Species guide
Dwarf sperm whale
Kogia sima
At a glance
Conservation, taxonomy and Madeira records reviewed . Review sources.
- Global IUCN conservation status
- Least Concern — assessment published .
Global extinction risk is separate from sighting frequency in Madeira.
- Identification
- Compact grey body, pale underside and a shark-like head with a narrow lower jaw.
- A pale false-gill marking behind the eye; dorsal fin usually taller and farther forward than in the pygmy sperm whale.
- Size
- Up to about 2.7 m; approximately 135–270 kg.
- Recorded occurrence in Madeira
- Historical stranding in August 2000; operator reports in 2020, 2023 and 2024.
- Madeira records and season
- No dependable seasonal window established by the cited records.
Identification and size summarize profile notes updated . Local records are past observations, not a prediction of sightings.
Read the identification notes ↓- Taxonomic authority
- (Owen, 1866)
- Family
- Kogiidae
- Cetacean group
- Odontoceti
The dwarf sperm whale (Kogia sima) is a small toothed whale that can easily escape notice at sea. Its low profile and quiet surfacing make calm conditions especially helpful for spotting it. Even a good view may leave uncertainty about which of the two Kogia species has been seen. NOAA Fisheries.
Sightings in Madeira
The August 2000 record was a stranding, documented in Freitas et al.'s 2012 Madeira checklist. That historical record should not be read as a current total for the archipelago.
Wind Birds trip reports subsequently list dwarf sperm whales during these reporting periods:
These are operator observations, not independently verified identifications, counts of distinct animals or a population estimate. The cited records do not establish a dependable seasonal window: their summer dates do not demonstrate that the species is absent in other months.
ID characteristics
- Small, compact body with a grey to brownish back and a lighter underside.
- Short, shark-like head with a narrow lower jaw and a pale marking behind the eye resembling a gill slit.
- A conspicuous dorsal fin usually near the middle of the back.
The closest lookalike is the pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps). Dwarf sperm whales generally have a taller dorsal fin set farther forward and a more pointed snout. Both species have the false-gill marking, so that feature alone cannot separate them. Body sizes overlap and dorsal fins vary; some encounters can only be recorded confidently as Kogia sp. Duke University OBIS-SEAMAP identification account.
Surface behaviour
Often seen resting almost motionless or swimming slowly, dwarf sperm whales usually avoid boats. They may sink out of sight without raising their tail flukes. When threatened, they can release a reddish-brown cloud of intestinal fluid that may help conceal their escape. NOAA Fisheries.
Distribution
Found widely in tropical and warm-temperate seas, mainly offshore. Much of the known range comes from strandings, and infrequent sightings partly reflect how easily these whales are overlooked. OBIS-SEAMAP.
Social
Usually alone or in small groups, most often fewer than five animals; groups of up to ten have been recorded. OBIS-SEAMAP.
Diet
Feeds on squid and other cephalopods, as well as fish and crustaceans. It uses echolocation to locate prey and can forage at depths of at least 300 m. NOAA Fisheries.
Biometrics
Maximum length: about 2.7 m.
Weight: approximately 135–270 kg.
These are species-level guide measurements, not measurements of the Madeira animals. Animal Diversity Web.
Blow
Usually inconspicuous or invisible. Look for the low back and dorsal fin rather than a tall spout. NOAA Fisheries.
Conservation
The global IUCN assessment is Least Concern (2020). This describes global extinction risk, not the likelihood of seeing one in Madeira. Threats include fishing-gear entanglement, swallowed marine debris, vessel strikes and underwater noise. IUCN assessment; NOAA Fisheries.
Common names in other languages
- Portuguese: Cachalote-anão
- German: Kleinstpottwal
- French: Cachalot nain
- Spanish: Cachalote enano
- Italian: Cogia di Owen
- Dutch: Kleinste potvis
- Polish: Kogia płaskonosa
Names vary by language and region. This list is not exhaustive. Multilingual name records. Unresolved Scandinavian names are omitted to avoid confusing the two Kogia species.
Review sources
Conservation, taxonomy, local occurrence and seasonality checked on . The assessment publication year is separate from this editorial review date. Identification, size, other biology notes and multilingual aliases are outside this review unless a specific source is cited alongside them.
- IUCN Red List: Kogia sima — global species assessment, published 2020.
- Society for Marine Mammalogy: species and subspecies list (April 2026) — Scientific names, authorities, families and English names. Mysticeti and Odontoceti are treated as unranked groups.
- IUCN SSC Cetacean Specialist Group: Red List status of cetaceans — Global species categories cross-checked against the specialist group's overview, updated October 2025. Regional and subpopulation assessments are separate.
- Freitas et al. (2012): New records of cetacean species for Madeira Archipelago with an updated checklist — Table 1 and species accounts distinguish sightings, catches and strandings. Record totals and last-record dates describe evidence available through December 2012.
- NOAA Fisheries: dwarf sperm whale — Surface behaviour, diet, blow and threats; reviewed 28 September 2026. General species biology does not establish sighting frequency in Madeira.
- Duke University OBIS-SEAMAP: dwarf sperm whale — Field identification, comparison with pygmy sperm whale, distribution and group size; reviewed 28 September 2026. Body size and dorsal-fin variation can prevent identification to species at sea.
The linked trip reports document operator observations. They do not independently confirm every identification or measure population size, abundance or the probability of a sighting.