List of mammals of Kiribati explained

This is a list of the mammal species recorded in Kiribati, a sovereign state in the central Pacific Ocean. There are thirteen mammal species around Kiribati, all of which are marine mammals in the order Cetacea. None are thought to be at risk, but some have insufficient data collected on them to allow an assessment to be made.^[1]

The marine mammals of the order Cetacea that have been identified in the Pacific is described in the literature review by Miller (2006)^[2] and by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP).^[3] A revision of the list of cetaceans reported in the ocean surrounding the islands of Kiribati was carried by Miller (2009).^[4]

In 2010 a research voyage was conducted within the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of Kiribati and Tuvalu. The survey confirmed the presence of seven species of cetaceans: Bryde's, sperm, killer, shortfinned pilot and false killer whales and spinner and striped dolphins.^[5]

The following tags are used to highlight each species' conservation status as assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature:

DD

Data deficient

There is inadequate information to make an assessment of the risks to this species.

Order: Cetacea (whales)

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The order Cetacea includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. They are the mammals most fully adapted to aquatic life with a spindle-shaped nearly hairless body, protected by a thick layer of blubber, and forelimbs and tail modified to provide propulsion underwater.

Lack of studies and dedicated observation efforts result in poor understanding of cetacean diversity in the region.^[6]

• Suborder: Mysticeti
  • Family: Balaenidae
    • Genus: Eubalaena
      • Southern right whale, Eubalaena australis LR/cd^[7]
• Suborder: Odontoceti
  • Family: Physeteridae
    • Genus: Physeter
      • Sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus VU^[8]
  • Superfamily: Platanistoidea
    • Family: Kogiidae
      • Genus: Kogia
        • Dwarf sperm whale, Kogia sima LR/lc
    • Family: Ziphidae
      • Subfamily: Hyperoodontinae
        • Genus: Hyperoodon
          • Southern bottlenose whale, Hyperoodon planifrons LR/cd
        • Genus: Mesoplodon
          • Blainville's beaked whale, Mesoplodon densirostris DD
          • Ginkgo-toothed beaked whale, Mesoplodon ginkgodens DD
          • Deraniyagala's beaked whale, Mesoplodon hotaula DD
    • Family: Delphinidae (marine dolphins)
      • Genus: Steno
        • Rough-toothed dolphin, Steno bredanensis DD
      • Genus: Stenella
        • Spinner dolphin, Stenella longirostris LR/cd
      • Genus: Lagenodelphis
        • Fraser's dolphin, Lagenodelphis hosei DD
      • Genus: Globicephala
        • Short-finned pilot whale, Globicephala macrorhynchus LR/cd
      • Genus: Feresa
        • Pygmy killer whale, Feresa attenuata DD
      • Genus: Orcinus
        • Orca, Orcinus orca LR/cd

References

• Murase, H & Temoai, I & Kirata, Taratau & Finkaso, S & Yasunaga, Genta & Pastene, L.A.. A note on cetaceans off Kiribati and Tuvalu from a research cruise in October 2010 . Journal of Cetacean Research and Management . 13 . 2014. 153–158.
• Web site: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Mammals of Kiribati. IUCN. 2001. 22 May 2007.
• Web site: Mammal Species of the World . Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History . 2005 . 22 May 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070427043030/http://nmnhgoph.si.edu/msw/ . 27 April 2007 . dead .
• Web site: Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. 1995–2006. 22 May 2007.

See also

• List of chordate orders
• Lists of mammals by region
• List of prehistoric mammals
• Mammal classification
• List of mammals described in the 2000s
• Pacific Islands Cetaceans Memorandum of Understanding

Notes and References

1. This list is derived from the IUCN Red List which lists species of mammals and includes those mammals that have recently been classified as extinct (since 1500 AD). The taxonomy and naming of the individual species is based on those used in existing Wikipedia articles as of 21 May 2007 and supplemented by the common names and taxonomy from the IUCN, Smithsonian Institution, or University of Michigan where no Wikipedia article was available.
2. Book: Miller . Cara . Current State of Knowledge of Cetacean Threats, Diversity and Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region . 14 February 2006 . WDCS Australasia Inc . 98 .
3. Web site: Pacific Islands Regional Species Programme 2008-2012. Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme(SPREP) . 2008. 9 October 2013.
4. Book: Miller . Cara . Current State of Knowledge of Cetacean Threats, Diversity and Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region . 1 July 2009 . WDCS Australasia Inc . 49–50.
5. Murase, H & Temoai, I & Kirata, Taratau & Finkaso, S & Yasunaga, Genta & Pastene, L.A.. A note on cetaceans off Kiribati and Tuvalu from a research cruise in October 2010 . Journal of Cetacean Research and Management . 13 . 2014. 153–158.
6. Web site: Archived copy . 2016-09-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304095145/http://uk.whales.org/sites/default/files/whales-and-dolphins-in-the-pacific-islands.pdf . 2016-03-04 . dead .
7. Web site: Miller E.C.. 2007. Current State of Knowledge of Cetacean Threats, Diversity, and Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region. 44. Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society Australasia. pdf. 2 January 2016.
8. Web site: PBS - the Voyage of the Odyssey - Track the Voyage - Kiribati. .