Ecologie.ma
This cetacean looks more like a dolphin than a whale. Yet the mammal that did appear yesterday in « Paloma » beach, not far from Nador, is a Cuvier’s whale. The summerers tried to help the whale to return to the right direction, the stranding was eventually avoided.
LSummers of the beach Paloma still can’t believe what they witness. A Cuvier’s whale has joined the swimmers showing signs of disorientation, far from the deep waters it normally likes. People helped the mammal to redirect to the sea avoiding a deadly stranding.Note that a whale of the same genus had been less fortunate last year, failing at the Torres beach a few 60 km from Al Hoceima.
Large populations live in the Bay of Biscay and in the western Mediterranean, where isolated individuals or couples are encountered and very rarely larger groups (up to 25 individuals).
Remarks: Adults, newborns protected by law in many countries. « It has a lot of color and scar variations that distinguish each individual.
old mâles top’s is almost white in front of the dorsal fin. Its color is highly variable: light Brown or cream to grey-blue or purplish black that may look reddish in the sun. Absent only from the polar waters, it is frequent in the Mediterranean or in the Sea of Japan. It seems sedentary in Hawaii.
It is seldom observed near the shoreline except when the coastal waters are deep.
