Status of pinnipeds in Southeast Asia

摘要

There are no published records of pinnipeds in Southeast Asia. Photographs in the national media between January 2010 and December 2013 documented seven pinniped records. All were individuals caught by fishermen in the central part of Vietnam (17 degrees 56' N south to 15 degrees 23' N). All except one pinniped record can be assigned to Largha (= Spotted) Seal Phoca largha, the most southerly breeding true seal in the north Pacific. The only other pinniped species recorded in Vietnam during the period was one Northern Fur Seal Callorhinus ursinus. The minimum distance between the southernmost area where these species occur regularly and central Vietnam is 3500 km; this is comparable to distances travelled by other vagrant pinnipeds in other parts of the world. Based on such evidence, Largha Seal and Northern Fur Seal should be added to the list of naturally occurring mammals in Vietnamese and Southeast Asian waters.