|
Cetacean Strandings In Ghana
Cetacean strandings in Ghana appear to be becoming more common. Whales washing ashore may be due to ship strike, population dynamics, or an increase in human coverage and reporting. There are at least 28 species of cetaceans — seven baleen whales and 21 toothed whales — in the Gulf of Guinea, of which Ghana’s coast covers 550 km from Aflao to Axim. Scientific approaches to cetacean diversities have not been taken until recently, and 18 species were confirmed during researches. Types of whales Whales in Ghanaian marine environment belong to species of families Ziphiidae (beaked whales), Physeteridae (sperm whales) and Kogiidae (pygmy sperm whales). 'Dolphins', and other species recorded along western African waters but not within Ghanaian waters such as blue whales, bryde's whales, and minke whales are not listed below. Most common of dolphins along Ghanaian waters include Atlantic humpback dolphins and common bottlenose dolphins. Melon-headed whales Melon- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Humpback Whale Underwater Shot
Humpback may refer to: * Humpback whale * Humpback dolphin * Humpback salmon * Humpback bridge * Humpback, a common name for the fish ''Chanodichthys dabryi'' * Humpback, a variant of hunchback Kyphosis is an abnormally excessive convex curvature of the spine as it occurs in the thoracic and sacral regions. Abnormal inward concave ''lordotic'' curving of the cervical and lumbar regions of the spine is called lordosis. It can result fr ... {{disambiguation, fish Animal common name disambiguation pages ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bryde's Whale
Bryde's whale ( Brooder's), or the Bryde's whale complex, putatively comprises three species of rorqual and maybe four. The "complex" means the number and classification remains unclear because of a lack of definitive information and research. The common Bryde's whale (''Balaenoptera brydei'', Olsen, 1913) is a larger form that occurs worldwide in warm temperate and tropical waters, and the Sittang or Eden's whale (''Balaenoptera edeni'', Anderson, 1879) is a smaller form that may be restricted to the Indo-Pacific. Also, a smaller, coastal form of ''B. brydei'' is found off southern Africa, and perhaps another form in the Indo-Pacific differs in skull morphology, tentatively referred to as the Indo-Pacific Bryde's whale. The recently described Omura's whale (''B. omurai'', Wada et al. 2003), was formerly thought to be a pygmy form of Bryde's, but is now recognized as a distinct species. Rice's whale (''B. ricei''), which makes its home solely in the Gulf of Mexico, was once co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Continental Shelf
A continental shelf is a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water, known as a shelf sea. Much of these shelves were exposed by drops in sea level during glacial periods. The shelf surrounding an island is known as an ''insular shelf''. The continental margin, between the continental shelf and the abyssal plain, comprises a steep continental slope, surrounded by the flatter continental rise, in which sediment from the continent above cascades down the slope and accumulates as a pile of sediment at the base of the slope. Extending as far as 500 km (310 mi) from the slope, it consists of thick sediments deposited by turbidity currents from the shelf and slope. The continental rise's gradient is intermediate between the gradients of the slope and the shelf. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the name continental shelf was given a legal definition as the stretch of the seabed adjacent to the shores of a par ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Apam
Apam is a coastal town and capital of Gomoa West District in the Central Region of Ghana, located approximately 45 kilometers east of the Central Region capital, Cape Coast. Apam is the site of Fort Lijdzaamheid or Fort Patience, a Dutch-built fort which was completed in 1702, which dominates the fishing harbor and town from a rocky peninsula located on the south side of the town. It was a major port prior to independence, but after Tema Tema is a city on the Bight of Benin and Atlantic coast of Ghana. It is located east of the capital city; Accra, in the region of Greater Accra, and is the capital of the Tema Metropolitan District. As of 2013, Tema is the eleventh most populo ... was built, shipping was forbidden. The town has an Odikro (Chief of the town). It is also a major town in the Gomoa Akyempem Paramountcy. There are many fishermen as fishing is the main industry. Apam has a Secondary School, an FM station, several churches and a salt-winning industry. The Benyah La ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sperm Whale
The sperm whale or cachalot (''Physeter macrocephalus'') is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the genus ''Physeter'' and one of three extant species in the sperm whale family, along with the pygmy sperm whale and dwarf sperm whale of the genus ''Kogia''. The sperm whale is a pelagic mammal with a worldwide range, and will migrate seasonally for feeding and breeding. Females and young males live together in groups, while mature males (bulls) live solitary lives outside of the mating season. The females cooperate to protect and nurse their young. Females give birth every four to twenty years, and care for the calves for more than a decade. A mature sperm whale has few natural predators, although calves and weakened adults are sometimes killed by pods of killer whales (orcas). Mature males average in length, with the head representing up to one-third of the animal's length. Plunging to , it is the third deep ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cuvier's Beaked Whale
The Cuvier's beaked whale, goose-beaked whale, or ziphius (''Ziphius cavirostris'') is the most widely distributed of all beaked whales in the family Ziphiidae. It is smaller than most baleen whales yet large among beaked whales. Cuvier's beaked whale is pelagic, inhabiting waters deeper than . It has the deepest and longest recorded dives among whales at and 222 minutes respectively, though the frequency and reasons for these extraordinary dives are unclear. Despite its deep water habitat, it is one of the most frequently spotted beached whales. The species was named ''Ziphius cavirostris'' by Georges Cuvier, based on a skull fragment which he believed to be a fossil from an extinct species. He reused the genus name ''Ziphius'' from an undetermined species mentioned by historical sources. The species name ''cavirostris'' from Latin ' "hollow" and ' "beak", refers to a bony structure (cavity) anterior of the nares (the bones of the nose), now known as the prenarial basin. It is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Killer Whale
The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white patterned body. A cosmopolitan species, orcas can be found in all of the world's oceans in a variety of marine environments, from Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas. Orcas have a diverse diet, although individual populations often specialize in particular types of prey. Some feed exclusively on fish, while others hunt marine mammals such as seals and other species of dolphin. They have been known to attack baleen whale calves, and even adult whales. Orcas are apex predators, as they have no natural predators. They are highly social; some populations are composed of very stable matrilineal family groups (pods) which are the most stable of any animal species. Their sophisticated hunting techniques and vocal behaviours, which are o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Côte D’Ivoire
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is the port city of Abidjan. It borders Guinea to the northwest, Liberia to the west, Mali to the northwest, Burkina Faso to the northeast, Ghana to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean) to the south. Its official language is French, and indigenous languages are also widely used, including Bété, Baoulé, Dioula, Dan, Anyin, and Cebaara Senufo. In total, there are around 78 different languages spoken in Ivory Coast. The country has a religiously diverse population, including numerous followers of Christianity, Islam, and indigenous faiths. Before its colonization by Europeans, Ivory Coast was home to several states, including Gyaaman, the Kong Empire, and Baoulé. The area became a protectorate of France in 1843 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Short-finned Pilot Whale
The short-finned pilot whale (''Globicephala macrorhynchus'') is one of the two species of cetaceans in the genus ''Pilot whale, Globicephala'', which it shares with the long-finned pilot whale (''G. melas''). It is part of the oceanic dolphin family (biology), family (Delphinidae). It has a Cosmopolitan distribution, worldwide distribution with a global population of about 700,000, and there may be 3 or 4 distinct populations—two in the Pacific and one in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Its range is moving northward due to global warming. In the Pacific, males average and females . It generally has a stocky build with black to dark gray or brown skin, and can be distinguished from its counterpart by shorter flippers, fewer teeth, and a shorter beak. It is thought to pursue fast-moving squid typically at a depth of , but the maximum recorded depth is . The short-finned pilot whale has been reported as being highly playful and social. It typically travels in pods of 10–30 m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
False Killer Whale
The false killer whale (''Pseudorca crassidens'') is a species of oceanic dolphin that is the only extant representative of the genus ''Pseudorca''. It is found in oceans worldwide but mainly in tropical regions. It was first described in 1846 as a species of porpoise based on a skull, which was revised when the first carcasses were observed in 1861. The name "false killer whale" comes from having a skull similar to the orca (''Orcinus orca''), or killer whale. The false killer whale reaches a maximum length of , though size can vary around the world. It is highly sociable, known to form pods of up to 50 members, and can also form pods with other dolphin species, such as the common bottlenose dolphin (''Tursiops truncatus''). It can form close bonds with other species, as well as have sexual interactions with them. But the false killer has also been known to eat other dolphins, though it typically eats squid and fish. It is a deep-diver; maximum known depth is ; maximum speed i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dixcove
Dixcove is a coastal village and a fishing community in the Ahanta West district, a district in the Western Region of South Ghana, located approximately 35 km west of the regional capital of Sekondi-Takoradi. The current Paramount Chief of Upper Dixcove is Obrempong Hima Dekyi XIV. History From the early 17th-19th century, Dixcove is in two quarters known as ''Ntwarkro'' (Upper Dixcove) and ''Daazikessie'' (Lower Dixcove). The town was centre for trade during the Gold Coast era. Economy Dixcove is the site of Fort Metal Cross, an English-built fort which was completed in 1698, which dominates the fishing village A fishing village is a village, usually located near a fishing ground, with an economy based on catching fish and harvesting seafood. The continents and islands around the world have coastlines totalling around 356,000 kilometres (221,000 m ... and town from a bluff located on the eastern side of the village. Upper and Lower Dixcove purchase premix fuel to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Melon-headed Whale
The melon-headed whale (''Peponocephala electra''), also known less commonly as the electra dolphin, little killer whale, or many-toothed blackfish, is a toothed whale of the oceanic dolphin family (Delphinidae). The common name is derived from the head shape. Melon-headed whales are widely distributed throughout deep tropical and subtropical waters worldwide, but they are rarely encountered at sea. They are found near shore mostly around oceanic islands, such as Hawaii, French Polynesia, and the Philippines. Taxonomy The melon-headed whale is the only member of the genus ''Peponocephala''. First recorded from a specimen collected in Hawaiʻi in 1841, the species was originally described as a member of the dolphin family and named ''Lagenorhynchus electra'' by John Edward Gray in 1846. The melon-headed whale was later determined to be sufficiently distinct from other ''Lagenorhynchus'' species to be accorded its own genus. A member of the subfamily Globicephalinae, melon-headed wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
_(6206904718).jpg "Click for more on -> Melon-headed Whale")