Many people living in Southeast Asia often think they have to visit Australia, the United States or Japan to see whales, but such marine mammals can also be found in the waters in the region. Marine mammals have been sighted across Southeast Asia, one of the world’s marine biodiversity hot spots with more than 3,000 species of fish and 600 types of corals. Marcus Chua, who studies mammals at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum at the
National University of Singapore, or NUS, said the presence of marine mammals shows that local habitats can support a population of large predators, or, in the case of the dugong, large herbivores. Found off the coasts of the Philippines and Thailand between October and January in search of warmer waters for mating and reproduction, humpback whales can grow up to 18.3 meters in length and weigh up to 36,280 kilograms, or the approximate mass of three to five buses. Once hunted to the brink of extinction, their numbers have gradually recovered, thanks to conservation efforts. Another marine mammal species, sperm whales, categorized as being vulnerable to extinction, can grow up to 18 meters, with the largest brain of any animal. Though generally spotted off Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and Cambodia between April and July for feeding, mating and molting (the process of whales to exfoliate their skin), the carcass of a sperm whale was beached along Jurong Island in Singapore in 2015.
Additionally, an increase in sightings of Bryde‘s whales in Southeast Asia was reported lately, with three spotted in Thai waters in November. Also found off Indonesia and Brunei, they are among the few whale species that prefer warmer waters above 15 C. Hence, they are also known as tropical whales.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, it is estimated more than 500,000 marine mammals are incidentally captured each year on a global scale. Ship strikes pose a major threat to marine life as well, with a global average of 30 whales, dolphins and porpoises getting killed each year after being hit by ships. The risk of ship strikes is high in the waters around Singapore, including the Strait of Malacca, which are some of the busiest in the world, Chua said. He said this risk can be mitigated with the enforcement of vessel speed limits in whale collision hot spots. Read more at:
