Patterns of recent marine mammal strandings along the upper Texas coast.

From October 1980 through 20 May 1987, there have been 208 stranded marine mammals reported in the Galveston region of the Texas coast. Of these, 90.4% were bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), 5% were stenellid dolphins, 2.4% were kogiid whales, and there was one each of roughtooth dolphin (Steno bredanensis), false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens), and Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus). Stenellids stranded most often during April-July, and kogiid strandings usually occurred during November-January. Tursiops strongly exhibited bi-modal seasonality, with the principle peak during February-March (63.2%) and a minor peak during November-December (18.1%) with no Tursiops strandings during July or August. Virtually all age-classes of Tursiops are represented in these data. Although a wide size range exists among physically mature Tursiops, these strandings provide a clear description of size at birth and early growth of local stocks of this species. Causes and contributory factors of strandings included calf-birth, shark attack, disease, and man- induced injuries.