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. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) Relationship to People Living or Extinct Scientific Name Conservation Status Comparison
CITES Appendix Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Wikidata)
In Biome
Source Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Wikipedia)
In Ecosystem
Source Wikidata: Seahorse
Additional Source Great Barrier Reef - WikipediaArticle text
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Sources
1. EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014)
2. Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Wikipedia)
Infobox: status
VU
System/realm (stated plainly in the entity own recorded description)
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.
Infobox: status2
CITES_A1
In Biome: Estuary, Taiwanese humpback dolphin
Since the Eastern Taiwan Strait population of humpback dolphins is closely associated with estuaries habitat, the elimination of freshwater discharge from rivers significantly decreases the amount of suitable habitats for dolphins.
View the Source3. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Sousa chinensis (Animal Diversity Web)
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyConservation Status: CITES
CITES Appendix I
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive (hunted-fished)
Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins are occasionally hunted by humans, but not on a commercial scale
View the Source 4. Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Wikidata)
Wikidata- Wikidata Q713853 (P225 taxon name)
Statements section, conservation status (P141)
IUCN Red List conservation status (Wikidata property P141): vulnerable.
- Child Taxon Of: Delphinidae, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chain
View the Source Great Barrier Reef - Wikipedia
In Ecosystem: Great Barrier Reef, Article textQuote, In Ecosystem: Great Barrier Reef, Article text
Thirty species of cetaceans have been recorded in the Great Barrier Reef, including the dwarf minke whale, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, and the humpback whale.
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