Fauna of the Savu Sea

The Savu Sea is an inter-island sea in the Pacific Ocean between the islands of Flores, Sumba and Timor in the Malay Archipelago. It is rich in corals, of which there are about five hundred species in the coastal strip, including rare ones. It is the migratory route for almost half of the world's whale population and about three thousand species of fish.

Common fish in the Savu Sea

The Savu Sea is home to some amazing creatures - deep-sea anglerfish, ocean sunfish, barracuda, sponges. Shoals of tuna come here to spawn. Reef manta rays and giant oceanic manta rays live here. When fishing, you can catch yellowfin tuna in snares and watch the fierce struggle of mahi-mahi.

Mammals of the Savu Sea

All marine mammals in Indonesia are fully protected and the area has been declared the Savu Sea Marine National Park. The sea is home to schools of spinner dolphins. The area is inhabited by pods of colorful whales, including the melon-headed whale. Blue whales inhabit this sea, pygmy blue whales use this region as a migratory corridor. A pair of 3 meter long female humpback whales have also been observed here. 

The Savu Sea is home to at least 24 recorded marine mammal species, including Bryde's whale, bottlenose dolphin, Cuvier's beaked whale, dugong, pygmy sperm whale, false killer whale, Fraser's dolphin, Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, orca, pantropical spotted dolphin, pygmy killer whale, pygmy sperm whale, Risso's dolphin, rough-toothed dolphin and short-finned pilot whale. The presence of these species in the waters is related to the availability of food and the large migration of several species of fish.