Dolphins, Porpoise & Dugong: Singapore’s Wild Marine Mammals Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin Sousa chinensis Bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus aduncus / Tursiops aduncus Irrawaddy dolphin Orcaella brevirostris Colour varies with age from dark grey when young (see below right photo) to pink when adult. Young adults appear speckled grey and pink. Long beak (jaw) and hump on back in front of dorsal fin. Maximum length is approx. 2.8 m (9.2 ft) 1 . Dorsal fin Beak (jaw) Dark grey with pale sometimes pink underside. Prominent beak (jaw) and large dorsal fin. Maximum length is approx. 2.7 m (8.9 ft) 1 . Varying grey colour with pale underside. Rounded head without prominent beak (jaw). Small rounded dorsal fin. Maximum length is approx. 2.8 m (9.2 ft) 1 . Courtesy of Dr Thomas A. Jefferson Courtesy of Dr Mai Sakai, The University of Tokyo 1 & Ilustrations Jefferson, T.A., Webber, M.A. & Pitman, R.L.(2008). Marine Mammals of the World: A Comprehensive Guide to their Identification. (1st Ed). Academic Press. Grey-brown colour with pale underside. Bulbous chin with two nostrils on top of snout. No dorsal fin. Maximum length is approx. 3.3 m (10.8 ft) 1 . Dugong Dugong dugon Dark grey in colour with rounded head. No distinctive beak (jaw) or dorsal fin. Maximum length is approx. 1.7 m (5.6 ft) 1 . Finless porpoise Neophocaena phocaenoides Courtesy of Laurence Couquiaud-Deversin Courtesy of Wang Xiaoqiang, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences Sighting Details All sighting records are extremely important. Please fill out as much of the form as you can. Be as accurate as possible. Use a separate form for each sighting and species. Contact Information Name Address Tel Email Can we contact you if we ¨ Yes ¨ No need more information? Location and Time Country Location (for example the jetty at St. John’s Island) GPS Coordinates (if known) Latitude degrees mins North Longitude degrees mins East Distance of animals from observer m Direction of travel of animals Date DD / MM / YYYY Time : am / pm Duration of sighting mins Sighting Details Which species? ¨ Bottlenose dolphin ¨ Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin ¨ Irrawaddy dolphin ¨ Finless porpoise ¨ Dugong ¨ Other species ¨ Not sure Photographs and Videos If you have taken photographs or videos of the sightings, you may wish to send them to us via email at [email protected] Weather and Sea Conditions (Optional) Sea state ¨ 0 - Mirror calm ¨ 1 - Slight ripples ¨ 2 - Small wavelets ¨ 3 - Large wavelets, crests begin to break, some whitecaps ¨ 4 - Longer waves, many whitecaps ¨ 5 - Moderate waves ¨ 6 - Large waves, whitecaps everywhere ¨ 7+ - Breaking waves, whitefoam everywhere Description of Water ¨ Clear ¨ Muddy ¨ Cloudy ¨ Debris ¨ Greenish ¨ Blue Weather Conditions ¨ Sunny ¨ Cloudy ¨ Very Cloudy ¨ Raining Overall Visibility ¨ Excellent ¨ Good ¨ Poor Wind Direction ° Wind Speed m/s / knots Estimated m Depth of Water Number of adults Number of calves Distinctive marks (number, position, colour, scars etc.) What was their behaviour? ¨ Bow-riding ¨ Leaping ¨ Spy-hopping ¨ Milling ¨ Travelling ¨ Others ¨ Not sure What activities were you engaged in during the sightings? ¨ Travelling on a boat ¨ Swimming / Snorkelling / Diving ¨ Fishing ¨ Sightseeing onshore ¨ Others Other animals present (birds, fish etc.) Observed ¨ with binoculars ¨ without binoculars Other comments How to identify marine mammals in Singapore? Skin Colour? Pink Grey Prominent dorsal fin? Beak (jaw)? Blowhole? Quick moving Nostrils/Flat Snout? Generally slow swimmer No Dorsal fin? Yes No Yes Yes No Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin Dugong Finless porpoise Irrawaddy dolphin Bottlenose Dolphin Blowhole Nostrils