Red List Updates Published for Sperm Whales and Lahille’s Bottlenose Dolphins

On 10^th October, 2025, the IUCN published Red List update 2025-2, timed to coincide with the World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi. This Red List issue includes two re-assessments of cetacean species. The sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) last assessed in 2008, remains Vulnerable (Whitehead et al., 2025). Lahille’s bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus gephyreus) has moved from the vulnerable category to Endangered (Fruet et al., 2025). Keeping the text and distribution maps of cetacean red list assessments up to date is very important as they are used in a large number of policies and in management decision making.

Summary of the Red List Status of Cetaceans

The Red List status and documentation for 93 cetacean species as well as 10 subspecies and 31 subpopulations can be found on the IUCN Red List website and is also summarised on the CSG website here. As of October 2025, of the 93 species assessed, 26% are assigned to a threatened category (i.e. CR, EN, VU), just over half (52%) are Least Concern, and 11% are considered DD (Table 1). The Cetacean Red List Authority has plans to undertake additional  assessments of subpopulations that are known or thought to be at higher risk than the species as a whole (e.g. killer whales, belugas and narwhals, dusky dolphins, Amazon River dolphins).

A Lahille’s bottlenose dolphin surfaces near the shore watched by a fisher. Photo credit: Alan Bonzan

Table 1. Summary information on Red List status as of October 2025.

References

Fruet, P., Daura-Jorge, F. & Vermeulen, E. 2025. Tursiops truncatus ssp. gephyreus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025: e.T134822416A280568158. Accessed on 20 October 2025.

Whitehead, H., Barlow, J., Dawson, S.M., Eguiguren, A., Miller, B. & Shabangu, F. 2025. Physeter macrocephalus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025: e.T41755A50382216. Accessed on 20 October 2025.