Five Rare Omura’s Whales Spotted Near Thailand’s Surin Islands

Five Omura’s whales were spotted in the waters of Mu Ko Surin National Park on October 16, just one day after the island group reopened to tourists. Park officials reported the sighting and released video footage recorded by Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) staff during a patrol.

The whales were seen near Ao Sai En Bay, off the eastern coast of North Surin Island, also known as Ko Surin Nuea. According to the patrol team, the animals appeared to be searching for food.

Omura’s whale (Balaenoptera omurai) belongs to the baleen whale group, which also includes the blue whale, the largest animal on Earth. However, Omura’s whales are considerably smaller. Adult males can reach approximately 10 metres in length, while females may grow to around 11.5 metres.

The species can be distinguished from the similar-looking Bryde’s whale by features including the shape of its dorsal fin and the greater number of longitudinal throat pleats.

A little-known whale species

Omura’s whale was formally recognised as a distinct species in 2003 and named after Japanese cetacean researcher Hideo Omura. For many years, scientific knowledge about the species remained limited. The first confirmed video footage of living Omura’s whales was obtained by researchers only in 2015.

In Thailand, the species is listed among specially protected wild animals under legislation introduced in 2019.

Although Omura’s whales remain relatively poorly studied, sightings along Thailand’s Andaman coast are becoming more frequent. The latest encounter near the Surin Islands adds to a growing series of observations of these elusive whales in the northern Andaman Sea.

However, without identifying individual animals, researchers cannot yet determine whether the sightings involve the same whales returning to the area or different groups.