Welsh Journals

WELSH WHALES P. HOPE JONES INTRODUCTION The literature dealing with Welsh wildlife only rarely mentions those interesting mammals the whales, dolphins and porpoises, a group collec- tively known as cetaceans. The obvious reason is that they are not easy to observe in their natural habitat, and that even when seen they can be very difficult to identify. However, since 1911, records of cetaceans stranded on British coasts have been collected by the British Museum (Natural History), and these have been published in a series of reports edited by S. F. Harmer until 1927 and by F. C. Fraser since that date. It seemed a useful exercise to abstract the Welsh records with a view to establishing the recorded number and distribution of cetaceans on the coasts of Wales. Records for the period 1967 up to the end of 1973 have been abstracted from the file cards kept at the British Museum. I have not made a thorough search of the literature, but the appended list forms a contribution towards an eventual check list of species in this group. For the naturalist who may be interested in these mammals, information is given in SOUTHERN, H. N. (1964) "The Handbook of British Mam- mals", Oxford, in VAN DEN BRINK, F. H. (1967) "A Field Guide to the mammals of Britain and Europe", London, and particularly in FRASER, F. C. (1969) "Guide for the identification and reporting of stranded whales, dolphins and porpoises on the British coasts", London. Over the course of the years since 1966 I have been carrying out fort- nightly checks for beached birds on tidelines at two National Nature Reserves in Merioneth. The total length of sandy coast surveyed is four miles, and in the seven year period 1967 to 1973 inclusive I have found corpses of eight Common Porpoises, three Bottle-nosed Dolphins, and one Risso's Dolphin (additional to those listed below for Merioneth); it thus seems likely that in many areas the numbers of cetaceans stranded are going to be much higher than the status indicated by the following list. It would be valuable if anyone finding a stranded cetacean could inform the nearest coastguard or Receiver of Wreck (who have statutory arrangements with the British Museum for dealing with these matters). Details on points of identification are given in Fraser (1969). It should be noted too that it is against the law for anyone to mutilate, or to remove any part of, a stranded whale without authority. A LIST OF CETACEANS REPORTED STRANDED ON WELSH COASTS 1911-1973 (Records are of single specimens unless otherwise stated, and are listed following the coast round from Flint. to Mon. Species sequence and nomenclature follow Fraser (1969).) Common Rorqual (Balaenoptera physalus) Pem.: Manorbier, 20.1.19. Lesser Rorqual (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) Caern.: Caernarfon, 7.1.56. Ang.: Cemais, 26.9.69. Card.: Aberystwyth, 23.9.11. Pem.: St. Davids, 24.5.43, Fishguard, 18.9.53. Carm.: Cefn Sidan, 22.7.69. Glam.: Rhosili, 4.8.15, Port Eynon, 30.5.26.