforseparateexamina-
ture (Figs3.4). The majority ol C. auritum were tion (Quaylc, this memoir). The pleural and
attached to C diadema. Cyamidswere not iden- peritoneal cavities appeared normal. The prin-
344 MEMOIRS OFTHE QUEENSLAND MUSEUM
cipal gastriccontentwassand, possibly ingested
duringstranding. Faecal material was present in
the intestines. Histological examination of the
heart, lungs, liverand kidneys was normal apart
from evidence ofterminal pulmonary oedema.
There were 15 pairs of ribs and the vertebral
formula wasC7: TI5; LI 1: Cd 18 =51. Healing
fractures involving the anterior aspects of the
larger ribs were noted and the radiological find-
ings (Fig. 6) suggest that the injuries had been
sustained approximately fourweeks previously.
In addition a histologically confirmed post-
traumaticpericranial reaction ofsimilarduration
to the rib fractures was noted on the supero-
lateral aspect of the supraorbital process of the
right frontal bone (Fig. 7). Similar pericranial
injuries may occur in humans during birth and
are termed cephalhaematomata (Caffey, 1973).
There is no evidence that they are associated
with mortalityorpersistent morbidity in humans
and similarly the skeletal injuries suffered by
JM7303 are considered to be unassociated with
itsdeath. While post-natal skeletal trauma is not
entirelyexcludedtherewasnoevidenceofover-
lying cutaneous orsubcutaneous injury.
FIG. I. Locationofstrandingsiteson Fraser Island
FIG. 2. Partly buriedcarcassofJM7302 nearBrown's Rocks.
STRANDED HUMPBACK WHALES. FRASER ISLAND 345
FIG. 3. Barnacles, Coronula diadema and Conchoderma auriium on throat pleatsofJM7302.
FIG. 4. Barnacles, Coronuladiadema and Conchodermaauritumadjacent to thegenital aperture ofJM73CK
MEMOIRS OFTHEQUEENSLAND MUSEUM
346
FIG. 5. Humpback Whale calf, JM7303, showing large right axillary wound.
FIG. 6. Radiograph ofanterioraspectsofthe left Kth and 9th ribs ofJM7303 showing healingfractures.
STRANDED HUMPBACK WHALES, ERASERISLAND 347
FIG. 7. Skull of JM7303 showing post-traumatic reaction to the supero-lateral aspect of the supra-orbital
process ofthe right frontal bone.
348 MEMOIRS OFTHE QUEENSLAND MUSEUM
niii
FIG. 8. Baleen ofJM7302 showing band ofwhite plates anteriorly.
BLUBBER DISCUSSION
The mid-dorsal blubber thicknesses of Given the large sizeofsomecetaceansand the
JM7302 and JM7303 were 9.7cm and 4.5cmT unpredictable nature of their stranding it is not
respectively and are consistent with normal surprising that recovery of useful biological
nutrition for Humpback Whalesofthose lengths material is often limited. The study ofJM7302
(Matthews, 1937). It is assumed that JM7302 typified those problems. Although first ex-
wasnorthboundfromtheAntarcticand hadbeen amined on the day following stranding, its loca-
recentlyweaned. Accordingly itsblubberwould tion and available resources dictated the amount
be thicker than that ofJM7303 which was new- of material that could be recovered. The
born and in the early stages of the southern Queensland Museum was fortunate in the case
migration. ofJM7303 in that prompt retrieval and freezing
ofthe latterby a local fisherman provided a rare
BALEEN opportunitytoexamineandprepareanexcellent-
ly preserved specimen.
Thebaleen bristlesweregreyish-white in both Sheltered waters ofthe Great Barrier Reefare
specimens. The plates were black with the ex- an important calvingarea forthe eastAustralian
ception of a few that were pale, almost white, HumpbackWhale stock(Paterson and Paterson,
anteriorly in JM7302 (Fig. 8). Thcv numbered 1984,1989; Simmons and Marsh,1986). Most
342 and 310±5 on the left in JM7302 and Humpback Whales pass northwards along the
JM7303 respectively (Figs 9,10). Doubt con- southern Queensland coast between June and
cerningtheexactcountinJM7303 resultedfrom early August and pass southwards between late
the extremely small size of the anterior plates. August and October. In the vicinity of Fraser
The largest plates were 46cm and 9.5cm long in Island they pass the eastern (oceanic) shore
JM7302 and JM7303, respectively. during both migrations but enter Hervey Bay on
STRANDED HUMPBACK WHALES. FRASER ISLAND 349
llllllllll
FIG.9. Lingual andbuccalviewsofleftbaleenrowof FIG. 10. Lingualandbuccalviewsofrightbaleenrow
JM7303. ofJM7302.
the western shore in large numbers only during amination of numerous tissue samples. Peter
the southern migration (Paterson and Paterson, Davie, QM, identified the barnacles.
1989).The location and timingofthe strandings
ofJM7302 andJM7303areconsistentwiththose LITERATURE CITED
migration patterns.
BANNISTER, J.L. 1989. Balaenopleridae. 982-987.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In D.W. Walton and B.J. Richardson, (eds),
'FaunaofAustralia. Vol. IB'.(Ausi.Govt Publ.
We are indebted to many people who assisted Service;Canberra).
with the retrieval and preparation of the CAFFEY. J. 1973 'Paediatric X-ray diagnosis. Vol.
specimens.JM7302wasexaminedandcollected 1*. 6th ed. (Year Book Medical Pubis: New
in accordance with a permit issued by the Mini- York), 714p.
sterforPrimary Industries. ShamusConwayand DAWBtN. W.H. 1966.Theseasonal migratorycycle
Merv Toms ofQNPWS, Wayne Kelly ofSandy ofHumpback Whales. 145-170. In K.S. Norris,
Cape Lightstation, Ron Marshall, Ben Byth and {ed.), Whales, dolphins and porpoises'. (Univ.
Tom Paterson assisted with the retrieval of Calif. Press: Berkeley and LosAngeles).
JM7302fromEraserIsland. KenThomasandthe MATTHEWS, L.H. 1937. The Humpback Whale -
staff at the Brisbane City Council's Luggage Megaptera nodosa, Discovery Reports 17: 7—
Point Sewerage Station allowed us to prepare 92.
skeletal material at the Station. We are most PATERSON, R.A. 1986. A list of specimens of the
grateful toVicHislopwhoretrievedJM7303and Order Cetacea in the Queensland Museum.
transported it to Brisbane after arranging its Mem. Qd Mus. 22(2): 309-31 1.
freezing. PATERSON, R. and PATERSON, P. 1984. A study
Bruce and Carolyn Cowell, QM, patiently ap- of the past and present status of Humpback
plied their respective photographic and prepara- Whales in east Australian waters. Biological
tion skills. X-rays were taken by Sophie Kupis, Conservation 29: 321-343.
Jindalee Medical Centre and John Musgrave of PATERSON,R.andPATERSON,P. 1989.Thestatus
Sullivan, Nicolaides and Partners, kindly ar- of the recovering stock of Humpback Whales
ranged the preparation and histological ex-
350 MEMOIRS OFTHE QUEENSLAND MUSEUM
Megaptera novaeangliae in east Australian humpbackwhales in Great BarrierReefwaters.
waters. Biological Conservation 47: 33—48. Sci. ReptsWhales Res. Inst. 37: 31-46.
SIMMONS,M.L.andMARSH,H. 1986.Sightingsof WELSBY, T. 1931. 'Sport and pastime in Moreton
Bay1 (Simpson Halligan & Co.: Brisbane).
.