Uploaded by
National Red List Database
Taxonomic information
Assessed taxon level
Species
Higher level taxonomic groupings
Vertebrates
Mammals
Species authority
(Owen, 1866)
Taxonomic notes and synonyms listed
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).
Location and scope
Specific locality or subnational name or regional name
United Arab Emirates (the)
Scope (of the Assessment)
National
Countries included within the scope of the assessment
United Arab Emirates (the)
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Not_assigned
Conservation Status
Assessed as
Data deficient
Criteria system used
IUCN
(see Assessment details)
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.
Assessment details
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Criteria system used
IUCN
Reference for methods given
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
Further information
Endemism (according to assessment)
Endemic to region
Not assigned
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).
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Habitat and systems
Ecological system type
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).
Threats and conservation measures listed
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.
History
The backcasted 1996 assessment for this species is Data Deficient.
Publication
Mallon, D., Hilton-Taylor, C., Allen, D., & Harding, K. (2019). UAE National Red List of Mammals: Marine and Terrestrial. A report to the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, United Arab Emirates (p. 41). IUCN Global Species Programme. https://bit.ly/2RdZCQR
