부산대학교 도서관

Young adult male sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) undergo extensive nomadic movements to high latitudes. Although an oceanic species favouring deep waters, on occasions they enter the North Sea from the eastern North Atlantic. In the central and southern sectors they invariably strand on the shores of northern Europe. Although recorded in the region in all months of the year, most strandings occur between November and March. Records of sperm whale strandings along North Sea coasts from the thirteenth century to the present are documented with details of date, location, numbers of individuals and their lengths where known, and a list of published sources. Although historical estimates of lengths are likely to have been inaccurate, there is some evidence that the larger (16 m or greater), more mature, individuals recorded in earlier times have become scarce in the region since the mid 1980s.