A Super Rare Group Of False Killer Whales Was Spotted For The First Time Since 1995 In The UAE
A stunning but very rare group of false killer whales was spotted for the first time in 24 years just off the coast of Fujairah.
Known as Pseudorca crassidens, they are a distant relative of killer whales, and were spotted just four or five kilometres off the Fujairah coastline last Saturday.
The first (and last) sighting of these dolphins in the area have been recorded in 1995.
Beautiful photographs of these mammals were taken by XR Hub Dive Centre, Ras Musandam Divers as well as an associate team member from the Fujairah Whale and Dolphin Research Project, and were shared on Instagram.
They are known to be one of the larger species of dolphins
Robert Baldwin, a marine scientist and managing director of environmental consultancy Five Oceans Environmental Services said:
“The sighting has raised the interests of scientists, who now believe the species is probably a more regular visitor than records suggest.
“They travel through the region, as do their close relative, the killer whale, which can also be seen near Fujairah.
“The rich waters of the UAE provide good hunting grounds for these remarkable, rarely seen marine mammals.”
