Kuala Lampur, July 26 -- A pod of short-finned pilot whales have been sighted for the first time in waters off Terengganu, just after a pair of killer whales (orcas) made their first appearance near the state earlier this month.

Sinar Harian reported that the whales were seen swimming near Pulau Perhentian in Besut, Terengganu.

The newspaper said the marine mammals were observed by several fishermen who managed to record their encounter in a 40-second video.

Upon reviewing the video and interviewing the fishermen, the head of the Marine Mammals Division at the Fisheries Research Institute (FRI) in Rantau Abang, Mohd Tarmimi Ali, confirmed that the whales were of the species that is reportedly near extinction.

"This short-finned pilot ...