THE FALSE KILLER WHALE (PSEUDORCA CRASSIDENS) IN THE SOUTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN: FIRST STRANDING RECORD IN COLOMBIAN WATERS1

The false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) exhibits one of the widest and most continuous distributions among cetaceans, inhabiting tropical and subtropical oceanic waters around the world (Jefferson et al., 1993). However, basic information about its biology is scarce due to the low frequency of sightings and its offshore habits. For this reason, most of the knowledge of this species has been obtained from stranded animals (Odell and McClune, 1999). In the Western Atlantic, it is common from Cape Hatteras, USA, to Tierra de