PAST OCCURRENCE OF GLOBICEPHALA MELAENAIN THE WESTERN NORTH PACIFICTOSHIO KASUYA
Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo, Tokyo

ABSTRACTSix skulls of G. melaena excavated at the northern Sea of Japan and at
the central part of the Pacific coast of Japan indicate that the species waspresent in the western North Pacific at least untill about lOth century.
However, the absence of any indication of the presence of this species in thecollection from recent fauna and in the modern Japanese whaling statistics suggests that the species might have been extinct from the North Pacific or that asmall population is surviving in some area of western North Pacific which havenot been studied by biologist.

INTRODUCTION
The genus Globicephala Lesson, 1828, is constituted by two species G. melaena (Traill,
1809) and G. macrorlrynchus Gray, 1846, (Fraser, 1950; Van Bree, 1971). They havebeen known, except in the North Pacific, to show antitropical distribution, namely
the former species in colder waters and the latter in the warmer waters (Davies,
1960, and 1963).
In the North Pacific, G. scammonii Cope, 1869, and G. sieboldii Gray, 1846,
were reported from Mexican waters and from Nagasaki in the southern Japan
respectively, which were later concluded by Van Bree (1971) to be the synonyms of
G. macrorhynchus. Though it was denied recently (Nishiwaki et al, 1967), there were
published several reports telling the distribution of G. melaena in the Japanese coastal
waters, and produced a long history of confusion on the zoogeography of globicephalid species. So, it will be worth to have, in the below, a review on this problem
for the better understanding of the biological meaning of the present study.
Andrews (1914) is the first scientist who used G. scammoni for the pilot whale in
the Pacific coast of Japan. This was based on an animal taken at Ayukawa (38°18'N, 141°30'E), but he gave no biological reason distinguishing it from G. sieboldii
reported by Gray (1846). Then Nagasawa (1916) used in his list the name G.
scammoni for the pilot whale in the Japanese waters, considering that G. sieboldii
should not be trusted because it was based on a drawings of a young pilot whale
reported by Temminck and Schlegel (1844). This was followed by Takashima(1931 ). However, Ogawa (1937) listed G. melas in his list ofodontoceti in the coastal
waters of Japan, and showed a photograph of so-called G. melas (236 cmQ") taken at
Shiogama (38°19'N, 141°02'E) on 28, May, 1935. In this list he tentatively considered G. melas as the synonym of G. sieboldii. Furthermore in the same
Sci. Rep. Whales Res. Inst.,

No. 27, 1975, 95-110.

96

KASUYA

list, he listed G. scammoni, based on two specimens collected at Ayukawa. And heconsidered the two Japanese names "Naisagoto" and " Magondo" correspond to
G. melas, and " Shiogoto " and " Tappanaga " to G. scammoni. Though he did notgive in his report, the reason of the identification, it is written in his another book
(Ogawa, 1950). As this is the start of the erroneous story telling the presence ofG. melaena in the Japanese coastal waters, some important part is translated here.
[p. 65] I decided to spend the August of this year [i.e. 1935] for the 2nd trip
to collect the specimens ... at Shirahama in Chiba, Taiji in Kii, and Nagasaki in Kyushu .... [p. 76] At Taiji I got 2 Globicephala (380 cm~, 470 cmd'),measured their bodies, counted the number of bones, observed the pigmentation, and sent only the skull(s) back.... They were commonest at Taiji andcolled " Magondo " .... They seemed to have no difference from G. melas(Traill) ... and strengthened my belief that "Magondo (or Naisagoto)"
indicates this species. One of the reasons for it is ... [p. 77] the presence ofanchor shaped pale area in the chest region. I had been interested in thisfact, since I observed this at Shiogama on 2 or 3 Globicephala . ... In the foreigncountries the white or pale area of the shape is reported only on G. melas(Traill). Though Cuvier and True say that it extends to anus along the
midline of the body, that of my specimen ends at the middle of the ventral
region and shows slight difference. There are recorded three different namesor" Naisa '', "Shio '', and "Onan" for" Goto (or Gondo)" [Pilot Whale]in the Japanese oldest book on cetaceans (Yamase, 1760).... Among which thenames "Naisa" and "Magondo" now used at Taiji are considered to besynonyms, and "Onan", which is equal to "Okigondo ", ... is supposed to indicate Pseudorca crassidens (Owen) .... [p. 78] The still unknown is " Shio ".
I was told at Taiji that this species is large in body size, has long flipper, has
white area at the posterior of the dorsal fin, and also called by the name of"Tappanaga" [=long flipper]. And it was also told that the number ofcatch of this species is few, and caught only in the season(s) of equinox....
Before this information I had guessed that " Tappanaga " may correspond to
G. scammoni Cope (Pacific black fish in U.S.) .... When I arrived at Ayukawa
after receiving the news of the catch of" Tappanaga '',the animal had been already processed. So I identified the species only with a part of skeleton. However, Mr. Hasegawa had observed, by my request, the condition of the anchor
shaped pale area on the chest and reported that it was absent. He gave mea photo of the dorsal view of other individual (Fig. 22) .... There was clearlyobserved a white fleck behind the dorsal fin of which I heard at Taiji ....
[p. 79] The photo, shown in the journal of the museum, of a G. scammoni Cope... in the collection made by Andrews in Japan ... has no pale area on thechest. From these fact I considered that "Shiogoto (Tappanaga)" corresponds to G. scammoni Cope.
Above citation shows that Ogawa's misidentification started in the erroneous
idea that some of different common names in different localities must indicate different species. Then he overlooked the fact that all of his samples were collected in
Sci. Rep. Whales Res. Inst.,
No. 27, 1975.

G. MELAENA IN THE NORTH PACIFIC

97

the area and seasons influenced by the warm Kuroshio current, and the importanceof the osteological characteristics and· of the external proportions by which the possibility of G. melaena might have been eliminated from his samples, but he put theweight on less reliable pigmentation. And he reached the odd conclusion that G.
melaena is distributed in the south and G. scammonii in the north. This conclusion(Ogawa, 1937) was followed without further confirmation by Kuroda (1938, 1953),
Noguchi (1946), and Nishiwaki (1957). Then, Nishiwaki et al (1967) concluded,
based on the specimens collected by themselves in the Pacific coast of Japan in thesummer season and on the two of Ogawa's specimens, that there will be distributed only G. macrorlrynchus in the area in which the distribution of G. melaena was
expected by former reports. Though Nishiwaki et al (1967; and see Nishiwaki,
1967; and Rice and Scheffer, 1968) found no significant difference between G.
macrorhynchus in the Japanese coastal waters and G. scammonii, they retained the conclusion on the taxonomy of these two species. And now it has become a generally accepted idea that G. melaena is not distributed in the North Pacific (Riceand Scheffer, 1968; Van Bree, 1971).
In 1974, however, I had a chance to examine the specimens excavated by Dr.
Oba of Hokkaido University and his colleagues from two archaeological sites ofOkhotsk culture on Re bun Island in the northern Sea of Japan. Though they arecomposed of many fragmental bones of odontoceti and mysticeti, the most striking
is the presence of skulls of G. melaena and the absence of specimens identifiable to G.
macrorhynchus. This led me to have a discussion on the possibility of existence ofG. melaena in the western North Pacific.
MATERIALS AND METHOD
Four of 6 skulls of G. melaena referred in this study were excavated from the Kabukai
A-site on the east coast of Re bun Island (45°20'N, 141°E ). Though, 14 C datingof charcoal gives 1530±70 B.P. (TK 157) for the lower strata, the date of this site
is suspected from known archaeological data to be between 8th century (lowest
stratum) and 12th century (upper most stratum) (Oba and Ohyi eds., in press).
As shown in Table 1, this site contained the remainings of large whales and ofvarious delphinid species. However, most of them were found in the condition
almost completely broken into small pieces. Other than the remains shown in
Table 1, there were found 174 vertebrae of Phocoe noides, 92 of Lagenorlrychus, 7 of
Phocoena, 29 of Globicephala, and several vertebrae of large cetaceans. As the excavation was made in a restricted area compared with the expected range of thesite, the accurate ratio of the cetacean species consumed by the people is notknown at present. But it is safe to say that the delphinid species in the site are,with the exception of Pseudorca, composed of the boreal species. Table 1 shows thatthe number of globicephalid animals found in the upper strata is higher than thatin the lower strata. This may suggest the improvement of the fishing technology.
Though the fragments of Globicephala skeletons were found in various strata of
Kabukai A-site, most of them were unable to be identified the species. Only 4 skulls,
Sci. Rep. Whales Res. Inst.,
No. 27, 1975.

98

KASUYARKA 3658, 3983, 3987, and 6054, were identifiable, among which RKA 3983 wasyoung and badly destroyed to measure. The stratum containing the present specimens situates approximately at the middle of upper strata, and had been depositedin a pit representing a ruin of a house of that date. They were found in a stone
mound together with 6 skulls of Globicephala sp. of various stages of growth andconditions of preservation, 1 Lagenorhynchus skull, 1 left tympanic bulla of humpback whale, and a radius of black right whale ( ?). Further description and interpretation of this site are reported in Oba and Ohyi (eds., in press).
Another skull of G. melaena (no. 675) was excavated by Dr. Oba and his colleagues at an archaeological site at Motochi on the west coast of the same island.
Though the archaeological study of the site is not finished yet, it is considered tobelong to the age between l lth and 13th century (Ohyi, 1972).
The 6th skull of G. melaena was found by Mr. M. Yoshimura and offered mefor taxomic study. This specimen was excavated from an alluvial silt deposit by
TABLE 1.

MINIMUM NUMBER OF CETACEANS REPRESENTED BY
BONE FRAGMENTS IN KABUKAI A-SITE 4>

StrataUpperstrata1>

Middlestrata2>Lower
strata 3>

Total

Globicephala
Lagerwrhynchus obliquidens
Phocoena phocoena
Phocoenoides dalli
Pseudorca crassidens
Physeter catodon
Ziphiidae sp.
Megaptera novaeangliae
Balaenoptera borealis
B. acutorostrata
Eubalaena glacialis

13
3
1

4
2
1
3

2
4

19
9
3
5
3
1
1
6

+
3
1
3

2

2

1

+

2

1) Brom surface to fish bone stratum II/III,
2) From fish bone stratum III/IV, 3)
From fish bone stratum IV to VI,
4) Calculated in each smaller strata. Vertebrae
other than cervical, and bones in flipper are not included, but shown by " + ".

the Hekuri River near Tateyama (34°59'N, 139°5l'E) at the entrance of Tokyo
Bay. This strata belongs to the N uma deposit, and the date of the skull is considered
to be equal with the date of fossil coral and of fossil oyster collected at the same
stratum of same location (Mr. Yoshimura, pers. comm.). The 14 C dating of thecoral and of the oyster gives 6,340±140 B.P. and 6,430±130 B.P. respectively(Araki, 1973).
For the osteological comparison, the measurements of 25 skulls of G. macrorhynchus collected on the Pacific coast of Ja pan were used. They are 7 skulls in thecollection of National Science Museum (Tokyo), 5 skulls of Ogawa's specimen in
the collection of the same museum, 1 skull collected at Ayukawa (no date), 3 skulls
collected at Choshi (35°42'N, 135°56'E, Dec. 1966), and 9 skulls collected at Ararion the Pacific Coast of Japan (39°49'N, 137°46'E, June 1965 and 1967). The lastSci. Rep. Whales Res. Inst.,
No. 27, 1975.

G. MELAENA IN THE NORTH PACIFIC

99

13 skulls are kept in the Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo. The skull
measurements of 4 G. scammonii (=G. macrorhynchus) specimens in the collection of
Los Angeles County Museum (EDM F 298, WAW 46, WAW 47, WAW 48) and one
skull kept in the Smithsonian Inst. (USNM 3076), and the measuremnts of 13
skulls from the North Atlantic in the collection of Smithsonian Inst. (USNM nos.
21572, 257412, 257413, 279366, 257414, 37264, 241182, 37261, 22592, 37263,
395712, 22571, 22570) are used here. The measurements of the type specimen of
G. scammonii (USNM 9074) were provided by Dr. R. L. Brownell. Measurementsof 9 skulls of G. macrorhynchus cited from Fraser (1950) and Van Bree (1971, =G.
sieboldii) were used in Figs. 1 and 2.
The measurements of G. melaena were obtained on 21 skulls in the collection ofSmithsonian Inst. (USNM nos. 395373, 395365, 395372, 395364, 395363, 395361,
395362, 395360, 395357, 16298, 20981, 21118, 14418, 14360, 20958, 303018, 12098,
12097, 12099, 12100, 20957, and EDM 1000) and on 4 skulls in the collection of Los
Angeles County Mus. (four EDM specimens).
The catch statistics of Globicephala in the Japanese coastal waters were compiled from Geiryo Geppo [the monthly report of whaling operation] of the period
from 1949 to 1952, when most intensive fishing for Globicephala was operated because of the social demand for the food. This report was originally presented to thegovernment by the owners of the small whaling boats, but now is kept in the
Whales Research Institute in Tokyo. The position of the catch is represented inthis study by the position of the whaling station, and the number of the catch isshown in each areas obtained by combining several nearby stations.
OSTEOLOGY
The difference between G. melaena and G. macrorhynchus is found, on the skull, in the
shape of premaxillae on the dorsal surface of the rostrum (Fraser, 1950). In thelatter species the lateral margins of the premaxillae expand widely at the anterior
region of the rostrum to cover, entirely on adult individuals, the maxillae of thatpart. However, on _G. melaena this expansion is very weak and the maxillae arewidely exposed, even on the adult animal, on the dorsal surface of the anterior partof rostrum. Though Van Bree ( 1971) says that rostrum is elongated in G. melaena
than in G. macrorhynchus, there was found no difference in the length of rostrum between the two species (Fig. 2.). The number of teeth is fewer and the size of
tooth larger in G. macrorhynchus.
The five Globicephala skulls from Rebun Island and Tateyama are, except one
juvenile, those of adult individuals, and the lateral margins of the maxillae and ofpremaxillae of the 5 skulls are almost intact to allow the accurate comparison. And
their feature coincides with that of G. melaena in the above characteristics (PLATES).
The number and size of alveoli are also rather close to that of G. melaena (Table
2). As shown in Fig. 1, the measurements of rostral region show the difference between the two species, and G. macrorhynchus from the Pacific coast of Japanshows the perfect coincidence with those of the same species in other areas. HowSci. Rep. Whales Res. Inst.,
No. 27, 1975.

KASUYA

100

ever the measurements of 5 measureable skulls from Rebun Island and Tateyama
come in the range of G. melaena in the North Atlantic. From these reasons the present Globicephala skulls are classified into G. melaena, and it is concluded that G. me-

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Length of skull in cm
Fig. 1. Scatter diagram of the measurements of rostral region of Globicephala. A:
Rostrum basal width. B: Rostrum width at middle. C: Premaxillae width at
middle ofrostrum. Open circle: G. macrorhynchus (Without bar indicates animalfrom] apanese coast, bar at right that from Ca1ifornia coast, and bar at left that fromother seas). Closed circle: G. melaena (Bar at right indicates animal from Chili,
bar at left that from North Atlantic, and no bar no history). Cross mark: G.
melaena from Japanese coast.

Sci. Rep. Whales Res. Inst.,
No. 27, 1975.

101

G. MELAENA IN THE NORTH PACIFIC

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65

Length of skull in cm
Fig. 2. Scatter diagram showing the relationship between length of skull and lengthof rostrum. For marks see Fig. I.

TABLE 2.

SKULL MEASUREMENTS OF G. MELAENA FROM JAPANESE COAST (MM)Specimen no. and Locality
Measurements
1. Condylo-basal length
2. Rostrum length
3. Rostrum basal width
4. Rostrum width at middle
5. Premaxillae width at same point
6. Maximum width of premaxillae
distally
7. Maximum width of premaxillae proximally
8. Width of rostrum at the level of no. 6
9. Width across preorbital angles ofsupraorbitals
10. Width across postorbital angles ofsupraorbitals
11. Width of skull at orbits
12. Zygomatic breadth
13. Width of braincase across parietals
14. End of rostrum to blowhole
15. Length of upper tooth row (to end ofpmx.)
16. Number of upper teeth* Last alveolus rudimental.
Sci. Rep. Whales Res. Inst.,
No. 27, 1975.

675
KRA3658
Kabukai Motochi

RKA6054
Kabukai

Awa Mus.
Tateyama

RKA3987
Kabukai

617
315
224
167
138

619
310
223
166
146

623
331
119x2
87x2
76x2

633
329
235
171
151

681
352
257
200
170

140

148

146

151

172

148

156

158

174

168

170

90x2

171

205

352

178x2

375

399

384

415

440

349
375
285
394
Ll63,
Rl54

371
416
273

405

175x2

359
288
407
Ll68,
Rl66
LIO, RIO

401
L201

L175

L9

Lll*

299
466
Ll90,
R205

?:

.

~ ~~

<c ~

......

.,.'1 ~.""::tl"'

~~

;s

~

::tl

sample size
range
mean
standard error
sample size
range
mean
standard error
sample size
range
mean
standard error
sample size
range
mean
standard error

3. Rostrum basal width (o/o)

4. Rostrum width at middle (o/o)

5. Premaxillae width at same point

11. Orbital width (o/o)1) Skulls more than 540 mm are selected.

16. Number of upper teeth

1022.1-28.5
24.9
0.65

5
26.8-29.4
27.6
0.45
5
22.4-25.0
23.9
0.44

61.1-65. 7
62.9
0.76
14
9-11
9.9
0.20

10

10
27 .4-31.9
29.2
0.49

5
36.0-38.2
37 .1
0.42

4
56.4-59.5
58.2
0.65
4
9-11
10.0
0.41

10
37.3-40.l
38.8
0.28

5
50.1-53. l
51.6
0.50

10

580-712633. l13.76
1049.8-54.4
51. 7
0.46

5
617-681
634.6
11.92

2) Both sides are dealt separately.

sam pie size2>
range
mean
standard error

sample size
range
mean
standard error

2. Rostrum length (o/o)(o/o)

sample size
range
mean
standard error

G. melaena
Chili

G. melaena
Japan

14
21.5-28.2
25.2
0.48
10
59.2-66.7
63.1
0.73
16
9-12
10.3
0.24

14
31.2-40.2
36.9
0.71
14
27.3-33.0
29.8
0.45

14
590-695
619.9
11.80
14
47 .2-51.2
50.2
0.31

G. melaena
N. Atlantic

13
29.6-40.4
33.8
0.92
12
62.5-68.6
65.8
0.63
26
7-10
8.0
0.20

13
30.5-40.4
34.8
0.86

13
37 .6-44.6
40.4
0.53

13
544-680
611.8
12.79
13
48.0-52.2
50.4
0.35

G. ma.crorhynchus
N. Atlantic

24
26.7-47.2
32.3
1.02
21
62.2-78.5
68.7
1.02
48
6-9
7.8
0.14

24
540-748
621.6
11.35
24
47 .2-51.0
49.2
0.21
24
35.6-48.6
41.3
0.76
24
28.3-49.0
34.1
l.03

G. macrorhynchus
N. Pacific

COMPARISON OF SOME IMPORTANT SKULL MEASUREMENTS OF TWO SPECIES OF GLOBICEPHALA

1. Condylo-basal length (mm)1>

fABLE 3.

><

>

~
rJ:J
c::

0
t.o

G. MELAENA IN THE NORTH PACIFIC

103

laena was present at the approximate lOth century in the northern part of the Sea ofJapan.
SEASONAL FLUCTUATION OF THE RECENT CATCH
Fig. 2 shows the seasonal fluctuation of the catch of Globicephala in the coastal watersof Japan, compiled from the monthly report of the catch in the years from 1949 to
1952. In these years many small whaling boats operated in the Japanese coastal
waters for minke whale, ziphioid whales, killer whale, and pilot whale. The fish~

-5
I

I

I

I

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-5
~o
I

/

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LLJ_J

lo

z

-150

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-100

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='

-200

-so

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0

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50
LJ,,~L..L--'---L..L--'---L..L_L_jQ

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-5
I

_JQ

JFMAMJJASOND

130°

~30
JFMAMJJASONDO

140°

Fig. 3. Seasonal fluctuation of the catch of Globicephala in the years from 1949 to
1952. The number of catch is shown by squares, and the months of whaling
operation by holizontal line. Closed circle indicates whaling station, and star
the position of the occurrence of G. melaena. Whaling area is shown by Roman
numerals.

Sci. Rep. Whales Res. Inst.,
No. 27, 1975.

104

KASUYA

ing ground was approximately within the range of 50 nautidcal miles (90 km) fromthe coast (Omura and Sakiura, 1956). Though they prefered minke whale, theycaught other species also, because the demand of whale meat for human consumption was high. Accordingly the seasonal and geographical fluctuation of the catchof Globicephala in these years is considered to reflects the abundance of this species.
The total number of whaling boats of this type operated was 74 (1949), 66 (1950),
68 (1951) and 69 (1952). And the annual number of Globicephala catch was 760
1949), 667 (1950), 591 (1951), and 307 (1952). It is not analyzed yet whether thedecrease of the annual catch is the reflection of the depletion of the population or
the reflection of economical factors. Probably both of the factors will have influenced on it.
As shown in Fig. 3, the catch in the central and northwest regions (except
areas VII to IX) shows, in general, the two peaks one in the autumn and theother in early summer. And the interval between the two peaks is shorter in thenorthern areas. Though the peak of early summer is inconspicuous in the areas VI
and VII, this seems to be the influence of the catch of minke whale. According toOmura and Sakiura (1956), these area is a good whaling ground of minke whale
and the season is from January to July with a peak in May. This will have aeffect to lower the peak of Globicephala in early summer.
However, in the areas VIII and IX, the catch of Globicephala shows only one
peak. In these areas the season of minke whale is between June and October witha peak in July (Omura and Sakiura, 1956). Accordingly the season of the peak ofcatch of Globicephala in these areas will not be biased, even if the total number ofcatch is smaller compared with the number of migrating animals.
This fact suggests that the area where Globicephala densely distributes moves
from the south to the north in the early summer, and after arriving at the latitude of 43°N in July and August, it again moves to the south to arrive at Kii and
Shikoku area (32°N to 34°N) in November and December. Possibly this seasonal
movement of the whaling ground reflects the migration of one species of Globicephala in the Pacific coast of Japan. But as suggested by Fig. 3, some Globicephalaindividuals seem to stay in all seasons in the Pacific coast of the south west regionof Japan (areas I to IV).
The catch of Globicephala in the sea of Japan and in the northern coast of K yushu is too scarce to discuss the seasonal fluctuation. But it is safe to say that thecatch is restricted to the summer season in spite of the longer operation of whaling
in this region. As the number of the catch of Globicephala is so few, there may arise
a question if the Globicephala reported by the fishermen from the Sea ofJapan represent real Globicephala. However, there is no doubt in the existence of the genus
in the Sea of Japan, because a school of Globicephala was sighted by myself on 28,
August, 1971 at the center of the Sea of Japan (39°04'N, 134°36'E). The surface
water temperature at the spot was 24.5°C.
In the Okhotsk Sea, the Japanese whaling boats for small whales operated in
the seasons from March to November. But there are no catch of Globicephala recorded in the statistics I analyzed. Omura and Sakiura (1956) showed that theSci. Rep. Whales Res. Inst.,
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season of minke whale in this region lasts from March to July with a peak in May,and the same result was obtained even from my data. After the season of minke
whale, they caught Berardius and Orcinus in the Okhotsk Sea. As the capture of
Globicephala is not considered to be more difficult than that of Berardius or Orcinus
even if the size is slightly smaller than the latter, they must have captured Globicephala
if it had been distributed in the sea in that season. According to the personal communication of Mr. S. Miyoshi who has been operating the whaling for more than
20 years mainly in the Okhotsk Sea, he have sighted no Glogicephala in the Okhotsk
Sea.
These informations strongly suggest that Globicephala does not migrate, in theseasons from March to November, to the southern part of Okhotsk Sea where theJapanese whaling boats for small whales operate.
DISCUSSION

On the species of Globicephala constituting the catch in the Pacific coast of Japan,
the specimens of known locality give the information. All the known records ofGlobicephala in this area, i.e. 6 specimens collected at Arari in June 1967 (Nishiwaki
et al, 1967), external measurements of 16 animals and 13 skulls collected at Taiji
33°38'N, 135°56'£) in July and August 1969, 1 Ogawa's specimen caught at Shirahama (34°54'N, 137°53'£), 3 animals in a school stranded at Choshi (35°42'N,
140°52'E) in December 1966, 2 Ogawa's specimens presumably collected at Shiogama in May 1932 and 1935 (Ogawa, 1937; Ogawa, 1932 cited in Kuroda 1938),
2 Ogawa's specimens presumably collected at Ayukawa (Ogawa, 1937), and 1 skull
and skeleton in National Science Museum in Tokyo killed at 39°28'N, 142°19'£
in October 1953, are represented by G. macrorhynchus. These animals were collectedfrom the animals representing both the early summer and the autumn-winter peaks.
The comparison of fishing season and oceanographical condition gives anothersupport on the identity of the species. The boundary of the front of warm Kuroshio Current is indicated by the 17°C surface isotherm (Uda, 1954), and in August
the boundary go up to the latitude of 43°N (Uda and Nasu, 1956; Miyazaki et al,1974) or to the northern limit of the whaling ground of Globicephala analysed here,
and retreats in March to 35°N (Miyazaki et al, 1974) or to the approximate northern
limit of Globicephala ground in winter season. From these informations it is concluded that all the catch of Globicephala in the Pacific coast ofJapan is constituted by
G. macrorhynchus, and that the species lives in the Kuroshio watermass and moves
north and south in accordance with the seasonal movement of the boundary of
Kuroshio front. Accordingly the range of normal distribution of G. macrorhynchus
is expected not to extend into the cold watermass.
There is obtained no data directly indicating the species of Globicephala caught
by recent whaling in the Sea of Japan. However, the existence of the skull of G.
sieboldii [=G. macrorl!)'nchus] caught at Nagasaki in western Kyushu, the fact that
Globicephala was caught in the same season with that of Pseudorca (areas XI, XII
and XVI), one sighting record mentioned in the former section, and the presence
Sci. Rep. Whales Res. Inst.,
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KASUYA

of warm Tsushima Current in the Sea of Japan (Uda, 1954) strongly suggest that
there is distributed G. macrorlrynchus in the summer season. So I consider that all
the Globicephala appeared in the statistics is represented by G. macrorhynchus.
As the northern extension of Tsushima current is faint in the north western andnorthern coast of Hokkaido, there will be expected no migration of G. macrorhynchus.
Though the water in the eastern part of northern coast of Hokkaido is high in thesummer season (Uda and Nasu, 1956), it is restricted to a small locality and will
not result in the migration of G. macrorlrynchus.
From the above discussions it is supposed that G. melaena found on the Rebun
Island must have been caught in the seasons from late autumn to winter.
Though at present there is no data to have a discussion on the present statusof population or on the migration of G. melaena in the North Pacific. There can be
two possible hypotheses on that problem. The first is to consider that G. melaena
is extinct in the Okhotsk and in the Sea of Japan. Judging from the carvings excavated at Sakhalin and at Nemuro in eastern Hokkaido (Tsuboi; 1908 and 1909;
Yahata, 1943), it is sure that the natives of the Okhotsk coast including the people
on the Rebun Island of that date had the techniques to catch even some mysticeti.
However, as they seems to have used only hand harpoon and small canoe for thewhaling, it is difficult to consider that the G. melaena population was exterminatedonly by the whaling of that date. If the population have been exterminated, weshould expect the interspecific competition between G. melaena and other organisms.
One of the possible competitative mammal species other than man seems to be
Phocoenoides dalli (True, 1885). On this hypothesis, a possibly small population of
G. melaena which might have immigrated to the North Pacific is considered tohave failed in establishing its niche obstacled by the dominant population of Phocoenoides. On the date and the route of the immigration of G. melaena, there can be
two possibilities. The first is, as suggested by Davies (1962), through the easternequatorial Pacific in the Wurm glacier stage. The second is from the North
Atlantic through the Arctic Ocean in more recent age. The vegetation detectedby the pollen analysis and the Alpine timberline show that the climate of all
the northern hemisphere was warmer in the age between 8,000 B.P. and 2,000
B.P. (Atlantic and Sub-boreal periods) than the present (Deevey and Flint, 1957),
and the air temperature at Oslo was suggested to have been higher by 3°-4°C(Tsukada, 1974). The similar result was obtained by Emilliani (1964) by theoxigen isotopic analysis of the Caribbean Sea deposit. Though the exact changeof water temperature in the Arctic Ocean of that date is not known, above climaticchange seems to have provided the passages for G. melaena to North Pacific.
The other hypothesis is to consider that G. melaena is surviving at least in
the western North Pacific and its adjacent seas, and that it lives in the areasand seasons when the Japanese whaling operation or scientific study was notconducted. For this hypothesis the presence of the peak of density of globicephalid species in November in the southern coast of Hokkaido (Kasuya, 1971)
will give some suggestion. As Orcinus 'is 'recorded separately in his aerial sighting records and the water is too cold to expect Pseudorca, the possible species
Sci. Rep. Whales Res. Inst.,
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G. MELAENA IN THE NORTH PACIFIC

107

recorded there can be Globicephala especially G. melaena. According to thepersonal communication of Mr. K. Sasaki, who is one of the fishermen operating
the Phocoenoides hunting in January to March in the coast of Iwate and Miyagi prefectures (Pacific coast, 38°N to 40°N in latitude), they sometimes find Globicephalawhile they are operating Phocoenoides hunting. The surface water temperature atthose positions is told to be 7°C to 8°C. As Phocoenoides is mostly found in the watercolder than l6°C and above this temperature all of my sightings of Globicephala andother temperate or tropical species (e.g. Pseudorca, Tursiops, and Stenella) have occurred (Kasuya, umpublished, Miyazaki et al, 1974), the sighting of Globicephalamensioned in the above can represent G. melaena. But this problem is left to be confirmed. Though the information on the globicephalid founa on the Russian coastis desirable, there seems to be no reliable study (Dr. Yablokov, pers. comm.).
Though it is not the purpose of this study to have a discussion on the Japanesecommon names indicating Globicephala, some comments are added here. At first
we must remind that Japanese fishermen can use different names for the animals
of various growth stages as usually found in some species of fish, and that the namecan be modified even by the fishing season. Ui (1942) reported a case that the pilot
whale caught at Taiji in the calm season of November and December is called"Nagi [ =calm]-gondo ". It is, of course, expected that the fishermen at different places use different common names. However, it will be easily concluded
that " Magondo [=common pilot whale] " used by the whalers at Taiji for Globicephala caught at Taiji indicate G. macrorhynchus which were formerly misidentified
as G. melaena. The whalers at Taiji have another name " Tappanaga " indicating
so-called another Globicephala species. According to a former whaler Mr. Mizutani(pers. comm.), " Tappanaga " is rare at Taiji but commonly caught in the summer
season in the northern part of the Pacific coast of Japan. He tells that " Tappanaga " has, as the name indicates, longer flipper than that of " Magondo ", and thesize of the body of" Tappanaga" is usually larger and the content of oil is fewer.
The distinction of the two is told to be difficult. However, as the relative length offlipper of G. macrorl?Jnchus can be expected to increase accompanied with the growthof the animal (Sergeant, 1962), the above distinction is not reliable. Furthermore,
the fishing season of " Tappanaga " in northern Japan corresponds to the seasonof G. macrorhynchus mentioned above. Accordingly it is concluded that the name" Tappanaga " does not indicate G. melaena but may indicate old individual of
G. macrorl?Jnchus. I have no new information on "Naisa" or "Naisagoto" andon " Shio " or " Shiogoto " which had been considered to be the synonyms of"Magondo" and" Tappanaga" respectively (Ogawa, 1937). But I suppose thatthey also indicate G. macrorhynchus because they were reported to be found near
Taiji and the body length and the swelling of the head is larger in " Shio " than"Naisa" (Yamase, 1760), which is considered to be male secondary sexual
character ..

Sci. Rep. Whales Res. Inst.,
No. 27, 1975.

108

KASUYAACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Greatest thanks are due to Pro£ H. Ohyi and Mr. T. Nishimoto of Hokkaido University and to Dr. M. Yoshimura of Awa Museum at Tateyama City, who kindly offeredme the privilege to study the specimens of G. melaena and various informations on
the specimens. Dr. L. G. Barnes of Los Angeles County Museum, Dr. R. L. Brownell and Dr. J. G. Mead of Smithsonian Institution, and Dr. A. V. Yablokov ofInst. Developmental Biol. are deeply acknowledged for their cooperation andvaluable suggestions.
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110

EXPLANATION OF PLATESPLATE I
Fig. J. G. melaena, ventral view of skull found in the alluvial deposit by the Hekuri
River at Tateyama (34°59'N, 139°5l'E).
Fig. 2. G. melaena, lateral view of the same specimen.
Fig. 3. G. melaena, dorsal view of the same specimen.
Fig. 4. G. melaena, dorsal view of skull (no. 675) found at Motochi archaeologicalon the west coast ofRebun Island (45°20'N, 141°00'E).
PLATE II
Fig. I. G. melaena, dorsal view of skull (RKA 6054) found at Kabukai archaeological A-site on the east coast of Rebun Island.
Fig. 2. G. melaena, dorsal view of skull (RKA 3658) found at Kabukai A-site.
Fig. 3. G. melaena, dorsal view of skull (RKA 3987) found at Kabukai A-site.
Fig. 4. G. macrorhynchus, dorsal view of skull, caught at Taiji (33°35'N, 135°43'E) in
May 1967.
PLATE III
Fig. I.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 5.

G. macrorhynchus, dorsal view of skull, California coast, USNM 9076 (?).
G. macrorhynchus, ventral view of the same specimen.
G. melaena, dorsal view of skull, Virginia coast, USNM 303018.
G. melaena, ventral view of the same specimen.
G. melaena, dorsal view of skull, Chili, USNM 395365.

Sci. Rep. Whales Res. Ins1
No. 27, 197

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