APPENDIX E LIST OF INSTITUTIONS TO CONTACT REGARDING STRANDED CETACEANS
Reading edition
The following list includes many of the institutions in the area covered by this guide, which are likely to respond to calls about stranded cetaceans. The institutions on the mainland are listed roughly in order from north to south, following the contour of the coast. Several island institutions and organizations are also listed.
These institutions are the ones that come to mind as having taken an active interest in cetacean strandings in the recent past. In addition to these, almost any university biology or zoology department, State or Federal conservation agency or marine laboratory, or local natural history museum or society can recommend an interested biologist if no staff member is interested. Such organizations are widely distributed on or near the coasts and are usually adequately listed in local telephone directories.
It should be obvious that organizations such as oceanaria are the most likely ones to be interested in live animals on an emergency basis. Even so, these organizations often cooperate with biologists with whom they are familiar and so will pick up dead animals for them as well. Conversely, museums and the like are most interested in the dead animals as they have no facilities for handling live ones. Nevertheless, they often cooperate with institutions equipped to handle live animals and will usually help in making arrangements for picking up the live ones. Therefore, rather than the finder's making a decision as to whether or not an institution should be called because the animal is alive or dead, we would urge that the nearest organization in the following list be contacted under any circumstances.
Space is provided at the end of the list for additions of contacts inadvertently overlooked in compiling this list, or of institutions which come into being after its publication.
CANADA
Newfoundland
Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's.
Nova Scotia
Bedford Institute, Dartmouth.
Departments of Biology, Psychology and/or Physiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax.
Nova Scotia Museum, Halifax.
Quebec
Arctic Unit, Fisheries Research Board of Canada, Ste. Anne de Bellevue.
Ontario
Department of Zoology, University of Guelph, Guelph.
UNITED STATES
Maine
see Massachusetts.
New Hampshire
see Massachusetts.
Massachusetts
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole.
New England Aquarium, Central Wharf, Boston.
Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge.
Rhode Island
Narragansett Marine Laboratory, University of Rhode Island, Kingston.
Connecticut
Mystic Marine Life Aquarium, Mystic.
New York
New York Aquarium, Coney Island, Brooklyn.
American Museum of Natural History, Department of Mammals, New York City.
New Jersey
Department of Biochemistry, Rutgers University, New Brunswick.
also see New York.
Delaware
see New York.
see New Jersey.
Maryland
Department of Pathobiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore.
also see District of Columbia.
District of Columbia
Division of Mammals, United States National Museum.
Virginia
Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point.
also see District of Columbia.
North Carolina
Duke Marine Laboratory, Beaufort.
Institute of Fisheries Research, University of North Carolina, Morehead City.
South Carolina
Charleston Museum, Charleston.
Grice Marine Biological Laboratory, College of Charleston, Charleston.
Georgia
The Georgia Conservancy, The Clusky Building, 127 Abercorn Street, Savannah.
University of Georgia Marine Institute, Sapelo Island (Darien).
Florida
Marineland of Florida, St. Augustine
University of Florida Biocommunication and Marine Mammal Research Facility, St. Augustine.
Ocean World, Ft. Lauderdale.
Wometco Miami Seaquarium, Miami.
University of Miami School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Miami.
Sea World, Orlando.
Mote Marine Laboratory, Placida.
Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota.
Aquatarium, St. Petersburg Beach.
Florida's Gulfarium, Ft. Walton Beach.
Alabama
see Florida (Florida's Gulfarium).
see Mississippi.
Mississippi
Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, Ocean Springs.
Louisiana
Museum of Natural Science, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge.
Marine Life Park, Gulfport.
Texas
Sea-Arama Marineworld, Galveston.
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station.
Department of Zoology, University of Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi.
University of Texas, Marine Science Institute, Port Aransas.
Puerto Rico
Commercial Fisheries Laboratory, Department of Agriculture, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez.
Department of Agriculture, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Santurce (San Juan).
Virgin Islands
Caribbean Research Institute, Red Hook, St. Thomas.
OTHERS
Mexico
Instituto Nacionale de Investigaciones Biologia Pesquera, Division de Vertebrados Marinos, Mexico 7, D.F.
also see Texas.
Venezuela
Universidad de Oriente, Nucleo de Nueva Esparta, Isla Margarita.
Jamaica
Department of Zoology, University of the West Indies, Mona (Kingston).
Science Museum, Institute of Jamaica, Kingston.
Bahamas
Lerner Marine Laboratory, Bimini.
Nassau Aquarium, Nassau, New Providence.
Bermuda
Bermuda Biological Station, St. George's.
Government Aquarium and Museum, Flatts.
Cuba
Laboratorio de Vertebrados, Instituto de Biologia, Academie de Ciencias de Cuba, Havana.
SIGHTING INFORMATION DATE AND LOCAL TIME__________________________LOCATION_________________ WEATHER CONDITIONS_____________________________________________________ OCEANOGRAPHIC CONDITIONS_____________________________________________ SPECIES_______________________________________NUMBER OF ANIMAL(S)______ HEADING OF ANIMAL(S)__________________________SPEED OF ANIMAL(S)_______ (MAGNETIC) (KNOTS) ASSOCIATED ORGANISMS___________________________________________________ TAGS OR UNUSUAL MARKINGS______________________________________________ CHARACTERISTICS OBSERVED WHICH RESULTED IN SPECIES IDENTIFICATION___ ___________________________________________________________________________ BEHAVIOR OF ANIMAL(S)___________________________________________________ SKETCHES PHOTOS AVAILABLE YES___NO___ ADDITIONAL REMARKS___________________________________________________ NAME AND ADDRESS OF OBSERVER (SHIP OR A/C)___________________________ CETACEAN DATA RECORD SPECIES___________________________________SEX___LENGTH_____WEIGHT_____ DATE/TIME STRANDED__________________DATE/TIME DATA COLLECTED________ LOCATION OF COLLECTION________________________________________________ OBSERVER NAME/ADDRESS_________________________________________________ SPECIMEN SENT TO________________________________________________________
Straight line parallel to the body axis Point to point
MEASUREMENTS:
1. Tip of upper jaw to deepest part of fluke notch
2. Tip of upper jaw to center of anus
3. Tip of upper jaw to center of genital slit
4. Tip of lower jaw to end of ventral grooves
5. Tip of upper jaw to center of umbilicus
6. Tip of upper jaw to top of dorsal fin
7. Tip of upper jaw to leading edge of dorsal fin
8a. Tip of upper jaw to anterior insertion of flipper (right)
b. Tip of upper jaw to anterior insertion of flipper (left)
9. Tip of upper jaw to center of blowhole(s)
10. Tip of upper jaw to anterior edge of blowhole(s)
11a. Tip of upper jaw to auditory meatus (right)
b. Tip of upper jaw to auditory meatus (left)
12a. Tip of upper jaw to center of eye (right)
b. Tip of upper jaw to center of eye (left)
13. Tip of upper jaw to angle of gape
14. Tip of upper jaw to apex of melon
15. Rostrum—maximum width
16. Throat grooves—length
17. Projection of lower jaw beyond upper (if reverse, so state)
18. Center of eye to center of eye
19a. Height of eye (right)
b. Height of eye (left)
20a. Length of eye (right)
b. Length of eye (left)
21a. Center of eye to angle of gape (right)
b. Center of eye to angle of gape (left)
22a. Center of eye to external auditory meatus (right)
b. Center of eye to external auditory meatus (left)
23a. Center of eye to center of blowhole (right)
b. Center of eye to center of blowhole (left)
24. Blowhole length
25. Blowhole width
26. Flipper width (right)
27. Flipper width (left)
28a. Flipper length—tip to anterior insertion (right)
b. Flipper length—tip to anterior insertion (left)
29a. Flipper length—tip to axilla (right)
b. Flipper length—tip to axilla (left)
30. Dorsal fin height
31. Dorsal fin base
32. Fluke span
33. Fluke width
34. Fluke depth of notch
35. Notch of flukes to center of anus
36. Notch of flukes to center of genital aperture
37. Notch of flukes to umbilicus
38. Notch of flukes to nearest point on leading edge of flukes
39. Girth at anus
40. Girth at axilla
41. Girth at eye
42. Girth ___ cm in front of notch of flukes
43a. Blubber thickness (middorsal)
b. Blubber thickness (lateral)
c. Blubber thickness (midventral)
44. Width of head at post-orbital process of frontals
45. Tooth counts:
right upper _______
right lower _______
left upper _______
left lower _______
46. Baleen counts:
right upper _______
left upper _______
47. Baleen plates, length longest
48. Baleen plates, no. bristles/cm over 5 cm
49a. Mammary slit length (right)
b. Mammary slit length (left)
50. Genital slit length
51. Anal slit length