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The snout was 49.5 cm long, broken at the root as is shown in Fig. IA. It wasinserted into right anterior upper jaw (Fig. IB) through to left palate of the whale.
The upper jaw was holed with the snout, and the hole had not yet healed completely. Furthermore, some pieces of connective tissue of the fish were still remainedon inner part of the snout. The snout was attached with three individuals of
a Conchoderma (species unidentified) on a part. These facts leads us to estimate that
this whale was attacked by a marlin not more than several months before.
It is difficult to identify the fish species only from a snout externally. However,Dr. Shoji U eyanagi of the Far Seas Fisheries Research Laboratory kindly examined
this snout, and concluded that this fish must be refered to Genus Makaira, namely,
either blue marlin, M. mazara (Jordan & Snyder), or black marlin, M. indica(Cuvier ). On the bases of the estimation of snout length and the relation between
body length and snout length of the marlin by Ueyanagi (1957), the body length ofthe marlin is estimated to be about 220 cm in total length.
There are several reports on finding of snout of swordfishes from some baleenwhales (Ruud, 1952; Jonsgard, 1959, 1962; Nemoto, 1959; Brown, 1960; Machida, 1970), but it will be the first record that the marlin attacked the Antarctic minkewhale.
According to Nakamura, Iwai and Matsubara (1968), blue and black marlins
are distributed widely in the tropical and sub-tropical waters of the Indian andPacific Oceans. Then, the present record shows that the Antarctic minke whales
live even in the tropical or sub-tropical waters, and they migrate between thesewaters and pack-ice edge of the Antarctic.
Mr. Tadao Ishii, a national whaling inspector, observed also a round holewhich was estimated to be caused with the attack of a marlin on the left upper jaw ofanother Antarctic minke whale (Serial No. J-2,923) on board of the same factory
ship on 16 February, 1972. This whale was caught from the waters of 64°52'S,91°l8 E. It was 8.3 m long male and sexually mature. To my regret, the spear
had already thrown away by that time.
Many thanks are due to Dr. Shoji Ueyanagi, who kindly identified the snout of
the marlin and gave me much information on billfishes. I am also indebted to Mr.
Tadao Ishii for his kindness to report me a record of his observation.
1REFERENCESBROWN, S. G., 1962. Swordfish and whales. Norsk Hvaifangst-Tid., 48 (8): 345-51.
]ONSGARD, A., 1959. New find of sword from sword-fish (Xiphias gladius) in the blue whale (Balaenopteramusculus) in Antarctic. Ibid., 48 (7): 352-60.
]ONSGARD, A., 1962. Three finds of swords from swordfish (Xiphias gladius) in the Antarctic fin whales(Balaenoptera physalus L.). Ibid., 51 (7): 287-91.
MACHIDA, S., 1970. A swordfish sword found from a North Pacific sei whale. Sci. Rep. Whales Res. Inst.,
No. 22: 163-4.
NAKAMURA, I., T. lwAr and K. MATSUBARA., 1968. A review of the sailfish, spearfish, marlin and swordfishof the world. Misaki Marine Biol. Inst. Kyoto Univ. Special Rep., No. 4: 1-95.
NEMOTo, T., 1959. Food of baleen whales with reference to whale movements. Sci. Rep. Whales Res. Inst.,
No. 14: 149-219.

Sci. Rep. Whales Res. Inst.,
No. 25, 1973.

MARLIN SPEAR FROM MINKE WHALERuun,J. T., 1952.

239

Do sword-fish attack the large whales? Norsk Hvalfangst-Tid., 41(4):191-3.
Morphological changes occurring through the growth of the black marlin, Eumakaira
nigra Nakamura. Rep. Nankai Reg. Fish. Res. Lab., No. 6: 103-12.

UEYANAGI, S., 1957.

Sci. Rep. Whales Res. Inst.,
No. 25, 1973.