February 17, 2025
SINGAPORE – Many people living in South-east Asia often think they have to venture to Australia, the US or Japan to participate in whale watching tours, but such marine mammals can also be found in the waters in the region.
Singapore, too, is home to a few of them, including the elusive dugong and the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin. In 2015, a dead sperm whale was even found in the waters off Tuas.
Mr Marcus Chua, who studies mammals at the NUS Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, said the presence of marine mammals shows that local habitats are able to support a population of large predators, or, in the case of the dugong, large herbivores.
Dr Louisa Ponnampalam,…