Physeter catodon Linnaeus, 1758

Jo, Yeong-Seok, Baccus, John T. & Koprowski, John L., 2018, Mammals of Korea: a review of their taxonomy, distribution and conservation status, Zootaxa 4522 (1), pp. 1-216 : 128-129

Physeter catodon Linnaeus, 1758 —Sperm Whale, cachalot

Physeter catodon Linnaeus, 1758 p.76 ; Type locality- Middenpiat, Netherland; Kuroda, 1938 p.13; Ellerman & Morrison-Scott, 1951 p.721; Won, 1968 p.230.

P. macrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758 p.76 ; Type locality- North Atlantic (European Seas); Kim et al., 2000 p.70; Kim, 2004 p.227.

Range: The sperm whale has a sporadically occurrence in the seas surrounding Korea ( Kim 2004; Fig. 84 ). A group of eight sperm whales occurred in the East Sea, 15 km from Pohang in 2004 (Dr. H. S. Sohn, Korean Cetacean Research Institute, Pers. Comm.). One dead individual beached on Ui-do (island) in the southern Yellow Sea in 2005 (Mokpo Coast Guard, unpublished data).

Remarks: Linnaeus used both P. catodon and P. macrocephalus to designate the sperm whale. Physeter catodon has line priority, whereas Linnaeus used P. macrocephalus for the type specimen. Here, we followed the taxonomy of Wilson and Reeder (2005).

Conservation status: The South Korean government designated the sperm whale a Protected Marine Species in 2007. CITES currently lists the species on Appendix I under P. microcephalus . Based on our information, North Korea is not involved in the conservation of this whale.

Figures

FIGURE 84. Range map of Physeter catodon in Korea.