Comments on: Roseneath’s dead Pygmy Sperm whale http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2008/07/14/roseneaths-dead-pygmy-sperm-whale/ Our place, our voices Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:23:09 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: emmabest http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2008/07/14/roseneaths-dead-pygmy-sperm-whale/#comment-2643 emmabest Mon, 21 Jul 2008 04:54:31 +0000 http://tepapa.wordpress.com/?p=510#comment-2643 mmmm - have just read my text from 18 July. Its not clear to readers (only in my head - happens a lot) that Anton's answer finished with: (Species - Balaenoptera acutorostrata southern form). and then the text after that is me again - apologies! mmmm – have just read my text from 18 July. Its not clear to readers (only in my head – happens a lot) that Anton’s answer finished with:
(Species – Balaenoptera acutorostrata southern form).

and then the text after that is me again – apologies!

]]> By: emmabest http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2008/07/14/roseneaths-dead-pygmy-sperm-whale/#comment-2634 emmabest Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:41:47 +0000 http://tepapa.wordpress.com/?p=510#comment-2634 Hey Mark! apologies for not getting back to you earlier. It's great to see we have regular visitors - and even better when they link our blog to theirs :-) I enjoyed reading yours. Hopefully you've been and read Chris's latest on the squid. I asked Anton regarding your question - here's his reply: Pygmy is of course just a word used to describe a diminutive form, There is a Pygmy blue whale (sub-species of Blue whale Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda), There is the Pygmy Killer whale (Species - Feresa attenuata), Pygmy Sperm whale (Species- Kogia breviceps…but note there is also a Dwarf Sperm whale (Species - Kogia sima)), Pygmy right whale (Species - Caperea marginata), Pygmy or lesser beaked whale (also known as Peruvian Beaked whale, Species - Mesoplodon peruvianus), there is a Dwarf Minke whale (Species - Balaenoptera acutorostrata southern form). I guess what I learnt when we did the dissection was that a lot of these names are old - and based on external characterisitics. So if it looked like a mini-me sperm whale then inserting 'pygmy' into the name seemed the way to go. With genetic analysis these days I think scientists are finding that some animals bearing similar external features (and therefore names) are really quite distantly related. I like how we're still finding out stuff and that we can still be surprised sometimes :-) Hey Mark!

apologies for not getting back to you earlier. It’s great to see we have regular visitors – and even better when they link our blog to theirs :-) I enjoyed reading yours. Hopefully you’ve been and read Chris’s latest on the squid.

I asked Anton regarding your question – here’s his reply:
Pygmy is of course just a word used to describe a diminutive form, There is a Pygmy blue whale (sub-species of Blue whale Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda), There is the Pygmy Killer whale (Species – Feresa attenuata), Pygmy Sperm whale (Species- Kogia breviceps…but note there is also a Dwarf Sperm whale (Species – Kogia sima)), Pygmy right whale (Species – Caperea marginata), Pygmy or lesser beaked whale (also known as Peruvian Beaked whale, Species – Mesoplodon peruvianus), there is a Dwarf Minke whale (Species – Balaenoptera acutorostrata southern form).

I guess what I learnt when we did the dissection was that a lot of these names are old – and based on external characterisitics. So if it looked like a mini-me sperm whale then inserting ‘pygmy’ into the name seemed the way to go. With genetic analysis these days I think scientists are finding that some animals bearing similar external features (and therefore names) are really quite distantly related.

I like how we’re still finding out stuff and that we can still be surprised sometimes :-)

]]> By: Mark Smitheman http://blog.tepapa.govt.nz/2008/07/14/roseneaths-dead-pygmy-sperm-whale/#comment-2629 Mark Smitheman Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:15:35 +0000 http://tepapa.wordpress.com/?p=510#comment-2629 First a pygmy right whale, now a pygmy sperm whale. I'd never come accross these untill I became a regular visitor to your site and blogs. (Blame the Squid!) So my question is, how many of the whales have 'pygmy' varieties? Are they actually different species or sub-species of the main type? First a pygmy right whale, now a pygmy sperm whale. I’d never come accross these untill I became a regular visitor to your site and blogs. (Blame the Squid!)
So my question is, how many of the whales have ‘pygmy’ varieties? Are they actually different species or sub-species of the main type?

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