This document provides information to identify several marine mammals that can be found in Singapore waters. It describes the physical characteristics of five species: Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, finless porpoise, bottlenose dolphin, Irrawaddy dolphin, and dugong. For each species it notes details like skin color, presence of a dorsal fin or beak, maximum body length, and general swimming speed. The document aims to help identify these marine mammals based on visual characteristics.

1. How to identify marine mammals in Singapore?
Skin Colour?
Pink Grey
Dorsal fin?
Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin
Sousa chinensis
Yes No
Colour varies with age from dark grey when young to pink when adult. Young adults appear speckled grey and
pink. Long beak (jaw) and hump on back in front of dorsal fin.
Maximum body length is approx. 2.8 m (9.2 ft).1
Blowhole? Nostrils/Flat
No Beak (jaw)? Quick moving Snout?
Generally slow swimmer
Prominent
dorsal fin?
Finless porpoise
Neophocaena phocaenoides
Yes Yes No Light grey to cream at birth and darken to charcoal gray as adults. Rounded head.
No distinctive beak (jaw) or dorsal fin.
Maximum body length is approx. 1.7 m (5.6 ft).1
Bottlenose dolphin Irrawaddy dolphin Dugong
Tursiops truncatus aduncus / Tursiops aduncus Orcaella brevirostris Dugong dugon
Dark grey on upper surface (dorsal) with pale sometimes pink lower surface Varying uniform grey colour with pale underside. Smoothly rounded head without Grey-brown colour with pale underside. Small eyes. Bulbous chin with two nostrils
(ventral). Prominent beak (jaw) and large dorsal fin. prominent beak (jaw). Small rounded dorsal fin. on top of snout. Broad, flattened rostral disk at the end of the large muzzle
Maximum body length is approx. 2.7 m (8.9 ft).1 Maximum body length is approx. 2.8 m (9.2 ft).1 distinctly turned downward. No dorsal fin.
Maximum body length is approx. 3.3 m (10.8 ft).1
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.
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