Peter sent me some details on cetaceans
from the Red Sea that still remain among the world’s least known, and some
uncertainty surrounds even the species composition in the region. Personal
observations combined with a review of the literature suggest that eight cetacean species occur
regularly in the Red Sea:
Bryde's Whale Balaenoptera
edeni Reported from Farasan Islands (Gladstone and Fisher
2000)
Long-Beaked Common Dolphin Delphinus
capensis, Deep waters, found mostly in S. Red Sea
Risso's Dolphin Grampus
griseus Deep waters, throughout region
Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin Sousa
chinensis Coastal shallow waters, throughout
Pantropical
Spotted Dolphin Stenella
attenuata Deep waters, throughout
Spinner Dolphin Stenella
longirostris Deep waters and reefs, throughout
Indo-Pacific
Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops aduncus
Coastal waters, found mostly in the north
Common
Bottlenose Dolphin Tursiops truncatus Coastal
waters, throughout
 |
| Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins |
 |
| Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin |
Eight other
species also occur in the region, but are apparently rare:
Pygmy Killer
Whale or Melon-headed Whales Feresa or
Peponocephala Observed in deep waters
Humpback Whale Megaptera
novaeangliae Young observed and photographed in Gulf of
Aqaba, near Dahab (Debelius 1999)
Short-finned
Pilot Whale Globicephala
macrorhynchus, Observed in deep waters
Sperm Whale Physeter
macrocephalus Considered rare but present
False Killer Whale Pseudorca
crassidens Observed in deep waters
Striped
Dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba Observed in
deep waters
Killer Whale Orcinus
orca
Considered rare but present
Rough-toothed
Dolphin Steno bredanensis Considered
present
The presence in the Red Sea of Common Minke Whales Balaenoptera
acutorostrata is mentioned in the literature, but these records are
considered unlikely.