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Physeter macrocephalus

To‘ōra

Sperm Whale

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Underwater, side-view (Suwarrow)	41KB
Image:	Underwater, ventral-view (Suwarrow)	26KB
Video:	at Suwarrow, © G.Wragg	793KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Sperm Whale

TRADITIONAL NAMES: To‘ōra (RR), Tauaki [ID?] (TS TW), Ulupū / Tawolā Pāmuela (PK); Other Polynesian - Koholā Kēpama / Kēpama / Pāma (HAW, Kēpama from Eng. 'sperm')

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Marine, pelagic, off-shore

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Globally endangered (moderately)

Enlarged Image of 'Physeter macrocephalus'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present? Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
		-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Northern Group: Present?
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW
-	-	-	+	-	-

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Physeter macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); TETRAPODA; MAMMALIA; THERIA; EUTHERIA; Cetacea; Odontoceti; PHYSETERIDAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Palmerston: fieldspecimens, near island, 6/2005, Marcus Gleinig with ID as Physeter macrocephalus. Pukapuka: informant reports at NBSAP meeting, 2/2004. Suwarrow: fieldspecimen+photo, near island, 6/2005, Marcus Gleinig with ID as Physeter macrocephalus.

References:
None recorded.

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM07a

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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