The false killer whales photographed on 26 June.The photo was provided by Nantong Environmental Monitoring Centre of Jiangsu Province

By Peng Junjun

At about 5 pm on 16 June, a group of false killer whales appeared in the coastal waters in Jiangjiasha, Rudong. The number exceeded 30, including at least 3 whale calves. It is the 5th consecutive year that activities of false killer whales have been observed in coastal waters in Nantong. It is also the third time in the year that the species was recorded in the area in 2026.

The false killer whale belongs to the genus False Killer in the family Delphinidae. It can reach 5 to 6 meters in length and weigh 1 to 2.2 tons. Its entire body is black. It is a Class II protected wild animal in China and listed as Near Threatened (NT) on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. This species is mainly distributed in warm temperate to tropical waters worldwide, including the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and South China Sea in China. However, it is primarily found in offshore areas, and it is extremely rare to continuously observe large groups in nearshore waters.

Rare whales and dolphins frequently visit the Nantong offshore area, and the ecological benefits continue to accumulate. This is the fifth consecutive year that false killer whales have been observed off the coast of Nantong. On 27 May and 5 June this year, false killer whales were recorded twice in this area. False killer whales have visited the coastal waters of Nantong many times, most likely chasing yellowtail fish, rice fish and other bait.

【背景阅读】

30余头伪虎鲸现身如东近岸海域

6月16日下午5时许，如东蒋家沙近岸海域出现一群伪虎鲸，数量超过30头，其中至少包含3头幼鲸。这是南通近岸海域连续第五年观测到伪虎鲸活动，也是2026年度该区域第三次记录到该物种出没。

伪虎鲸属于海豚科伪虎鲸属，体长可达5至6米，体重1至2.2吨，全身漆黑，是国家二级重点保护野生动物、《世界自然保护联盟濒危物种红色名录》（IUCN）近危（NT）物种。该物种主要分布于世界暖温带至热带海域，在中国渤海、黄海、东海、南海等海域均有分布，但主要位于远海区，近岸海域连续观测到大群记录非常少见。

珍稀鲸豚频频打卡南通近海，生态利好持续叠加。这已是南通近岸连续第五年观测到伪虎鲸。今年5月27日、6月5日，该海域已先后两次记录伪虎鲸出没。伪虎鲸多次到访南通近岸海域，大概率系追逐黄姑鱼、米鱼等饵料而来。