Kogia sima | UAE National Red List of Mammals: Marine and Terrestrial

Taxa
Kogia sima | (Owen, 1866)
Publication
UAE National Red List of Mammals: Marine and Terrestrial
Location
Countries in Assessment
United Arab Emirates
Country ISO code(s)
ARE
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Off
Scope (Assessment)
National
Taxon
Taxonomic Group
Vertebrates
Taxonomic Group Level 2
Mammals
Assessed taxon level
Species
Taxonomic Notes
This species was not widely recognized until 1966, therefore, in literature that predates this time it is often not clear which species of Kogia is intended. No subspecies of K. sima are currently recognized. However, based on mitochondrial cytochrome b gene sequencing, it has been suggested that K. sima consists of two species: one in the Atlantic and the other in the Indo-Pacific (Chivers et al. 2005). Further evidence is required before this can be shown definitively (McAlpine 2018).
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
Photographic evidence of a stranded individual at Al Bidiya, Fujairah, in October 2000, indicates that Kogia sima occurs off the east coast of the UAE and it is known from adjacent Omani waters to the south (Baldwin 2005). An earlier record from the Arabian Gulf was erroneous (Baldwin et al. 1999). A boat-struck individual whale, identified as this species by the Emirates Marine Environment Group, was found dead on the beach at <a href=""https://gulfnews.com/news/uae/environment/group-chances-upon-dead-sperm-whale-in-dubai-1.655977"">Palm Jebel Ali, Dubai, July 2010.</a> Globally, this species appears to be distributed widely in offshore waters of tropical and warm temperate zones (Taylor et al. 2012b).
Habitats and Ecology
Ecological system type
Terrestrial system
No
Freshwater system
No
Marine system
No
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
A deep-water species. Dwarf Sperm Whales appear to feed primarily on deep-water cephalopods, but also take other prey types (Taylor et al. 2012b).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Assessed status
Asessment status in full
Data deficient
Assessment status abreviation
DD
Assessment rationale/justification
This species is known only from two dead animals in the UAE and there is no further information is available on population size or trends. There are also no data on any threats to the species, hence it is assessed as Data Deficient. No regional adjustment is made to the Data Deficient assessment.
About the assessment
Assessment year
2018
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Affliation of assessor(s)/contributors/reviewers listed on assessment
Government
IGO
Assessor affiliation specific
Government|IGO
Criteria system
Criteria system specifics
IUCN v3.1
Criteria system used
IUCN
Criteria Citation
IUCN. 2012. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1, Second edition. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. iv + 32pp pp. And IUCN. 2012. Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional and National Levels: Version 4.0. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. iii + 41pp.
URL (link) of redlist assessment or publication
https://www.moccae.gov.ae/assets/download/b352eff1/UNRL%20of%20Mammals%20-%20Report%202019.pdf.aspx?view=true
Endemism
Endemic to region
Not_assigned
Endemism Notes
Is an endemic?: Not_assigned
Conservation
Threats listed in assessment
The main threats to cetaceans in UAE waters include: incidental mortality in trawl, drift and anchored gill nets, depletion of prey populations (due in part to commercial overfishing); ship and boat strikes, disturbance due to underwater noise (including that from vessel traffic, drilling, piling, military operations and seismic activity related to offshore oil and gas exploration). A lack of information (e.g. population size and trend, the location of critical habitats, and feeding ecology) hinders the development of appropriate conservation actions, but this should be used as an excuse for inaction.
Conservation Measures

Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:

Further information
History
The backcasted 1996 assessment for this species is Data Deficient.
Scientific Name Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Genus
Kogia sima Animalia Chordata Mammalia Cetartiodactyla Kogiidae Kogia