PETALING JAYA: The carcass of a whale found in Batang Lupar, Sri Aman has been confirmed to be that of a sei whale, an endangered species found in the southwest Pacific and Indian oceans.
Sarawak Forestry Corporation general manager Abang Arabi Abang Aimran said the discovery marked the first confirmed record of a sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) in Sarawak waters, the Borneo Post reported.
Other large whale species previously documented in the state include Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni), sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), and humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae).
The sei whale, said to be one of the fastest whales, is a member of the baleen whale family which includes dolphins and porpoises. The discovery brings the total number of marine mammal species recorded in Sarawak’s coastal and offshore waters to 25.
“The high diversity of marine mammal species reflects the health and pristine condition of Sarawak’s marine environment,” Abang Arabi was quoted as saying.
The carcass, spotted near Pulau Seduku, was first reported by local residents on Nov 19. A few days later, the SFC team discovered the heavily-decomposed carcass stuck on a bar near the construction site of the Triso Bridge.
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) says sei whales inhabit all oceans and adjoining seas except in tropical and polar regions, and can grow up to 20m (66ft) in length and weigh about 20 tonnes.
The blue-grey whales were once on the brink of extinction due to hunting in the 1920s and 1930s.
