Mediterranean dolphin spotted off Haifa's coastline - WATCH
IMMRAC researchers noted that the particular dolphin spotted on Saturday was healthy and didn't present any signs of weakness or disease.
By TOBIAS SIEGALThe common Mediterranean dolphin spotted off Haifa's coastline on August 8, 2020. (Credit: Roni Horowitz Bar Shalom)
A single Mediterranean dolphin, scientifically known as the common bottlenose dolphin or tursiops truncatus, was spotted on Saturday around noon by several yachts at the Haifa Bay, according to a press release by the Israeli Marine Mammal Research and Assistance Center (IMMRAC.)Sightings of dolphins off Israel's shores are considered relatively rare, but the dolphin that was spotted on Saturday approached a nearby yacht called "First Move" and allowing the lucky passengers a 40-minute-long observation to get a peek.The common Mediterranean dolphin is the most popular and recognizable dolphin species among those living along Israel's coastline and the most well-known species of the family delphinidae. It mostly inhabits temperate and tropical oceans, and is absent only from polar waters. The male dolphin lives mostly in packs or with partners and can reach up to four meters in length as a grown adult.The common Mediterranean dolphin spotted off Haifa's coastline on August 8, 2020.The last sighting of dolphins off Israel's coast took place a few days ago off the shores of Zikhron Ya'akov and was reported to researchers from the IMMRAC.IMMRAC researchers noted that the particular dolphin spotted on Saturday was healthy and didn't present any signs of weakness or disease.IMMRAC is a "non-profit organization dedicated to the study and conservation of cetacean populations that inhabit the Eastern Mediterranean and the Gulf of Aqaba/Eilat. IMMRAC’s headquarters are in the Mevo’ot Yam Naval School at Michmoret (about halfway between Haifa and Tel Aviv) and its academic sponsorship is through the Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies of the University of Haifa," according to the organization's website.
