Little known about rare Omura’s whale spotted this week in Krabi
An unfamiliar name, ‘Omura’s whale’, made news headlines this week after a rare albino whale was spotted recently in the Andaman Sea and is believed to be one of these endangered sea mammals.
A tourist travelling by boat spotted the white whale near the Phi Phi Islands in Krabi province.
Marine expert Thon Thamrongnawasawat said this week that the probability of sighting a white Omura’s whale was about one in 10 million or more, adding that the latest one to be spotted could be the first ever seen here.
The Nation will take you along on our journey to learn about this unique whale, getting to know the Omura’s behaviours and habitats. But we must caution that much about this species remains a mystery.
Also known as the Dwarf Fin whale, the Omura’s whale, has the scientific name of Balaenoptera omurai after Japanese cetologist Hideo Omura. Scientists used to believe it to be a small, dwarf or pygmy form of Bryde’s whale. However, later evidence revealed it to be an early offshoot from the rorqual lineage, diverging much earlier than Bryde’s and sei whales. It is perhaps more closely related to its larger relative, the Blue whale.
An adult Omura’s whale has an average length of 10-11.5 metres and can weigh up to 20 tonnes. The sea mammals are usually spotted near coastal areas, while most of the information about the species was gathered from a corpse found in 2003.
Omura’s whales share several characteristics with Bryde's whales, albeit smaller. Its back fins are also more arched and located closer to the tail. An Omura’s whale also has a ridge on its head, while Bryde's whales have three.
Omura’s whales feed on small fish and krill, with their habitats spread throughout tropical and warm climates, both in coastal and offshore areas. Most frequent sighting locations include the eastern India Ocean and western Pacific Ocean.
In Thailand, it is believed there are about 15 Omura’s whales in the Andaman Sea as well as the Gulf of Thailand from the coastal provinces of Prachuap Khiri Khan to Songkhla.
It is a “baleen” whale, characterised by a series of fringed plates hanging in their mouths that are used to strain seawater for food.
The National Science Museum has explained that baleen whales, which include Omura’s and Bryde’s, are crucial to the marine ecosystem due to their nitrogen-rich excrement that feeds the sea plankton.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the status of Omura’s whales is “data deficient”, meaning there is insufficient information so far collected to determine its current situation. They are, however, protected under the 2019 Wild Animal Conservation and Protection Act.
