Louella L Dolar

• PhD
• Silliman University

The Irrawaddy dolphin ( Orcaella brevirostris ) is an endangered cetacean that ranges throughout much of Southeast Asia and lives in coastal, estuarine, and riverine habitats including three river systems: Ayeyarwady, Mekong, and Mahakam. Many populations face risks from human interference, but overall rangewide diversity and connectivity is not we...

Small, island-associated populations of cetaceans have evolved around numerous oceanic islands, likely due to habitat discontinuities between nearshore and offshore waters. However, little is known about the ecology and structure of cetacean populations around the Mariana Islands, a remote archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean. We present sighti...

Ex situ options for cetacean conservation a d a w n o f h o p e c ri tically en d a n g e r e d e x t i n c t endang e re d v u ln erable

This is an obituary for William F. Perrin.

This report describes the first documented incident of a possible shark predation on an Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) in the Philippines. The incident happened in Guimaras Strait, one of the four known habitats of Irrawaddy dolphins in the country. We list three possible shark species that may have attacked the dolphin: great white shar...

Bryde’s whales (Balaenoptera edeni) were hunted in the Bohol Sea, Central Visayas, Philippines for much of the 19th and 20th centuries. Locally referred to as Bongkaras, whalers only distinguished one species caught. In 2008, based on an examination of skulls collected from various landing sites in the region, scientists discovered that Omura’s wha...

Longman’s beaked whale, Indopacetus pacificus, is one of the least known of all cetacean species. Its external appearance was only first described in the 21st century. Prior to 2004, the species was known from only six specimens. Although at least twenty more specimens were recovered from strandings since then, knowledge on the species is still ver...

We reviewed Coram et al. (Biodivers Conserv 30:2341–2359, 2021, https://doi.org/10. 1007/s10531-021-02196-6), a paper that highlights the use of social media data to under- stand marine litter and marine mammals in Southeast Asia. While we commend its intent, we find that the methodology used and conclusions drawn portray an incomplete and inac- cu...

The Irrawaddy dolphins in Guimaras Strait compose the second population to be reported in the Philippines. Their very small population size, isolation, and high vulnerability to human-induced threats in the coastal areas have earned them a local conservation status of critically endangered. Appropriate conservation and management of this species wi...

The Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) is endemic to South and Southeast Asia and occurs in shallow coastal waters, associated with freshwater input, coastal lagoons and in three rivers. The status of all except the riverine populations is poorly understood, however, the proximity of all populations to areas of intense coastal development le...

The conservation status of small cetaceans has significantly worsened since the 1980s, when the baiji was the only species of small cetacean listed as Endangered by IUCN. Now the baiji is almost certainly extinct and 13 other species, subspecies, or populations (hereafter units-to-conserve or units) of small cetaceans are listed as Critically Endan...

Strandings of Longman's beaked whale (Indopacetus pacificus) in the Philippines. Longman's beaked whale, Indopacetus pacificus, is one of the least known of all cetacean species. Its external appearance was only first described in the 21 st century. Prior to 2004, the species was known from only six specimens. Although at least twenty more specimen...

Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) are one of the most threatened cetacean species in Southeast Asia. Their close affinity to estuarine and riverine habitats make them vulnerable to regular interactions with human communities. In the Philippines, only three subpopulations have been confirmed: In Malampaya Sound, northern Palawan; in Iloilo...

Relatively little is known about cetaceans inhabiting the waters of the Mariana Islands in the western Pacific. We use mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences obtained from biopsy samples to investigate the genetic diversity and structure of four species of delphinids found near the Mariana Islands – short-finned pilot whales (SFPWs; Globicephala macro...

Community composition of seabirds differs in breeding colonies, foraging areas and even season (Ballance 2007). In our region, very little studies on its ecology is available at present. The nature of seabirds’ breeding on land and high mobility make management schemes challenging. This study aims to provide insight on: (1) Species composition, div...

This chapter discusses the characteristics and taxonomy, distribution and abundance, ecology, behavior, and physiology of Fraser's dolphin or Lagenodelphis hosei. Fraser's dolphin belongs to the subfamily Delphininae. Based on cytochrome b mtDNA sequences, it is more closely related to Stenella, Tursiops, Delphinus, and Sousa than it is to Lagenorh...

A bstract A dwarf form of the spinner dolphin has been reported from the Gulf of Thailand, while more typical large spinner dolphins have been described from Japanese waters and other localities in the western Pacific. These reports have been based on very few specimens. Our purpose in this study was to determine the affinities of spinner dolphins...

A bstract Knowledge of geographic variation is important to questions of population assessment and management. Fraser's dolphins have been exploited in two regions in the western Pacific. Analysis of 137 skulls from the Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Africa, France, the U.S., St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and th...

In general, little is known about cetacean abundance and distribution in Southeast Asia. This paper investigates the species composition, interactions/associations, abundance and distribution of cetaceans in an archipelagic tropical habitat characterised by deep, oceanic waters approaching the shore, high water temperatures and deep, stable thermoc...

A bstract Fraser's and spinner dolphins are known to feed on mesopelagic prey, bur their diets and feeding ecologies have not been compared in areas where they are observed together. In this study we examined the stomach contents of both species caught incidentally in a driftnet fishery for tuna in the eastern Sulu Sea. Importance of prey items was...

Management of whale shark Rhincodon typus populations is hampered by a lack of information on the range travelled by individual whale sharks. This applies particularly in South-east Asia where the whale shark is increasingly used in commercial trade and for ecotourism. In this study an investigation of the movements of individual whale sharks from...

During a survey in 1999 covering the coastal waters of the northwestern Sulu Sea and Malampaya Sound, Palawan, we sighted several groups of Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris). Distribution was restricted to very shallow waters (≤ 15 m) of the inner part of Malampaya Sound. No Irrawaddy dolphin sightings were made in the Sulu Sea. No directe...

Although myoglobin (Mb) is considered to contribute significantly to the oxygen and diving capacity of marine mammals, few data are available for cetaceans. Cetacean by-catch in the tuna driftnet fisheries in the Sulu Sea, Philippines, afforded the opportunity to examine Mb content and distribution, and to determine muscle mass composition, in Fras...

The species taken are spinner dolphins Stenella longirostris; Fraser's dolphins Lagenodelphis hosei; pantroprical spotted dolphins Stenella attenuata; Risso's dolphins Grampus griseus; melon-headed whales Peponocephala electra; and short-finned pilot whales Globicephala macrorhynchus. -from Authors

By-catches include spinner dolphin Stenella longirostris, pantropical spotted dolphin S. attenuata (purse seines and driftnets); bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus (bagnets and driftnets); Fraser's dolphin Lagenodelphis hosei, Risso's dolphin Grampus griseus, melon-headed whales, Peponocephala electra and pygmy killer whales Feresa attenuata. -f...

The Philippine spotted deer Cervus alfredi, endemic to the Visayan Islands, is threatened by deforestation and hunting. Already extinct over 95 per cent of its former range, populations survive probably only in Panay and Negros. In 1987 a conservation programme was drawn up with two immediate objectives: to establish a national park in west Panay a...