Marine Mammals

Marine Life / Marine Mammals

The dolphins, whales and dugongs that share Philippine waters, from spinner dolphin pods to migrating humpbacks.

• Spinner Dolphin Stenella longirostris

  The spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris) is a slender, long-beaked dolphin famous for leaping and spinning high above the water.

• Pantropical Spotted Dolphin Stenella attenuata

  The pantropical spotted dolphin (Stenella attenuata) is a fast, slender dolphin whose skin becomes increasingly speckled with age.

• Striped Dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba

  The striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) is an acrobatic oceanic dolphin marked by a dark stripe from eye to flipper and along the flank.

• Common Dolphin Delphinus delphis

  The common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) is a fast, sociable dolphin recognised by the yellowish hourglass pattern on its flanks.

• Common Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus

  The common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is a robust grey dolphin with a short, thick beak and a curious, adaptable nature.

• Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops aduncus

  The Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) is a coastal dolphin with a longer beak than its offshore cousin and dark belly speckles in adults.

• Fraser's Dolphin Lagenodelphis hosei

  Fraser's dolphin (Lagenodelphis hosei) is a stocky, short-beaked oceanic dolphin with a dark band along its side and small fins.

• Risso's Dolphin Grampus griseus

  Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) is a blunt-headed, heavily scarred dolphin that turns paler with age.

• Rough-toothed Dolphin Steno bredanensis

  The rough-toothed dolphin (Steno bredanensis) has a long, cone-shaped head with no clear crease between melon and beak.

• Irrawaddy Dolphin Orcaella brevirostris

  The Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) is a round-headed, beakless coastal dolphin found in a few small Philippine populations.

• Short-finned Pilot Whale Globicephala macrorhynchus

  The short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) is a dark, bulbous-headed oceanic dolphin that lives in tight family groups.

• Pygmy Killer Whale Feresa attenuata

  The pygmy killer whale (Feresa attenuata) is a small, dark, round-headed oceanic dolphin with white lips and a dark cape.

• False Killer Whale Pseudorca crassidens

  The false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) is a long, dark, slender oceanic dolphin with a distinctive bulge on each flipper.

• Killer Whale Orcinus orca

  The killer whale or orca (Orcinus orca) is the largest member of the dolphin family, with bold black-and-white markings and a tall dorsal fin.

• Melon-headed Whale Peponocephala electra

  The melon-headed whale (Peponocephala electra) is a dark oceanic dolphin with a triangular, cone-shaped head that lives in large herds.

• Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae

  The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a large baleen whale with extremely long flippers that visits northern Philippine waters to breed.

• Blue Whale Balaenoptera musculus

  The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is the largest animal known to have ever lived, a mottled blue-grey baleen whale of the open ocean.

• Bryde's Whale Balaenoptera edeni

  Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera edeni) is a tropical baleen whale identified by three parallel ridges on top of its head.

• Omura's Whale Balaenoptera omurai

  Omura's whale (Balaenoptera omurai) is a little-known tropical rorqual with an asymmetrically coloured lower jaw.

• Fin Whale Balaenoptera physalus

  The fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) is the second-largest animal on Earth, a fast, slender rorqual with an asymmetrically coloured jaw.

• Common Minke Whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata

  The common minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) is the smallest rorqual, with a pointed snout and a white band on each flipper.

• Sperm Whale Physeter macrocephalus

  The sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) is the largest toothed whale, with a huge box-shaped head and a forward-angled bushy blow.

• Pygmy Sperm Whale Kogia breviceps

  The pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps) is a small, shy, shark-like whale with a squarish head and an underslung jaw.

• Dwarf Sperm Whale Kogia sima

  The dwarf sperm whale (Kogia sima) is the smallest whale species, a shy deep-water hunter with a taller dorsal fin than its pygmy cousin.

• Cuvier's Beaked Whale Ziphius cavirostris

  Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris) is a record-breaking deep diver with a short beak and a goose-like head profile.

• Dugong Dugong dugon

  The dugong (Dugong dugon) is a gentle, seagrass-grazing sea cow with a fluked tail, found in a few Philippine coastal areas.