Reef Check Indonesia Press release
Evidence of humpback whale presence in Bali, Indonesia
Denpasar, October 5, 2007
Last Tuesday 2 October 2007 at 10am, a 6m whale lost its way offshore the Tanah
Lot beach in Tabanan, Bali, entangled in drifted gillnets. Local villagers and
government officials decided to haul the whale to the neighbouring Kedungu
Beach and cut the nets there. After a few hours of rescue, the whale was
finally set free and swam back to the sea around 2pm in the afternoon. However,
despite all the uproar, the species ID of the whale was still in question; some
sources identified the whale as blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus); a newspaper
even named it pygmy killer whale (Feresa attenuata).
Yet, the whale was actually a baby humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae or
'paus bongkok' in Indonesian), possibly separated from its mother while
travelling. The humpback whale is a threatened species classified as
'Vulnerable' by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and
Natural Resources). But the most interesting thing is that this stranding
event is the first evidence of humpback whale presence in Indonesia. In their
1997 paper ('Preliminary checklist of cetacea in the Indonesian Archipelago and
adjacent waters') in the Zoologische Verhandelingen journal, Rudolph, Smeenk
and Leatherwood decided that 'Pending irrefutable evidence, we regard the
occurrence of three species as still unconfirmed: Stenella coeruleoalba,
Balaenoptera acutorostrata and Megaptera novaeangliae.' Hence, the Tuesday
stranding event and photographic evidence of the whale confirms that Indonesia
does have humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) roaming its archipelagic
waters.
Humpback whales are classified as baleen whales (sub order Mysticetes), i.e.
having baleen or comb-like keratin plates in lieu of teeth to filter seawater
for food. Together with blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus), fin whales
(Balaenoptera physalus), sei whales (Balaenoptera borealis), Bryde's whale
(Balaenoptera edeni), and minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), humpback
whales belong to the family Balaenopteridae, also known as Rorquals. Yet,
humpback whale is the only member of genus Megaptera, unlike other Rorquals
that belong to genus Balaenoptera. The humpback whale is characterised by:
knobs on head and lower jaw; distinctive, long flippers (upper side flippers
are white for Atlantic humpback and black for Pacific humpback, under side
flippers are white for both Atlantic and Pacific); irregular, wavy edges on
flukes; and large, stocky body that is distinctively different from the
streamlined body of other Rorquals. The shape of their flukes is used for
individual identification.
In Australia, humpback whales regularly conduct north-south migrations from
Antarctica to Hervey Bay and Great Barrier Reef (eastern shores of Australia)
and from Antarctica to Shark Bay and Ningaloo (western shores of Australia).
Did the baby whale and its mother originate from one of the Western Australia
pods? Or do they belong to other humpback pods, still unknown to cetacean
(whale and dolphin) researchers in Indonesia? One thing is clear: more research
is required to understand this magnificent species, often characterised by the
elaborate singing performance by the males to attract the females. Another
thing is also clear: Indonesia should be proud. The presence of humpback whale
in the Archipelago, its existence long pondered and questioned, is just
confirmed.
By Putu Liza (Icha) and Pariama Hutasoit @ Reef Check Indonesia 2007
For more information, please contact:
Pariama Hutasoit
Reef Check Tourism and Education Program Manager
Tel. : 0361-7981390
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Or Putu Liza ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
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