Pygmy Right Whale Sightings and Strandings Near Australia and New Zealand, 1884-2007

196 opportunistic records of Caperea marginata sightings and strandings from the vicinity of Australia and New Zealand, spanning from 1884 to early 2007. The dataset was compiled by Parks Australia to relate whale distribution to oceanographic and climatic variability, identifying seven coastal hotspots. Records show seasonal and inter-annual patterns, with 75% occurring in spring and summer.

Use Cases

• Identify whale distribution hotspots based on the seven coastal locations accounting for 61% of records.
• Analyze seasonal patterns of whale occurrences based on the 75% of records from spring and summer.
• Investigate correlations between whale records and climatic phenomena like El Niño based on the described inter-annual variability.
• Study the association between whale presence and areas of high marine productivity (upwelling/zooplankton) mentioned in the description.

Strengths

• 196 records spanning over a century (1884-2007) provide a long-term perspective.
• Identifies seven specific coastal whale hotspots, accounting for 61% of records with locality data.
• Records include temporal (monthly, seasonal) and geographic (69% from Australia) distribution details.

Limitations

• Row count and column-level documentation are unknown, limiting suitability assessment.
• Data is described as opportunistic, which may introduce geographic and temporal sampling bias.
• Freshness should be verified; the last platform update was 2026-07-15.

Provenance

Source

Parks Australia, aggregating research relevant to Australian Marine Parks.

Collection Method

Opportunistic sightings and strandings records.

Time Range

1884 to early 2007

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-15 02:16:53.570626; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Vicinity of Australia and New Zealand