I ETH

PI NIPEDS -ARE THEY STRA DED?

Harbor Seal

PIN IPEDS - SEALS & SEA LIONS

are frequently found alone on thebeach. This is normal. They arenot stranded. Adult female sealsare shy and unlikely to rejoin apup if there is activity nearby.Weaned pups are left to fend forthemselves and come ashore torest while learning to catch theirown food. Weaning is a normal

and necessary part of the life cycle, but may be stressful. otall pups survive. While it is tempting to "take them in," theirbest chance for survival is to be left alone and on the beach.Pinnipeds on shore should first be considered normaL0-Elephant seals come ashore

once a year to molt. This naturalprocess takes weeks on the beachto complete. During this timetheir breathing is irregular, eyesweep, noses run, and the skinlooks horrible. This is normal.YES - Animals entangled in nets,other fishing gear, or obviously injured are stranded.YES-Animals hara sed by people or dogs should bereported to enforcement authoritie .

Pinniped divide their lives between foraging at sea andcoming a hore to rest, mate, give birth, suckle their young,and/or molt ( hed their old hair). orthwe t pinnipeds areclassified in two familie . Otariid (sea lion and fur seals)have external ear flaps and can rotate their hind flippersunder their pelvi to walk on all four on land. Phocid( eals) have no external ear flap ,and drag their hind limb ,moving like an inchworm on land. Sexual dimorphism iprofound in all Northwest pinnipeds, except harbor seal.

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Risso's Dolphin

RIVER OTTERS

Pygmy Sperm Whale

Beluga (Alaska only)

CETACEA S-ARE THEY STRA DED?

NO-Gray whales feeding close to shore, even shoreward ofthe first surf line, are common and are not in danger. Somegray whales dive near crab pot bouys to feed on mycidsfound near crab traps. This activity can give the mistakenimpression that the whales are entangled.YES-Cetaceans cannot survive out of water for very long.They never belong on shore. If you find one ashore, dead oralive, call the stranding network immediately.

Otters are members of the weasel family that have adaptedto life almost entirely in the water. Sea otters are larger thanriver otters. The common river otter often ventures into themarine environment. Stranding Network volunteers gener­ally do not respond to "stranded" river otters. Sea otters areendangered and seldom come ashore. Sea otters ashoreshould be treated under the pinniped guidelines.

Northern Right-whaleDolphin

SMALLTOOTHEDWHALES, DOLPHINS & PORPOISES

The most common toothed whales in the orthwe t are theDall's porpoi e, harbor porpoise, and killer whale.

SpermWhale

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Gray Whale

Right Whale(now very rare)

Humpback Whale

Hubbs' Beaked Whale

BALEEN WHALES & LARGER TOOTHED WHALES

Stejneger's Beaked Whale

Blainville's Beaked Whale

Whales and dolphins belong to the order Cetacea in two liv­ing groups-Mysticeti (baleen whales with paired blow­holes) and Odontoceti (toothed whale with one blowhole).The first five mysticetes below are rorquals, identifiable bymany throat grooves (ventral pleats) and a dorsal fin. Graywhales have two to five deep throat creases and a dorsalhump. Right whales have no grooves or dorsal fin. Thesperm whale has teeth, but only on the lower jaws. The

orth Pacific beaked whales have zero, two, or four teethand are rare. We encourage the use of a good field guide formore information regarding species identification.

M arine mammals have stranded along the Northwestcoast for 40 million years. Whales, otters, seals, and

sea lions were hunted to near extinction and strandingsbecame a rare event. As some species recovered, strandingsincreased. Strandings can be live or dead, a single animal or

a group of related individuals. Causes can be anything froma calf separated from its mother in heavy weather to deathfrom old age. Mortal contact with vessels, oil spills, andentanglement in fishing gear are common anthropogenic(human-caused) events which can lead to a stranding.

RESPONDING TO A STRANDING

Northwest Marine Mammal Stranding Network

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) establishedthe Northwest Marine Mammal Stranding etwork underthe Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. It is comprisedof several government agencies and cooperating scientistsoperating on a volunteer basis. These volunteers respond tostrandings either directly or by advising those at the sceneon how to proceed. Data collected from strandings becomepart of a national database used to establish baseline infor­mation on marine mammal biology and toxins in the envi­ronment. Please understand that not all stranding eventsrequire or receive a formal response from the volunteers.

1-415-289-SEAL (7325)

1-800-853-19641-206-526-6733

1-800-665-5939

1-800-452-7888

Marine Mammal Stranding Network Contacts

AlaskaNMFS Of/he, Anchorage 1-907-271-5006NMFS Offi:ce ifProtected Resources,juneau 1-907-586-7235United States Coast Guard VHF 22A

A mass stranding of Sperm Whales

at Florence, Ore~g~o;n~,i;n~1;.;9~7~9t-""•••

{.iThis publication is sponsored by. •-=.';/ ~

Oregon State University Marine Mammal Program & Oregon Sea Grant,Newport, OR; NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service, Office ofEnforcement, Seattle, WA; The Marine Mammal Center, Sausalito, CA.Writers: Sharon Nieukirk, Barbara Lagerquist, Pieter Folkens, & BruceMate; front photo: John Jansen; back photo Robert L. Pitman. Printed ona waterproof, environmentally-friendly synthetic paper. Design, illustra­tion, & interior photographs: Pieter Folkens.

©2000 A HIGHER PORPOISE DESIGN GROUP

British ColumbiaBe Stranding Network

WashingtonNMFS Office ifEnforcement HotlineWashington Stranding Network

OregonOregon State Police

Northern CaliforniaThe Marine Mammal Center

Reporting a stranding promptly is the best way to helpstranded animals. It also provides biologists valuable oppor­tunities to study the animals and their environment.

DO• Keep people and dogs away.• Observe and report the following to an official agency:1. Identify-Distinguish between a baleen whale and a

toothed whale; seal or sea lion or otter. Estimate size, notecolor, and comment on the nature of vocalizations.

2. General Condition-Is the animal dead or alive, lethar­gic, injured, bleeding, or entangled?

3. Location-Be as precise as possible, making note of land­marks and beach accessibility.

4. Colored Tags-On which flipper do they appear? Whatcolor are they? Can you safely read the tag numbers?

• Keep live cetaceans cool and moist by covering the bodywith wet towels (if available). Keep water from gettingdown the blowhole. Avoid covering the blowhole.

SAFETYFIRST! These are wild animals in a stressedcondition. They do bite. Some may carry diseases whichcan be transmitted to pets and humans.

DON'T ...• move, touch, or disturb the animal.• try to drive animals back into the water.• pour water on a seal, sea lion, or sea otter.• try to feed any wild animal.

In strandings of endangered species, or in some locations inCalifornia, rehabilitation and subsequent release of strand­ed animals may be considered. In cases of severe injury, ani­mals may be humanely euthanized.

Marine mammals are protected by federal law. It is illegalfor unauthorized persons to disturb, handle, or feed them. Itis also illegal to collect or possess parts of marine mammalsfrom dead strandings.