Peter Rudolph contacted me regarding my
records of Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins Tursiops
aduncus offshore Farasan Islands and is looking for details of any cetacean
sightings from the Red Sea as he is part of a team working on a new checklist
of the whales and dolphins of the Red Sea. If anyone has details of cetacean
sightings from this area could they please contact me via my e-mail (see
contact me tab at top of website), and your records may/will be cited in the
new checklist. Peter is now sure, that
the Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin can be found in all coastal areas of the
Red Sea. The holotype of Tursiops aduncus
was found in Belhosse Island, Dahlak Archipelago, just “opposite” the Farasan
Islands. Distinguishing the two Bottlenose Dolphin species in the Red Sea
is not easy and to be 100% certain, you should know if the dolphins have spots
on their belly. Peter says that all other information we have on my Farasan
Islands sightings (water depth, group size, shape of the dorsal fin) clearly
speaks for Tursiops aduncus and the
sighting is 99.9% certain.
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| Indo-pacific Bottlenose Dolphins |
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| Indo-pacific Bottlenose Dolphin |