Summary: On a two-hour boat trip out of Wushih Harbour (19 May 2026) and around Guishan Island we saw Common Bottlenose Dolphin and Spinner Dolphin. iNaturalist (June 2026) shows records of 12 species of cetaceans in off Toucheng, including some interesting species such as both species of Kogia.
Paul Carter: paulcarter@pacapix.com
Posted: 2026 June 22
Contents
a) Mammal List
b) Other Fauna
c) Trip and Site Information
d) References and Links
Appendix 1: Cetacea Checklist for Toucheng
Abbreviations: PH – Photographed. NP – Not photographed. iNat – iNaturalist.
A. Mammal List
Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis).
We saw about 200 Common Dolphin.
Spinner Dolphin (Stenella longirostris).
We saw about 25 Spinner Dolphin. The image below is also posted on iNat here.
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B. Other Fauna
Birds included Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus) and Bulwer’s Petrel (Bulweria bulwerii).
Flyingfish species, possibly Margined Flyingfish (Cheilopogon cyanopterus); identification needs confirmation. Images below posted on iNat here.
C. Trip and Site Information
I was joined on this trip by Chi Phan.
Wushih Harbour is on the northern side of Toucheng township on the northeast coast of Taiwan. It is 50 km southeast of Taipei city. Whale-watching operations from Wushi are generally done from April to October. There are a number of whale-watching operators and we used JIN36 (Xin Fufeng No. 36), based on online reviews.
Our trip went out to Guishan Island (Turtle Island), 10 km southeast of Wushih Harbour, and from there we did a circuit around the island before heading back to Wushih. The trip cost NT$ 900 each (about US$28). We left the harbour at 10:30 AM and returned at 12:45. There are longer trip options that include walks on the island. In 2010 a colony of Ryuku Flying-fox was discovered on the island.
A few days after this trip I did four whale-watching trips off Hualien where I saw six cetaceans including Spinner Dolphin but not Common Dolphin.
D. References and Links
- Lynx Edicions (2020 Oct). Lynx Illustrated Checklist of the Mammals of China. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain.
- Wu HW, Lu DJ, Lin CL, Cheng HC, Juan CH, Shen TJ, Lin HC, Chen SF (2022). Population and conservation status of the flying fox Pteropus dasymallus in Taiwan. Zoological Studies 61:34. https://doi.org/10.6620/ZS.2022.61-34.
iNat links for my images above:
Common Dolphin: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/371915385
Spinner Dolphin: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/371912870
Flyingfish species: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/371994514
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Appendix 1: iNat records for inshore Toucheng
The checklist below shows iNat records for Toucheng inshore.
- Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus). One iNat record.
- Pygmy Sperm Whale (Kogia breviceps).
- Dwarf Sperm Whale (Kogia sima).
- Risso’s Dolphin (Grampus griseus).
- False Killer Whale (Pseudorca crassidens).
- Pygmy Killer Whale (Feresa attenuata).
- Short-finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus).
- Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus).
- Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops aduncus). One iNat record.
- Pantropical Spotted Dolphin (Stenella attenuata).
- Spinner Dolphin (Stenella longirostris).
- Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis).
The following species are also known off Hualien, but there are no records on iNat (June 2026):
- Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae).
- Bryde’s Whale (Balaenoptera brydei) / Eden’s Whale (Balaenoptera edeni).
- Omura’s Whale (Balaenoptera omurai).
- Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus).
- Cuvier’s Beaked Whale (Ziphius cavirostris).
- Ginkgo-toothed Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon ginkgodens).
- Blainville’s Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon densirostris).
- Indo-Pacific Beaked Whale (Indopacetus pacificus), aka Longman’s Beaked Whale.
- Orca (Orcinus orca).
- Melon-headed Whale (Peponocephala electra).
- Rough-toothed Dolphin (Steno bredanensis).
- Fraser’s Dolphin (Lagenodelphis hosei).