Whales and Dolphins of Maldives by Rachel Lambert

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SIX SENSES LAAMU PRESENTATION
ONE FULL PAGE IMAGE FOR A DIVIDER
SLIDE
Rachel Lambert
Marine Biologist
Six Senses Laamu
Whales and Dolphins
of the Maldives
R. Lambert
SIX SENSES LAAMU |
Copyright 2013 Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas |
www.sixsenses.com
Define cetaceans
Identify the 23 whales and dolphins of the Maldives
Discuss their biology, ecology and behaviour
Focus on spinner dolphins
Highlight the issue of disturbance
Introduce the dolphin watching guidelines which
should
be followed
Whales and Dolphins of the Maldives
WHALES AND DOLPHINS OF THE MALDIVES
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Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cetacea
wholly (all) marine mammals
whales, dolphins & porpoises
Whales and Dolphins
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Marine mammals
Homeothermic
Live young
Mammary glands
Suckle on milk
Lungs
Hair
Cetaceans
R. Lambert/HEPCA
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External Anatomy
Dorsal Fin
Tail Fluke
Pectoral Fins
(Flippers)
Melon
Blowhole
Rostrum/
Beak
R. Lambert/HEPCA
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2 extant sub-orders:
Mysticeti baleen whales
Odontoceti toothed
whales
At least 85 species
14 mysticetes
71 odontocetes
Cetaceans
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Baleen whales
Possess baleen plates
Filter feeders
Rorquals have ventral pleats
Two nostrils (blowholes)
Large whales
3 species in the Maldives
(Anderson et al. 2012)
Mysticeti
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Balaenoptera musculus
Family: Balaenopteridae
27 33 m
180,000 kg
Broad U-shaped head
10 m blow
Feeds on shrimp-like krill

Blue Whale
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Balaenoptera edeni
15 17 m
3 distinct ridges on head
Lives year-round in tropical waters
Livelier lunge feeding
Brydes Whale
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Megaptera novaeangliae
14 17 m
Distinctive hump on back
Tubercles (lumps) on head
Energetic leaps
Krill and schooling fish
Sing
Humpback Whale
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Toothed whales
Teeth
One nostril (blowhole)
Posses a melon
Echolocation
(Anderson et al. 2012)
Odontoceti
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Produce high frequency sounds above 120 kHz
Click train
Detect the echoes when the sound bounces back off
objects
Phonic lips create the sound which is focused by the
melon
Sound is received by the lower jaw
Can determine the physical features of their
environment
Locate and hunt prey
Biosonar
Echolocation
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Physeter macrocephalus
Family: Physeteridae
12 18 m
Largest toothed whale
Submarine shape
Left angled, bushy blow
Spermaceti organ
Diving 2000 m+ for squid
Sperm Whale
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Kogia sima
Family: Kogiidae
2.5 2.7 m
Dark blue/ olive brown skin
Deep waters
Feed on deep-sea squid, fish and crustaceans
Little knowledge
Dwarf Sperm Whale
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Family: Ziphiidae
Mysterious whales
Strandings data mostly
All deep diving
Feeding mostly on squid
Difficult to identify in the field
4 7 m
Beaked Whales
Blainvilles beaked whale
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Cuviers beaked whale
Ziphius cavirostris
Blainvilles beaked whale
Mesoplodon densirostris
Longmans beaked whale
Indopacetus pacificus
Ginko-toothed beaked whale*
Mesoplodon ginkgodens
Atoll beaked whale*
Mesoplodon hotaula
Beaked Whales
Cuviers beaked whale
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Globicephala macrorhynchus
Family: Delphinidae
5 7 m
Large, bulbous head
Broad-based dorsal fin
Warm, deep waters
Feed mostly on squid
Highly social
Short Finned Pilot Whale
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Orcinus orca
Family: Delphinidae
8 10 m
Largest of the dolphin family
Black with white patches
Male dorsal up to 2 m
3 types of orca - transients
Highly intelligent and social
Orca (Killer Whale)
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Pseudorca crassidens
Family: Delphinidae
5 6 m
Uniformly dark grey/ black
Rounded head
Tropical/ sub-tropical waters
Feed on large pelagic fish and sometimes dolphins
False Killer Whale
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Feresa attenuata
Family: Delphinidae
2 2.6 m
Dark grey or black
Dark cape down the back
White lips
Deep, tropical and subtropical waters
Feed mostly on fish and squid
Pygmy Killer Whale
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Peponocephala electra
Family: Delphinidae
2.6 2.8 m
Dark grey or black
White lips
Slim body
Offshore in tropical and subtropical waters
Feed on pelagic fish and squid
Melon Headed Whale
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Lagenodelphis hosei
Family: Delphinidae
2.6 2.7 m
Bluish-grey back
Cream-pink underbelly
Pantropical, oceanic distribution
Dive up to 500 m to catch mid-water fish and squid
Frasers Dolphin
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Stenella coeruleoalba
Family: Delphinidae
2 2.6 m
Bluish grey
White stripes
Tropical and subtropical waters
Often hundreds are seen together
Opportunistic feeder squid, fish, crustaceans
Striped Dolphin
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Stenella attenuata
Family: Delphinidae
1.7 2.6 m
Grey colouration
Adults have spots
Pantropical distribution
Feeds at night on fish, crustaceans and squid
Pantropical Spotted Dolphin
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Grampus griseus
Family: Delphinidae
2.6 3.8 m
Bulbous, rounded head
Dark grey
White scars accumulate
Preference for deep water
Feeds on squid at night
Rissos Dolphin
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Steno bredanensis
Family: Delphinidae
2.5 2.8 m
Primitive appearance
Head slopes smoothly
Cookie cutter scars
Offshore in tropical and subtropical waters
Feed on fish and cephalopods
Rough Toothed Dolphin
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Tursiops truncatus
Family: Delphinidae
2.8 - 3.8 m
Uniformly grey
Stocky body
Curved dorsal fin
Coastal distribution worldwide
Opportunistic feeder - fish, squid, crustaceans
Common Bottlenose Dolphin
D. Feingold/Sea Watch Foundation
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Tursiops aduncus
Family: Delphinidae
2.4 2.7 m
Confused with the commons
Adults may have spots
Prefer shallow waters
Indian and western Pacific oceans
Feed on fish and squid
Indo Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin
R. Lambert
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Stenella longirostris
Family: Delphinidae
1.8 2.3 m
Grey with a light stripe
Underside can be pink
Long, pointed rostrum
Tropical waters
Spinner Dolphin
R. Lambert
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Unique spinning behaviour during leaps
Record is 7 rotations in one leap
Form of communication
Dislodges parasites
Excitement
Play
Showing off
Spinner Dolphin Behaviour - Spinning
R. Lambert
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Sleep during the day
- inside the atoll
Rest half the brain at a time
Hunt mesopelagic fish and
squid at night
Dive to 300 m to catch prey
Seen travelling out of the atoll at sunset
Spinner Dolphin Behaviour
R. Lambert/HEPCA
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Sound communication
Primary method of communication
Echolocation
Whistles
Signature whistles (Caldwell & Caldwell 1965)
Co-ordinate hunting
Mothercalf cohesion
Alarm calls
Acoustic Communication
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Touch
Physical contact
Caress others with flippers and beak
Mothers and young calves
Aggressive Tactile Communication:
Biting
Tail slapping and leaping onto others
Pushing others underwater
Tactile Communication
R. Lambert/HEPCA
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Blow bubbles when whistling
Counter-shading
Aggressive Visual Communication:
Wave tail from side to side
Head shaking
Tail slapping
Staring
Swimming quickly towards others
Visual Communication
R. Lambert/HEPCA
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Allows people to see dolphins in their natural habitat
Developed rapidly in the 1980s and seen as an
alternative
to whaling
The industry was never regulated and concerns
developed

Dolphin Watching
R. Lambert
SIX SENSES LAAMU |
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THE major conservation concern
Changes in the behaviour
of the animals
Can affect their survival

Disturbance
R. Lambert
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Injury collision/ propeller
Can lead to death

Immediate Impacts
Institute of Zoology Sea Watch Foundation
R. Lambert/Sea Watch Foundation
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Disruption of or changes in:
swimming speed & direction
surfacing behaviour (breathing)
communication
group size/ cohesion
mating or nursing
feeding/ resting patterns
increased aggression

Short - term Impacts
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Bay of Islands, N.Z. resting behaviour of
bottlenose dolphins decreased (Constantine et al. 2004)
Western Australia group structure of bottlenose
dolphins changed (Arcangeli & Crosti 2008)
New South Wales dive times of humpback whales
were higher (Stamation et al. 2010)

Examples
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Alter their distribution and range
Habitat abandonment
ecological impacts
Increased chronic stress
reduced reproductive success
and higher mortality

Long term Impacts
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Six Senses Laamu Code of Conduct
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Keep at least 50 m away from dolphins
For whales, keep at least 100 m away
No more than 3 boats should be within 150 m of
dolphins
and 300 m of whales
Boats should spend no more than 30 minutes with
whales or
dolphins
Do not approach from directly behind or head on
Boats should travel side-by-side to the animals
Allow the dolphins to choose to approach the boat

Code of Conduct
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No rapid changes in speed or rapid changes in
direction
- be predictable
Reduce speed to less than 6 knots when within 150 m
Do not cut them off or chase them
Do not encircle or box in the animals, always allow the animals an escape
route
Do not separate mothers and calves
Do not attempt to feed, touch or swim with whales or
dolphins

Code of Conduct
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All whales and dolphins are protected under Maldivian
law
(May 1993)
IWCs Indian Ocean Whale and Dolphin Sanctuary
Codes of conduct implemented worldwide
Encourage sustainable tourism
Reduce disturbance
Enhance the guest experience
Ensure the future of the trips
Concluding Remarks
SIX SENSES LAAMU |
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Anderson, R.C., Sattar, S.A. & Adam, M.S. 2012 Cetaceans in the Maldives: a
review. J. Cetacean Res. Manage. 12(2): 219-225
Arcangeli, A. & Crosti, R. (2009) The short-term impact of dolphin-watching
on the behaviour of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in western
Australia. Journal of Marine Animals and Their Ecology, 2: 7pp.
Caldwell, M. C. & Caldwell, D. K. (1965) Individualized whistle contours in
bottlenosed dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Nature 207, 434435.
Constantine, R., Brunton, D.H. & Dennis, T. (2004) Dolphin-watching tour
boats changes bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) behaviour. Biological
Conservation 117: 299-307
Stamation, K.A., Croft, D.B., Shaughnessy, P.D., Waples, K.A. & Brigss, S.V.
(2010) Behavioural response of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) to
whale-watching vessels on the southeastern coast of Australia. Marine
Mammal Science, 26 (1): 98-122.
WDC Species Guide (http://www2.wdcs.org/species/about2.php)

References
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Photo Credits
Arkive photos used under their for use in educational material terms and
conditions:
teachers, lecturers and students may incorporate the Material in their educational material (including, but
not limited to, their lesson plans, presentations, worksheets and projects) in hard copy and digital format for
use within a registered educational establishment, provided that the integrity of the Material is maintained
and that copyright ownership and authorship is appropriately acknowledged by the End User. (http://
www.arkive.org/about/terms-of-use)

Hurghada Environmental Protection and Conservation Association

Sea Watch Foundation

ONE FULL PAGE IMAGE FOR A DIVIDER
SLIDE
Thank You For
Listening
R. Lambert
THANK YOU
Contact Information | www.sixsenses.com

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