A sperm whale has been sighted off the Sindh coast for the first time, around 40 nautical miles southwest of Karachi, the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-Pakistan) said on Friday.

The whale, estimated to be around 45 feet long, was encountered during an expedition by WWF-Pakistan board member Zahid Maker, the organisation said in a press release. Previous sightings of the species had been reported off the Balochistan coast in 2017, it added.

Footage of the encounter showed the whale’s characteristic blowhole, distinctive skin markings and prominent hump.

WWF-Pakistan Senior Director Rab Nawaz said the sighting highlighted the ecological importance of Pakistan’s offshore waters and the need to protect marine habitats and food chains that sustain large marine species.

“Pakistan’s waters support an extraordinary diversity of marine life, much of which remains poorly understood and documented,” he said, calling for stronger conservation measures, responsible fishing practices and collective efforts to reduce pressure on marine ecosystems.

Sperm whales primarily feed on cephalopods, including different species of squid and octopuses. In Pakistan’s coastal and offshore waters, their prey includes purpleback flying squid and diamondback squid.

The mammals are deep divers, typically descending between 300 and 800 metres to forage, although they can reach depths of up to two kilometres.

According to WWF-Pakistan, 26 cetacean species, including whales and dolphins, have been documented in the country’s waters. These include blue whales, Bryde’s whales and Arabian Sea humpback whales, as well as several species of toothed whales and dolphins.

The organisation said its research and monitoring efforts had also helped document several toothed whale species in Pakistan’s waters for the first time.

It stressed that sustained research, monitoring, sustainable fishing practices and stronger conservation measures were necessary to protect marine biodiversity in the Arabian Sea.

WWF-Pakistan was established in 1970 to address environmental and conservation challenges affecting the country’s biodiversity and human population. The non-profit organisation works to protect wildlife, conserve natural resources and safeguard the environment.