2010 beaching of rare whale kept scientists busy

Scientists have confirmed that a whale found stranded in East Maui in 2010 was of a species that is among the rarest and least known in its family.

Prior to 2010, scientists had little information about the Longman’s beaked whale in Hawaii, said researchers with Hawaii Pacific University.

The whale, also known as Indopacetus pacificus, is believed capable of diving to depths of 800 to 1,000 feet, where it feeds on squid, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Researchers estimate the population may range from about 440 to 1,000 in the Hawaiian Islands, NOAA said.

Its discovery on March 22, 2010, in Hana, Maui, has helped to shed light on one of the world’s least studied whales, researchers said.

NOAA researcher David Schofield said that while the Longman’s beaked whale died before a scientific team arrived, an analysis of the body provided information about the risk of disease in marine mammals.

THE research, funded by the Prescott Grant Program, is expected to be published today in the peer-reviewed journal Marine Mammal Science.

The Longman’s beaked whale had Morbillivirus, a mea­sles­like virus.

Researchers said the whale found was the first known specimen of Morbillivirus in a marine mammal from the Central Pacific.

"The surprising finding of Morbillivirus in the Longman’s beaked whale generates many questions about the history and prevalence of this disease in Hawaii and the potential impact on Hawaiian marine mammal populations," the research paper said.

Schofield said scientists are looking at the risk of this infection and its effects on Hawaii’s native marine mammal populations.

Morbillivirus has been found in European harbor seals, gray seals, striped dolphins in the Mediterranean Sea and bottlenose dolphins along the U.S. East Coat and the Gulf of Mexico, according to NOAA.

Collaborators on the research included Kristi West, coordinator for the university’s Marine Mammal Stranding Program; and Brenda Jensen, a Hawaii Pacific University associate professor and the associate dean of the University’s College of Natural and Computational Sciences.