Whales of the Maldives

The Maldives is justly renowned for its idyllic tropical climate, beautiful islands and stunning coral reefs. But it is not widely known that the Maldives is also home to an abundance of whales and dolphins. They are the country's best kept secret!

The great attraction of Maldivian whales and dolphins is their diversity. About 25 species are expected to occur in Maldivian waters. 19 have been positively identified to date. These are not dusty old museum records. They are based on recent sightings. On one particular trip in 1998, 16 different species were recorded!

Among the whales, the big three are the blue whale, Bryde's whale and sperm whale. Shortfin pilot whales are particularly common, while other specialities include dwarf sperm whales and Cuvier's beaked whales. Melon-headed whales are commonest around the southern atolls, where they occur in enormous schools of 500 or more, and regularly bowride.

Among the dolphins, by far the most abundant, and the most acrobatic, is the spinner dolphin. Risso's dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, pantropical spotted dolphins and striped dolphins are all common. Fraser's dolphins and rough-toothed dolphins also occur

Cetacean research in the Maldives is in its infancy, and there is still much to learn. However, several exciting discoveries have already been made.

• Blue whales: Blue whales occur regularly in Maldivian waters. These whales probably belong to the distinct northern Indian Ocean subspecies (Balaenoptera musculus indica). Genetic studies are underway to clarify their true taxonomic position.
• Sightings programme: Sightings records have been maintained since 1990. Many new findings regarding cetacean behaviour and distribution have been made.
• Strandings programme: The Maldivian Government's Marine Research Centre has started a strandings recording programme. This programme has already turned up two first records for the Maldives, as well as providing new insights into the seasonal distributions and sizes of some species.
• Beaked whales: The presence of three species of beaked whales has been confirmed in the Maldives. A fourth species is expected. These elusive animals appear to be relatively common in the Maldives, and further work is underway to determine their local distributions and suitability for more detailed study.

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