One Of The Rarest Humpback Whales In The World Was Sighted Near The Coast Of Dubai For The First Time Ever

An critically endangered female humpback whale (and its baby!) were recently sighted just a kilometre off the coast of Dubai.

This is the FIRST confirmed live record of the species for the Arabian Gulf waters of the UAE.

The whale and its calf were filmed by a local resident who then posted the clip on Instagram

Whales are rarely recorded inside the Arabian Gulf and, even so, only ever wash up dead on the shore.

In fact, satellite tracking has shown that less than 100 of them survive

Interestingly, the sighting coincides with a talk given at the Royal Geographical Society in London this week by a marine biologist who has studied the whales and dolphins of this region for many years.

The talk focused on how the humpback whales of the Arabian Sea are one of the most endangered and isolated whales on the planet.