Species Composition and Distribution of Cetaceans in the Atlantic and Indian Sectors of the Southern Ocean

Abstract

The data of accompanying observations of the spatial distribution, species composition, and abundance of cetaceans in the southern part of the Atlantic and Indian oceans and in the coastal waters of Antarctica in the austral autumn of 2021 are presented. In total, 3 species of whales (82 sightings, 136 individuals), 1 species of beaked (1 sighting, 4 individuals), and 6 species of dolphins (15 sightings, 324 individuals) were recorded in the research area. In total, cetaceans were observed 98 times and 464 individuals were recorded. As in previous years, humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae predominated (58.82%); they are successfully restoring their numbers, although they suffered greatly during whaling in the 18th–20th centuries. Antarctic minke whales Balaenoptera bonaerensis made up 21.32%, and fin whales Balaenoptera physalus, 19.85% of all whales. Southern right whale dolphins (83.33%) prevailed among all dolphins.