Two separate whale strandings in Massachusetts recently have been linked by unusual species identification. One pilot whale stranded in the area of Duxbury followed by another pilot whale in Truro and although pilot whale strandings are relatively uncommon in the area, what makes these cases especially unique is that both animals have been identified as Short-finned pilot whales - not Long-finned pilot whales which usually frequent the northern Atlantic.

Massachusetts is far beyond the normal tropical distribution range for Short-finned pilot whales and their presence has never been documented in this state. One did strand in Rhode Island in 2001 but this was the only known case of this species inhabiting waters north of New Jersey. Their typical range is in the warmer waters in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Atlantic from Florida to Cape Hatteras.

One of the whales, a female, died before a rescue team was able to reach her,there was no obvious signs of the cause of stranding and three to four other pilot whales were sighted 50 to 100 yards off shore. It is unknown why the animals ventured into the colder waters off New England. One possibility is that the warmer weather drew them north or they may be extending their habitat range. Short-finned pilot whales are a distinctly different species than the Long-finned pilot whales. They are a smaller, shorter, deeper-chested animal with shorter pectoral flippers, fewer teeth, slightly different markings and a taller dorsal fin.

Closer to home here in the UK there was a recent sighting in Penzance, Cornwall of was a dwarf sperm whale - the species has never previously been recorded off the UK coast but has been recorded on only a handful of occasions in Europe, including Spain and France but never in Britain or Ireland. So little is known about the dwarf sperm whale it is listed as 'data deficient' on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.