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Killer whales of the Crozet Islands

Photo-Identification Catalogue 2010

Paul Tixier, Nicolas Gasco, Cécile Roche, Christoph e Guinet

Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé - CNRSVilliers en Bois

79360 Beauvoir sur Niort CEBC-CNRS 2010

Killer whales of the Crozet Islands

Austral and Antarctic French TerritoriesPhoto-Identification Catalogue 2010

Paul Paul Paul Paul TixierTixierTixierTixier, Nicolas , Nicolas , Nicolas , Nicolas GascoGascoGascoGasco, C, C, C, Céééécile Roche, Christophe cile Roche, Christophe cile Roche, Christophe cile Roche, Christophe GuinetGuinetGuinetGuinet

Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé - CNRS

Villiers en Bois

79360 Beauvoir sur Niort

CEBC-CNRS 2010

Preface

This catalogue presents all the killer whales that were photo-identified around the Crozet islands since 2003. It has been updated with the data collected in 2010. Pictures were taken and analyzed according to the photo-identification protocol developed in the NE Pacific by Bigg (1982). Priority was on left sides of the dorsal fin and saddle patch but for some individuals there were good pictures of the right side only. The edition of this catalogue was greatly based on catalogues produced by Bigg and colleagues (Bigg et al., 1987; Ford and Ellis, 1999; Ford et al., 2000) over the past 30 years.

Pictures were taken from two distinct platforms: the Possession Island coastline, by the people working at the base Alfred Faure, and the seven Patagonian toothfish longlinersallowed to operate within the Crozet EEZ, by the fishery observers.

Two socially and morphologically distinct types of killer whales are observed in the Crozet waters: regular killer whales for which we have most of the data and the so called “Type-D”killer whales (Pitman et al., 2010) that have been sighted on few occasions only. The catalogue is then divided into two parts treating the two types of whales separately.

Temporal social analyses (Whitehead, 2008) run on the regularly encountered killer whalesrevealed a social structure based on permanent social units (mean size 3.5 ± 1.14 individuals (n=24) and casual acquaintances. In this catalogue, individuals are organizedaccording to the social unit they belong to and social units are organized in pods when theyshare association indexes higher than 0.5 (Bigg et al, 1990).

This catalogue intends to assist in identification the different people encountering these whales.

Ile de la Possession

Ile de l’Est

Ile aux cochons

Ilot des apôtres

Ile des pingouins

CROZET ISLANDS

N

50 km

Study Area

∆∆∆∆ Sightings from longliners o Sightings from Possession Island

Part I: regularly encountered killer whales

© Paul Tixier

6

C035 C037 C038 C1161968-2009 1977-2008 1971-2009

Pos

sess

ion

2003-2009♂ ♀ ♀ ♀

Crozet killer whales

Key

C035

♂1968-2008

Alpha-numeric individual code

Gender (when known)

Years of first and last observations

* Year of first observation = yearof birth

Social Relationship

Association Index* > 0.5

0.3 < Association Index < 0.5

* Association Index = proportion of sightings in which 2 individuals are associated out of the total number of their respective sightings.

C038 is missing sinceApril 2009

C037 is missing sinceNovember 2008

(see p. 7)

7

C068

C161

C069 C128

C128 has a little notch on the lowerpart of the backside of dorsal fin.

2007-2009

1998-2009 2003-2009 2003-2009

Pos

sess

ion

♂ ♀


8

C041 C042 C043 C0461977-2005 1987-2005 1980-2005 2005-2005

Pos

sess

ion

♂ ♀ ♀


None of the individuals of this unit has been observed since 2005

9

C079 C080 C0112005-20052005-2005 2003-2008

Pos

sess

ion

♀


C011 was recently sighted from longliners bothin the Crozet and Kerguelen offshore waters.

10

C002 C006C004 C1351970-2010 2005-2010 2005-20101986-2010

Pos

sess

ion

Long

liner

s

♀ ♀


2009*-2010

♀ (See p. 11)

11

C164 C138 2005-20102009-2010 2009-20102009-2010

2009-2010

C171

C165

C172♂ ♀♀


C186 2010-2010 C185 2010-2010

C184

Pos

sess

ion

Long

liner

s

12

C010

C158

2003-2009

2007-2009

Pos

sess

ion

Long

liner

s

♀


(See p. 12)C121 C1432007-2010 2006-2010

2009*-2010

♀

13

C009 C156 C022 C024 C032

C157

C009 is a sprouter, his fin is growing since 2008

1988-2010 1983-20102007-2010

2007-2010

1989-20102003-2010

Pos

sess

ion

Long

liner

s

♂♀ ♀


♂

14

C149

C023C017C016 2003-2009 2003-20102003-2010

2007-2010 Pos

sess

ion

Long

liner

s

♂♀


(See p. 15)

C016 is missing sinceNovember 2009

C063 C0641989-2010 1987-2010♂♀

15

C015 C018C019 C020 C014

C148

C014 is missing from thisvery stable unit since2008

2003-20102003-2010

2005-2010

1999-20082004-20102004-2010 ♂ ♂♀


The C015 and C016 units belong to the same pod. Together, they interacted with more than 47% of all longlines hauled out in presence of killer whales.

Pos

sess

ion

Long

liner

s

♀

16

C025 C1192005-2010 2006-2010 2003-2010

C188 was a few weeks oldon its first sighting in April 2009

2009*-2010

♂ ♀ ♀


(See p. 17)

2005-2009

C131, C132, C137, C012 and C133 weresighted in the Kerguelen EEZ in 2006 and were then re-sighted in the Crozet EEZ in 2007.

2005-2010C012 C133C127 C027 2005-2010

C188

C025, C119, C127 and C012 have been sighted off Marion Is. (Reisinger et al., 2009)

Pos

sess

ion

Long

liner

s

17

C131

C137C132 2005-2009

2009*-20102005-2010

2005-2010

C187 is born betweenFebruary 16th and 17th 2009

Pos

sess

ion

Long

liner

s

♀ ♀


C140 C1392005-2009 2006-2009 2005-2009

C155 2007*-2009

C106

C132 is missing since November 2009. In February 2010, C131 was sighted alone on few occasions and then being associatedwith the C015 and C027 units. In March, it was closely associatedwith the female C018.

C187

♀

18

C021 2005-2008

2007*-2008

Pos

sess

ion

Long

liner

s

♀


C007 ♂ 2003-2006

19

C013

C174C173

C087 C122 C142C111

C087’s fin has changedtremendeously over the past 3 years withmultiple notchesappearing on the back side of its dorsal fin.

2003-2010 2003-20102003-2010

2007*-20102007*-2010

2003-2010 2006-2010

Long

liner

s

C174 is known to be a female since pictures of herbreaching were taken in 2007

♂♀ ♀

♀


20

C083 C082C081 1997-2010 1997-20072003-2010

Long

liner

s

♀


(See p. 21)

C154 2007-2010

C082 is missing since2007

21

C147 C150 C152 C1532007-2008 2007-2008 2007-20082007-2008

Long

liner

s

♂


22

2009-20102009-2010 2009-2010 2009-2010 2009-2010C165 C166 C167 C168 C170

Long

liner

s

♂ ♂


Long

liner

s

23

C151C124 C1292003-2009 2007-2010 2003-2007

Long

liner

s

♂


C129 is missing since 2007

24

C163C162

C101

2008-20082008-2008

2003-2008

Long

liner

s

♀


(See p. 25)

25

C099 C100 C103 C104

C102

2003-2003 2003-2003 2003-2003 2003-2003

2003-2003

Long

liner

s

These whales have not been sighted since 2003.C101 was associated to them in 2003 and is the only whale re-sightedsince then. It was in 2008, she was travelling with a juvenile (C162) and a calf (C163).

♀


26

Long

liner

s


2009-2010♂C194 C195 C1962009-2010 2009-2010 2010-2010C193 ♂

C193 appears to have a deformityon his spinal column.

2010-2010

♀

27

2009-2009 2009-2009

Long

liner

s

This unit was sighted on two occasions only in 2009

♂


C197 C1982009-2010C169 C086 1998-2010♂

28

C134 C159 C1602005-2008 2008-2008 2008-2008

Long

liner

s

♂


C134 has been sighted off Marion Island (Reisinger et al., 2009)

29

2009-2010

Long

liner

s


2009-2010 2009-2010C189 C190 C191 C192 2009-2010♂

30

2010-2010

Long

liner

s


2010-2010 2010-20102010-2010 2010-2010 2010-2010

These whales were photographed only once in the Crozet waters, theyinteracted with longlines and were associated to the C015 pod. We are waiting for additional sightings before we name them.

31

2010-2010

Long

liner

s


2010-2010♂

33

C094 C095 C096 C176 C0982003-2003 2003-2003 2003-20092003-2003 2003-2003♂


Type D killer whales were sighted for the first time in the Crozet waters in 2003. Since then they were encountered and photographed on 16 occasions around the islands (last sightingwas on June 3rd 2010). They do interact with longlines as wellbut are usually observed in very open waters and were neversighted in inshore waters. They never associated with the regularly encountered killer whales and have distinct morphological features such reduced eye patches and bulboushead.

Long

liner

s

(See p. 34)

« Regular » eyepatch

« type D » eyepatch

2009-2009C180 2009*-2009

C181 2009-2009

34

C105 C178 C175 C097C117 2003-20092009-20092003-2009 2003-2009 2003-2009

2003-2009

Long

liner

s

C177

2009-2009C179♂

Long

liner

s

♀


35

Long

liner

sLo

nglin

ers


2009-2009 2009-2009C182 C183

36

References

Bigg, M.A. 1982. An assessment of killer whale (Orcinus orca) stocks off Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Report of the International Whaling Commission, Special Issue 32: 655–666.

Bigg M.A., Ellis G.M., Ford J.K.B. and Balcomb K.C. 1987. Killer whales. A study of theiridentification, genealogy & natural history in British Columbia andWashington State. Phantom Press, Nanaimo, BC, 79pp.

Bigg, M.A., Olesiuk P.F., Ellis G.M., Ford J.K.B., Balcomb K.C. 1990. Social organization and genealogy of resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) in the coastal waters of British Columbia and Washington State. Report of the International Whaling Commission, Special Issue 12: 383–405.

Ford J.K.B. and Ellis G.M. 1999. Transients: Mammal Hunting Killer Whales. UBC Press, Vancouver, 97pp.

Ford J.K.B., Ellis G.M. and Balcomb K.C. 2000. Killer whales. The natural history and genealogyof Orcinus orca in British Columbia and Washington.Second edition. UBC Press, Vancouver, 104pp.

Pitman R. L., Durban J. W., Greenfelder M., Guinet C., Jorgensen M., Olson P. A., Plana J., TixierP., Towers J. R. 2010. Observations of a distinctive morphotype of killer whale Orcinusorca, type D, from subantarctic waters. Polar Biology

Reisinger R. R., De Bruyn N., Bester M. N., 2009. Photo-identification catalogue of Marion Island Killer whales. University of Pretoria.

Whitehead, H. 2008. In: Analyzing Animal Societies. The University of Chicago Press.

37Armements de pêche de la Réunion

Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle de Paris

Terres Australes et Antarctiques Françaises

Institut Paul Emile Victor

Centre National de la Recherche scientifique

Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé

AcknowledgmentsWe wish to thank all photographers involved in this study, whether they are fishery observers on longliners or fieldworkers on the Possession Is.

We are grateful to all the people that have inspired this work especially the following: Mike Bigg, Graeme Ellis, John Ford, Kenneth Balcomb, Craig Matkin, Eva Saulitis, Lance Barrett Lennard, Paul Spong and Helena Symonds.

We are also thankful to the following partners and organizations that have contributed to the study of the Crozet killer whale population for many years

38

AUBERT Jean Luc; BARRETT-LENNARD Lance; BEILLOEIL; BELBEYC'H Bruno; BERTHET

Philippe; BERTRAND Geoffrey; BLANCHARD Pierrick; BOITEAU Christophe; BONNET Joël; BOST

Charles-André; BURLE Marie-Hélène; CARCAILLET Christopher; CARDOT Gilles; CHEVRIER

Claude; DE STEPHANIS Renaud; DERVAUX Antoine; DESMARET Rolland; DESPIN Bernard;

DONDELINGER Caroline; DOREMUS Ghislain; DUFRENE Rémy; FERNANDEZ Eric; FOURNIER

Jean-Charles; GASCO Nicolas; GAUTHIER-CLERC Michel; GOUEDARD Yvon; GUINET

Christophe; HANDRICH Yves; HANUISE Nicolas; HOARAU Eric; LANGUENOU Roger; LE CORRE

Yann; LEGRAND Jérôme; LEMARCHAN Christian; LEQUETTE Benoît; LERIDON Jean; LEROUX

Eric; LESCAROUX Jean-Michel; MAISON Jérome; MANGIN Stéphane; MANILEVE Patrick;

MARECHAL Pierre; MELLEE Jean-Luc; MOURIES Jacques; NOORKHAN Alain; NOYAN Patrick;

PAULIN Rémy; PAWLOWSKI Frédéric; PERROT Yohann; PETER Jean; PRUDOR Aurélien;

RIDOUX Vincent; RINGOT Frédéric; SCHWEBEL Luc; SORIN Dominique; STENBERGER Ludovic;

TIXIER Paul; VERLAND Henri; VERMANDE Hugues; VILLEMIN Catherine; WEIMERSKIRCH Henri

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