Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin

The Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis), also called the Chinese white dolphin in parts of East Asia, lives in coastal waters of the eastern Indian and western Pacific Oceans, including areas near Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Cambodia and much of Southeast Asia. Adults measure 2 to 3.5 meters in length and weigh 150 to 230 kilograms, and coloration varies from gray to white to pink, with populations off China and Thailand showing pink skin caused by overdeveloped blood vessels rather than pigment; calves are born dark gray or black and lighten with age. It favors shallow coastal water less than about 5 to 15 meters deep, particularly brackish estuaries, and hunts fish cooperatively in small groups using echolocation. The species is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN and protected under CITES Appendix I, having suffered severe declines from habitat loss, pollution, vessel strikes and fishing, with Hong Kong's population falling 60 percent between 2003 and 2013 and the Taiwanese subspecies down to only 45 to 50 individuals as of mid 2025.