Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 141, September 2016, pp. 1-19. | Page 9

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by having three parallel ridges on the top of the head to the blowhole. Minke
whales are the most plentiful world-wide, but quite rare in this area. It is the
smallest of the whales and can be identified (sometimes) by having a white band
on its flippers. The Sei whale grows up to 20 m long and is easily confused with
other whales of similar size. They are, however, rarely seen since they stay in
deep waters (Jongbloed, 2004).

A Whale Vertebrae Bone at the Diving Village, Heritage Village, Dubai, United Arab
Emirates. 19.03.2015. Photo by: Prof. Dr. Sc. Norman Ali Bassam Khalaf-von Jaffa.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/50022881@N00/16766128629/
The toothed whales are represented in our region by the Sperm whale (Physeter
macrocephalus) that has been recorded only in the Gulf of Oman. It can reach a
length of up to 20 m and can be distinguished by the forward direction of its
blow and the humplike dorsal fin (Jongbloed, 2004).
All the other odontocetes here are dolphins, including the mis-named Killer
whales and False Killer whales (Jongbloed, 2004).
Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 141 – September 2016