Indian Ocean Humpback Dolphin

• IUCN: Endangered
• Other names: Was mistakenly considered as being Sousa Chinensis though recently established as Plumbea
• Swahili name: Unknown
• Length: 2-2.8m
• Weight: 150-200kg
• Life expectancy: approx. 25 years
• Abundance: Tropical and subtropical coastal waters in the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific
• Occurance: Year round
• Primary prey: Fish and squid
• Conservation status: Unknown, though there are concerns with fishery bycatch in many areas
• Quick key identification: Distinct robust body with a small dorsal fin on top of “hump”. Well defined beak and robust body. Brown/gray colour sometimes with a white/pink on the dorsal fin. Distinct difference of teeth distribution with 33-39 teeth on upper jaw and 31-37 on lower jaw.

Usually emerge from water nose first and shy species. The habitat preference of humpback dolphins for shallow waters places them in some of the world’s most intensively utilized, fished, shipped, modified and polluted waters. Intermingle with different dolphin species. For a long time classified as Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin or Sousa Chinensis and from a distance a Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin.