African Cetacean Program

Program Description

Cetaceans, including whales and dolphins, are a highly understudied group in many parts of Africa, despite their widespread occurrence and high species diversity. Many cetacean populations are under intense anthropogenic threats and in need of active conservation.

Projects within this program include:

The Omura’s Whale Project: The Omura’s whale is the newest species of baleen whale, and currently only one population globally is under focused multidisciplinary study.
The Mozambique Channel Passive Acoustic Monitoring Project: Passive acoustic monitoring is an important and very effective technique for learning about the biodiversity and spatiotemporal distribution of cetaceans, particularly in poorly studied areas like the Mozambique Channel.
Atlantic Humpback Dolphin Research and Conservation: Atlantic Humpback Dolphins are a critically endangered species which occurs only on the western / Atlantic coast of Africa. We are part of a partnership studying this species, primarily in Senegal.