Nuevos registros de varamiento de ballena fin (Balaenoptera physalus) (Linnaeus, 1758) en las costas de Buenos Aires y Río Negro, Argentina

JUNÍN MARCELA; CASTELLO HUGO P.; WEISSEL MARCELO; ARIAS MAGDALENA

Nótulas Faunísticas

Fundación Azara

Lugar: CABA; Año: 2018 vol. 2 p. 1 - 13

0327-0017

In July 2017 a whale of the genus Balaenoptera was stranded still alive on the coast of Río de la Plata near Buenos Aires City. The stranding was subject of a great concern from the press that covered it extensively until the death of the whale after a few days. This is a review of the whale stranding records near Buenos Aires, with particular focus in Balaenoptera physalus, species that occurs rarely in the South West Atlantic coast and specially in Argentina. The osteology of the skull, mandibles and periotic complex in comparison with data of other strandings positively identified as Balaenoptera physalus, the asymmetry of the color pattern of the animal still alive and in the carcass and the number and length of the throat grooves give strongly support to the identification of this stranding as a fin whale Balaenoptera physalus, very rare in the Southwest Atlantic coastal waters. Three other stranding records for the species in Argentine coast were, Punta Indio, 1996, Buenos Aires Province, Islote Lobos, 2012, and Playa Bonita 2018, Río Negro Province.