First record of Omura’s whale, Balaenoptera omurai , in Sri Lankan waters

摘要

An unusually coloured, small baleen whale was documented off the southern coast of Sri Lanka in February 2017 during routine field surveys. Based on five distinct morphological characteristics including jaw asymmetry, presence of a prominent central rostral ridge, blaze on right side, asymmetrical chevron on left and right sides and a strongly falcate dorsal fin the individual was positively identified as an Omura’s whale ( Balaenoptera omurai ). This discovery represents the first confirmed sighting of Omura’s whale in Sri Lankan and therefore central Northern Indian Ocean waters.