DOI: 10.1111/mms.70275 ISSN: 0824-0469
A Global Compilation of Blue Whale Strandings
Kristina V. Randrup, Robert L. Brownell, R. Charles Anderson, Emma L. Carroll, Rochelle Constantine, Barbara Galletti Vernazzani, Hannah Hendriks, Anouk D. Ilangakoon, Divya Panicker, Dipani Sutaria, Koen Van Waerebeek, Sarah M. Wilkin, Tonya Wimmer, Trevor A. Branch ABSTRACT
Marine mammal strandings are common occurrences that attract public and scientific interest. Stranding data can provide important information for rarely sighted species, but while regional and national stranding databases do exist in some areas, cross‐database communication and data sharing are limited. Here, we present the first global compilation of blue whale (
Balaenoptera musculus
) strandings based on museum specimens, published research, and unpublished verified sources. The database can be visualized, explored, and downloaded using an interactive Shiny app. Out of 541 reported records, 37 were considered another species, 14 were duplicates, and 11 were non‐stranding events; and only 303 have a high certainty of correct species identification based on key diagnostic features. Among the key findings were an increase in the number of reported strandings over time, especially after 2000; slightly more strandings in autumn than in other seasons; more strandings on the west side of each continent than the east; and the highest strandings in India, the USA, and Sri Lanka, while being almost completely absent from Africa. By length, 18.2% were calves; by sex, females were significantly more common (56.7%) than males. We welcome new additions to the database, which is intended to be a living resource for researchers.