Pilot whale occurrence is believed to be prey-driven. In the North Atlantic, long-finned pilot whales occur mostly in deep offshore waters and along the edges of continental shelves. The long-finned pilot whale has no species conservation status as knowledge of population boundaries is still incomplete. Long-finned pilot whales ( Globicephala melas) occur in temperate and sub-polar waters, including both oceanic and coastal waters of the North Atlantic, where surveys yielded an abundance estimate of 778,000 individuals (coefficient of variation = 0.30). It is unlikely that the soles entered the airways after the death of the whales and we believe therefore that they are responsible for the death of these animals. It is also possible that the fish enter the airways whilst the whale is re-articulating the larynx after trying to ingest large, oddly shaped prey. This risk may be due to the fish’s flexible bodies which can enter small cavities either actively in an attempt to escape or passively due to the whale ‘coughing’ or ‘sneezing’ to rid itself of the blockage of the trachea. Flatfish are not a primary prey species for pilot whales and are rarely eaten by other cetaceans, such as harbour porpoises ( Phocoena phocoena), in which there are several reports of asphyxiation due to airway obstruction by soles. Here we report the stranding, necropsy and diet study results as well as discuss the unusual nature of this phenomenon. Whilst asphyxiation has been reported in smaller odontocetes, there are no recent records of this occurring in Globicephala species. This is a rare cause of death in cetaceans. Both animals shared the same, unusual cause of death: asphyxiation from a common sole ( Solea solea) stuck in their nasal cavity. Long-finned pilot whales ( Globicephala melas) are rare visitors to the southern North Sea, but recently two individual strandings occurred on the Dutch coast.
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