Marine Mammal
Species | Anthropogenic Threats | Acknowledgemnet

Saifullah A. Jaaman 1,2

Department of Zoology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, United Kingdom. 
E-mail: s.jaaman@abdn.ac.uk.

Marine Mammals and Whale Shark Research and Conservation Programme, Borneo Marine Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Locked Bag 2073, 88999 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
 

SPECIES KNOWN TO OCCUR IN MALAYSIA AND THEIR DISTRIBUTION 

Although Payne et al. (1985) described some whale, dolphin, and dugong species found in the South China Sea and on the western coast of Borneo, they did not give details of any sighting or stranding reported. In general, "paus" and "lumba-lumba" are the words used in Bahasa Malaysia, they mean whale and dolphin. Examination of the further published and unpublished literature indicates that 2 species of Mysticeti, 19 Odontoceti, and one sirenian have been confirmed either to reside in or transit Malaysian territorial and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) waters (Table 1). 

 

TABLE 1:     

Checklist of all confirmed marine mammal species found in Malaysia (Ma), Brunei (Br), Singapore (Si), Thailand (Th), Myanmar (My), Cambodia (Ca), Vietnam (Vi), Indonesia (In) and the Philippines (Ph). [Source: Perrin et al., In press]

NO

SPECIES / COUNTRY
Ma

Br

Si

Th

My

Ca

Vi

In

Ph

1.

Megaptera novaeangliae (Humpback Whale)

 

 

 

 

 

 

x

x

x

2.

Balaenoptera acutorostrata (Minke Whale)
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 

3.

Balaenoptera edeni (Bryde's Whale)'s Whale)

x

x

 

 

x

 

 

x

x

4.

Balaenoptera borealis (Sei Whale)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

x

 

5.

Balaenoptera physalus (Fin Whale)

x

 

 

 

 

 

 

x

x

6.

Balaenoptera musculus (Blue Whale)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

x

 

7.

Physeter macrocephalus (Sperm Whale)

x

 

 

 

 

 

 

x

x

8.

Kogia breviceps (Pygmy Sperm Whale)

x

 

 

x
 
 

x

x

x

9.

Kogia sima (Dwarf Sperm Whale)

 

 

 

x
 
 

x

x

x

10.

Ziphius cavirostris (Cuvier's Beaked Whale)'s Beaked Whale)

x

 

 

 

 

 

 

x

x

11.

Mesoplodon ginkgodens (Ginko-Toothed Beaked Whale)

 

 

 

x
 
 
 

 

 

12.

Mesoplodon densirostris (Blainville's Beaked Whale)'s Beaked Whale)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

x

13.

Steno bredanensis (Rough-Toothed Dolphin)

x

x

 

x
 
 

x

x

x

14.

Sousa chinensis (Indo-Pacific Humpbacked Dolphin)

x

x

x

x

x
 

x

x

 

15.

Tursiops truncatus (Common Bottlenose Dolphin)

x

x
 
 
 
 
 
 

x

16.

Tursiops aduncus (Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin)

x

x

x

x

x
 

x

x
 

17.

Stenella attenuata (Pantropical Spotted Dolphin)

x

 

 

x

x
 

x

x

x

18.

Stenella longirostris ( Spinner Dolphin)

x

x

 

x

x
 

x

x

x

19.

Stenella coeruleoalba (Striped Dolphin)

 

 

 

x
 
 

x

x

x

20.

Delphinus sp. (Common Dolphin)

x
 

x

x

x
 

x

x

 

21.

Lagenodelphis hosei (Fraser's Dolphin)'s Dolphin)

x

 

 

 

 

 

 

x

x

22.

Grampus griseus (Risso's Dolphin)'s Dolphin)

x

x

 

 

x

 

x

x

x

23.

Peponocephala electra (Melon-Headed Whale)

x

 

 

x
 
 

x

x

x

24.

Feresa attenuata (Pygmy Killer Whale)

x

 

 

x
 
 

x

x

x

25.

Pseudorca crassidens (False Killer Whale)

x

 

 

x
 
 

x

x

x

26.

Orcinus orca (Killer Whale)

x

 

 

 

 

 

 

x

x

27.

Globicephala macrorhynchus (Short-Finned Pilot Whale)

x

x

 

x
 
 

x

x

x

28.

Orcaella brevirostris (Irrawaddy Dolphin)

x

x

 

x

x
 

x

x

x

29.

Neophocaena phocaenoides (Finless Porpoise)

x

x

x

x
 
 

x

x

x

30.

Dugong dugon (Dugong)

x

x

x

x

x
 

x

x

x

Note: Classification and scientific names follow Rice (1998).

There is also evidence to suggest that a further eight species of cetaceans stray into or pass through Malaysian waters at least occasionally. This observation is based on species [humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), sei whale (B. borealis), blue whale (B. musculus), dwarf sperm whale (Kogia sima), ginko-toothed beaked whale (Mesoplodon gingkodens), Blainville's beaked whale (M. densirostris) and striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba)] that have been positively identified in neighbouring countries - Brunei, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines.