Rare Striped Dolphins Spotted In Fujairah For The Second Time In 20 Years

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striped dolphins

A confirmed sighting of rarely seen striped dolphins has been recorded in the UAE for the second time.

It’s also been the second time in 20 YEARS the Striped Dolphin has been recorded in the region, both times by The Fujairah Whale Project, the first dedicated scientific study of whales and dolphins in Fujairah.

In an Instagram update, the project noted, ‘It is unknown whether Striped Dolphins are genuinely rare in the region, or whether they simply spend all of their time far from shore where people rarely venture.’

Striped dolphins spotted in Fujairah

Explore the UAE’s incredible Marine environment by scrolling though The Fujairah Project

Just four days ago, the team had five confirmed sightings including the Common Bottlenose Dolphins, Indo-Pacific Common Dolphins and Risso’s dolphins.

In January a resident spotted 200 (!) dolphins and the group shared this helpful advice

On the 16th January, a local citizen reported a sighting of approximately 200 dolphins, about 40km offshore from the Port of Fujairah. From the video we can see the group comprised mixed age classes, and the dolphins were slowly traveling whilst being filmed. The footage does not allow for a conclusive identification of species, but the dorsal fin shape is suggestive of Indo-Pacific Common dolphins (Delphinus delphis tropicalis). We are always grateful to receive records such as this and its good to see the vessel keeping a safe distance from the dolphins to avoid disturbance. We recommend a minimum distance of 50m and also that if any cetaceans approach your vessel, that you bring all fishing gear back on board to reduce the chances of cetaceans becoming entangled or caught in the gear. Video credit: Haitham Hammoudi

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