Abstract

Little is known of the small cetaceans of the Southern Ocean. In view of the enormous amounts of water and little land in this area, records from Tierra del Fuego become very important. Strandings are much more common than formerly believed. A total of 158 new stranding records for the eastern part of Tierra del Fuego are reported, comprising the following species: Baleanoptera acutorostrata (4), Berardius arnuxii (1), Mesoplodon layardii (4), M. grayi (2), M. hectori (1), Ziphius cavirostris (5), Hyperoodon planifrons (1), Orcinus orca (19+), Globiocephala melaena (12+), Lagenorhynchus australis (5), Lissodelphis peronii (10), Delphinus delphis (1?), Cephalorhynchus eutropia (1?), C. commersonii (44), Phocoena spinipinnis (3), and P. dioptrica (46). Nine of these species are reported for the first time from Tierra del Fuego. These stranding records greatly increase the number of known specimens of certain species, more than doubling them in some cases. Stranding locality maps and photographs of skulls are presented. New sight records for Cephalorhynchus commersonii and Lagenorhynchus australis are given and the accidental exploitation of cetaceans is discussed.