Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 141, September 2016, pp. 1-19. | Page 11

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animal raises its upper body vertically out of the water in order to observe its
surroundings. The most easily distinguished feature of the orca, besides its
colours, is its dorsal fin, a huge triangular fin that can reach almost 2 meters in
height in adult males. Orcas hunt in packs and in different parts of the world
they have developed different hunting techniques, most likely inspired by the
type of prey available in those areas. In January 2001 orcas were reported to have
chased 31 dolphins onto the shore in southern Oman. Of these beached dolphins
20 were rescued by local villagers, who towed them back into the sea. Of the 11
dead dolphins most were the common Bottle-nosed dolphins, but three were
Rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis) which had not been recorded till that
time. In spite of their fear-inspiring name, Killer whales have never yet been
reported to attack and kill humans (Jongbloed, 2004).

Whale Bone Remains at the Diving Village, Heritage Village, Dubai, United Arab
Emirates. Photo by: Prof. Dr. Norman Ali Khalaf-von Jaffa. 19.03.2015.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/50022881@N00/16951446391/
The False Killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) has been recorded from both the
Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. They live and hunt in pods of up to 30
individuals and are playful and gregarious. They often leap clear of the water,
showing their all black body and blunt head, and ride the wake and bow waves
of passing ships. They can approach to within touching distance and are
obviously a favourite of whale-spotters (Jongbloed, 2004).
Risso's dolphin is also a large dolphin, up to 4 m long that lives in the Gulf of
Oman. It is a deep-water species that spyhops but does not leap out of the water.
It has a heavily scarred appearance, apparently from aggressive encounters with
other pod members (Jongbloed, 2004).
The dolphins are better known than the whales, because some species are often
encountered by fishermen and people in sailboats or yachts. The most commonly
Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 141 – September 2016