List of Marine Mammal Research data sets from dedicated sites to opportunist sighting from around Australasia.

Delphinidae              

Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus)    inshore     – year round

AT A GLANCE Tropical to temperate waters of Indo-Pacific • Small size • Moderately

robust body • Moderate-length, stubby beak • Ostensibly ‘smiling’ mouthline • Threetoned

coloration (subtle to distinct) • May have dark flecking or spotting on underside

• Usually in small- to medium-sized groups • Occasionally bow-rides

Location: Resident inshore bottlenose dolphins to Jervis Bay NSW. 

Other sightings data    @ Jervis Bay NSW.

                                    @ Eden NSW.

                                    @ Morton Bay QLD

                                    @ Kangaroo island SA

Current research Projects: 2024/25

Photo Identification, Foraging strategies and prey. Jervis Bay NSW. 

Common dolphin (Delphinus delphis)    offshore  – year round

AT A GLANCE Tropical to temperate waters worldwide • Small size • Criss-cross or

‘hourglass’ colour pattern on sides • Dark brownish-grey cape dips to ‘V’ under dorsal fin

• Tan to pale yellow or ochre thoracic patch • Light to medium grey flank patch • White

underside • Details of colour pattern highly variable • Tall, moderately falcate dorsal fin

midway along back • Often in fast-moving, splashy groups.

Seen transiting offshore, outside and visiting within Jervis Bay.

Sightings data @ Jervis Bay NSW

                        @ Eden NSW

                        @ Sydney NSW

                        @ VIC

                        @ Kangaroo island SA

Common bottlenose dolphin (tursiops truncatus)      offshore  – year round

AT A GLANCE Tropical to temperate waters worldwide • Small size • Robust body •

Short, stubby beak • Archetypal dolphin • Ostensibly ‘smiling’ mouthline • Three-toned

coloration (subtle to distinct) • Rarely has small dark flecks on underside • In coastal

waters usually in small groups • Often bow-rides

Seen transiting offshore, outside and visiting within Jervis Bay.

Sightings data @ Jervis Bay NSW.

                        @ Eden NSW

Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus)

AT A GLANCE Worldwide from tropics to cool temperate waters • Small size • Robust body • Squarish head (side view) with indistinct beak • Cleft melon • Extensive linear

scarring • Highly variable coloration within single group • Older animals almost white

• Appendages usually darker than rest of body • Very tall, erect dorsal fin.

Seen offshore, outside and visiting within Jervis Bay.

Sightings data @ Jervis Bay NSW

Southern Right Whale (Eubalaena australis) 

seen July to October Jervis Bay

AT A GLANCE Cold temperate southern hemisphere • Extra-large size • Extremely

stocky body • Predominantly black with variable white on underside • Smooth back

with no dorsal fin or ridge • No pleats or grooves on throat • Low body profile at

surface • Massive head covered in lightcoloured callosities • Very strongly arched

jawline • V-shaped blow • Frequently engages in active surface behaviour

Seen offshore, outside and visiting to rest within Jervis Bay.

Sightings data @ Jervis Bay NSW

                        @ Eden NSW

Current research Projects: 

Photo Identification and abundance, behaviour, Cow and calf development,

Mysticeti  baleen whales

Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)  

Seen April to November (to late December) Jervis Bay. 

AT A GLANCE Worldwide distribution • Large size • Predominantly dark grey

to black upperside • Variable amount of white on underside • Stocky body • Small

dorsal fin sits on (variable) hump on back •Exceptionally long white (or black-and-white)

flippers • Distinctive knobs on head • Strongly arches back when diving • Usually flukes on sounding dive • Variable (and individually distinctive) black-and-white pigmentation on underside of flukes.

Photo Identification and abundance, behaviour, Cow and calf development, Opportunistic Foraging, ShipStrike, Entanglement, Body Scaring and Markings.

Seen offshore, outside and visiting to rest within Jervis Bay.

Sightings data @ Jervis Bay NSW

                        @ Eden NSW

                        @ Sydney NSW

                        @ Port Stephens

                        @ Offshore VIC

                        @ Hervey Bay  QLD

                        @ Broome WA

                        @ Tonga

Current research Projects: 2024/25

Photo Identification, Foraging strategies and prey. Jervis Bay NSW. 

Antarctic minke whales (B. bonearensis) 

AT A GLANCE Tropics to poles in southern

hemisphere • Medium size • Dark grey, brownish-grey or blackish upperside, pale

underside • Variable undulating swathes of lighter grey on sides and back • May

be blotchy ochre with diatoms • Sharply pointed rostrum breaks surface first • Single

longitudinal ridge on rostrum • Tall, falcate dorsal fin two-thirds of the way along back

• Light grey chevron across back (at level of flippers) • Often has light grey pigmentation

trailing from blowholes • Pale grey flippers (no white band) • Distinct blow in high latitudes

Seen April to November Jervis Bay

Sightings data @ Jervis Bay NSW

                        @ Eden NSW

Dwarf minke whales (B. acutorostra) 

AT A GLANCE Tropics to poles worldwide • Medium size • Dark grey, brownish-grey

or blackish upperside, white underside • Variable swathes of lighter grey on sides and

back • Sharply pointed rostrum breaks surface first • Single longitudinal ridge on rostrum

• Relatively tall, falcate dorsal fin two-thirds of the way along back • Unique, bright white

flipper bands •Indistinct or invisible blow

Seen April to November Jervis Bay

Sightings data @ Jervis Bay NSW

Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni)

AT A GLANCE Tropical to warm temperate waters worldwide • Large size • Sleek,

streamlined body • Uniform dark grey upperside, lighter underside • Throat

sometimes pinkish • Three parallel longitudinal ridges on rostrum • Tall, strongly

falcate dorsal fin two-thirds to three quarters of the way along back • Dorsal fin

usually visible after blowholes submerged • Symmetrical lower ‘lip’ coloration • Typically

arches back and tailstock on diving.

Sightings data @ Jervis Bay NSW

                        @ Eden NSW

False killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) 

AT A GLANCE Warm (mainly offshore) waters worldwide • Medium size • Dark grey to

black • Long, slender body • Relatively narrow-based, falcate dorsal fin • Small,

conical head with no beak • Distinct bulge on leading edge of flippers • Small, often

exuberant groups.

Seen offshore, outside and visiting within Jervis Bay.

Sightings data @ Jervis Bay NSW

                        @ offshore WA

                        @ QLD

Short finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) 

AT A GLANCE Warm waters worldwide • Medium size • Black, blackish or brownish

• Rounded, bulbous melon • Indistinct beak • Broad-based, backswept dorsal fin far

forward • Small to large groups

Sightings data @ Sydney NSW

                        @ offshore WA

Sperm Whales (Physeter macrocephalus)

AT A GLANCE Deep, ice-free oceanic waters worldwide • Large to extra-large size •

Primarily dark grey • Huge squarish head • Thick, low, rounded dorsal fin • ‘Knuckles’

from dorsal fin to flukes • Wrinkly, prune-like skin • Bushy blow directed forwards and to

left • Often motionless (or swims leisurely) at surface • Flukes usually raised on diving.

Sightings data @ Jervis Bay NSW

                        @ Eden NSW

                        @ Bremer Bay WA

                        @ offshore SA

Gray's Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon grayi)

AT A GLANCE Temperate waters of southern hemisphere • Medium size • Spindle-shaped

body • Relatively small head • Long, slender white to light grey beak • Beak appears at

45° angle above water on surfacing • Small triangular teeth in middle of each side of

lower jaw • Possibly in small groups.

Sightings data    @ Bremer Bay WA