Pygmy Killer Whale

Feresa attenuata

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cetartiodactyla
Family: Delphinidae
Genus: Feresa
Species: Feresa attenuata

The pygmy killer whale (Feresa attenuata) is a small, slender oceanic dolphin with a rounded head, no beak and a dark grey body marked by a darker cape. Its lips and chin are often white, and the flipper tips are rounded.

It grows to about 2.6 m and lives in small, cohesive groups over deep tropical waters, feeding on fish and squid. It is easily confused with the melon-headed whale, which has more pointed flippers and a more triangular head.

In the Philippines it is one of the less commonly encountered oceanic dolphins, with records from offshore surveys and occasional strandings. Sightings are almost always from vessels over deep water.

Photo: Richard Fuller, CC0 1.0, via iNaturalist