Species Tasmacetus shepherdi Oliver, 1937

Museums

Regional Maps

• Tasmacetus shepherdi Oliver, W.R.B. 1937. Tasmacetus shepherdi: a new genus and species of beaked whale from New Zealand. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 107: 371-381 [371].

  Type data:

   Holotype MONZ nearly complete skeleton, Beach at Ohawe, Taranki, North Is., New Zealand.

  Secondary source:

   Hershkovitz, P. 1966. Catalog of living whales. Bulletin of the United States National Museum 246: viii 1-259.

 

Distribution

States

New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria

Extra Distribution Information

Vagrant, off southern NSW to off central WA, known primarily from strandings; New Zealand and South America cold temperate waters, possibly circumpolar

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IMCRA

Tasmania Province (10), Southeast Transition (11), Central Eastern Province (12), Central Western Transition (5), Central Western Province (6), Southwest Transition (7), Southern Province (8), West Tasmania Transition (9)

Distribution References

Ecological Descriptors

Oceanic, pelagic, predator.

 

General References

Baker, A.M. & Gynther, I.C. (Eds.) 2023. Strahan's Mammals of Australia. London : Bloomsbury 4th Ed., pp.1-848. [791-792]

Bannister, J.L., Kemper, C.M. & Warneke, R.M. 1996. The Action Plan for Australian Cetaceans. Canberra : Australian Nature Conservation Agency 242 pp.

Donnelly, D.M., Ensor, P., Gill, P., Clarke, R.H., Evans, K., Double, M.C., Webster, T., Rayment, W., Schmitt, N.T. 2018. New diagnostic descriptions and distribution information for Shepherd’s beaked whale (Tasmacetus shepherdi) off Southern Australia and New Zealand. Marine Mammal Science 34: 829–840

Leatherwood, S. & Reeves, R.R. 1983. The Sierra Club Handbook of Whales and Dolphins. San Francisco : Sierra Club Books xviii 302 pp.

Ling, J.K. & Aitken, P.F. 1981. Marine mammals in South Australia. in, S.A. Year Book, 1981. Adelaide : Australian Bureau of Statistics 10 pp.

Mead, J.G. 1975. A specimen of the Tasman beaked whale, Tasmacetus shepherdi, from Argentina. Journal of Mammalogy 56: 213-218

Mead, J.G. 1989. Shepherd's beaked whale - Tasmacetus shepherdi Oliver, 1937. pp. 309-320 in Ridgway, S.H. & Harrison, R.J. (eds). Handbook of Marine Mammals. Volume 4. River dolphins and the larger toothed whales. London : Academic Press 442 pp.

Pitman, R.L., van Helden, A.L., Best, P.B. & Pym, A.T. 2006. Shepherd's beaked whale (Tasmacetus shepherdi): information on appearance and biology based on strandings and at-sea observations. Marine Mammal Science 22: 744-755

Watson, L. 1981. Sea Guide to Whales of the World. London : Hutchinson 302 pp.

 

Common Name References

ABRS 2001. Census of Australian Vertebrates. Australian Biological Resources Study. (Shepherd's Beaked Whale)

Clayton, M., Wombey, J.C., Mason, I.J., Chesser, R.T. & Wells, A. 2006. CSIRO List of Australian Vertebrates: A Reference with Conservation Status. Melbourne : CSIRO Publishing iv 162 pp. [117] (Tasman Beaked Whale)

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
11-Jun-2024		11-Jun-2024	MOVED
11-Jun-2024		11-Jun-2024	MOVED
16-Dec-2010		16-Dec-2010	MODIFIED
		12-Feb-2010	(import)