ey and to the numbers and
descriptions of baleen plates, for all baleen whales, and the numbers
and relative lengths of ventral grooves, for all balaenopterine whales
(Table 1), or to the tables on the numbers and descriptions of teeth,
for toothed whales (Table 2).

To Record and Report Information

As discussed in the preface, though learning to identify the whales,
dolphins, and porpoises one sees may be exciting in itself, many persons
may want to participate in the accumulation of data on these interesting
animals by routinely reporting their observations to scientists who are
actively studying them and who can make immediate use of the
information. The following may help these persons:

Suggestions for making and recording observations of cetaceans at sea
and sample data forms are included in Appendix C. Similar suggestions
for taking and recording data on stranded cetaceans are included in
Appendix D. For both types of data, blank data forms located after the
appendices may be photocopied in bulk for use in the field.

Completed data forms and all associated information for sightings at sea
should be forwarded to the Platforms of Opportunity Program, National
Marine Fisheries Service, Tiburon, CA 94920, or to one of the authors of
this guide. From there, they will be made available to scientists
actively studying the cetaceans of a given species or geographical area.

Completed data forms and all associated information for observations of
stranded cetaceans should be forwarded to the Division of Mammals, U.S.
National Museum, Washington, DC 20560, to one of the authors of this
guide, or to one of the regional laboratories listed in Appendix E.
These persons have, in turn, been encouraged to keep a free flow of
information among them.

Table 1. Ranges in Numbers of Teeth in Each Upper and Lower Jaw of
Western North Atlantic Odontocetes.

[P] = Page of species account
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| | |Ranges in |
| | | tooth
| | | counts |
| Species | |-----+-----|
Species common name |scientific name |[P]|Upper|Lower| Remarks
--------------------+----------------+---+-----+-----+------------------------
Sperm whale |_Physeter_ | 57| 0 |18-25|Ten to sixteen upper