My research interests focus on the general ecology of cetaceans (whales and dolphins), including their natural history, trophic ecology, anatomy, population genetics, strandings and health. For this I use a diverse array of research methods and also collaborate widely with colleagues in related research areas to gain a more holistic picture of variations in the populations found in our local Eastern Cape waters in South Africa.

• 1. Notes on stomach contents of pygmy and dwarf sperm whales (Kogia spp.) from around JapanAyaka T. Matsuda, Tadasu K. Yamada, Yuko Tajima, Masao Amano, Takashi Matsuishi and Fumika Noto2. Comparative analysis of the genetic structures of Kogia species populations in the western North Pacific.Shin Nishida, Tadasu K. Yamada, Yuko Tajima and Atsushi Uchimura3. A first record of digenean parasites of the dwarf sperm whale Kogia sima with morphological and molecular informationAkira Shiozaki, Tadasu K. Yamada, Yuko Tajima, Masao Amano and Shotaro Nakagun4. A HISTOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE FACIAL HAIR FOLLICLES IN THE PYGMY SPERM WHALE (Kogia breviceps)Alfredo López Fernandez, Névia Lamas, Pablo Covelo, Uxía Vázquez and Nuria Alemañ5. Population structure of pygmy (Kogia breviceps) and dwarf (Kogia sima) sperm whales in the Southern Hemisphere: implications for foraging ecology and dispersalStephanie Plön, Charles Scott Baker, Padraig Duignan, Shane Lavery, Ric Bernard and Koen van Waerebee