The family Kogiidae, comprising the pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps) and the dwarf sperm whale (K. sima), represents some of the least-known cetaceans worldwide. Their small size, deep-diving behaviour, and elusive surface activity result in very few live sightings, particularly in the North Atlantic Ocean. Here, we report two significant observations from the Azores in July 2025: a group of six K. breviceps, the largest reported group size of this species, and a confirmed sighting of K. sima off Pico Island – representing only the sixth record for the archipelago. Photographic evidence and expert validation confirmed the identification of K. sima based on body proportions. We also review records of both species, including other live encounters and strandings, across the Macaronesian archipelagos (Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands, and Cape Verde). Together, our observations and synthesis document an exceptional group size for K. breviceps, emphasise the rarity of K. sima in the region, and highlight the value of whale-watching platforms and citizen science for monitoring elusive cetaceans.

Dwarf (Kogia sima) and pygmy (K. breviceps) sperm whales occur in pelagic waters around southern Africa. Here we report the first record of K. sima from Namibia and provide information on the basic morphometrics and diet of that record and of two recent strandings of K. breviceps. All known records (N = 29) of K. breviceps from Namibia are also collated. Eight families of cephalopod were identified in the stomach contents of the K. sima but no fish remains and few crustacean parts were present. Nine and ten families of cephalopod were identified in the stomachs of the two K. breviceps specimens respectively. This report expands the known range of K. sima by more than 1000 km from previous published records in the region. The sparsely populated nature of the Namibian coast and bias of records towards centres of human habitation suggest Kogia strandings are under reported. The low number of stranded specimens of K. sima from Namibia and west South Africa, in comparison to K. breviceps suggests that K. sima occur rarely or at very low densities in the area influenced by the Benguela current ecosystem. Specimens from Namibia are valuable due to uncertainties about taxomony of kogiids in the region.