Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 141, September 2016, pp. 1-19. | Page 7

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lower intestines of some sperm whales and disgorged when whales vomit. It is
often found floating in the sea or washed up on shore, but also when a whale is
killed. Despite its unpleasant origin, it smells pleasantly. It used to be worth its
weight in gold, as a medicine, an aphrodisiac and an ingredient in perfumes and
cosmetics. The largest lump of ambergris ever found weighed 635 kg - a lump so
large that one can hardly believe that it could have come out of a sperm whale
(Jongbloed, 2004).
The next largest baleen whale is the Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) that grows
to up to 20 m in length. It is a fast-moving whale that can be recognized by a
pattern of white pigment that runs from its underside along its right lower jaw
into the mouth. It is both an open ocean dweller and a visitor of coastal waters
and therefore found in the Arabian Gulf as well as off the east coast (Jongbloed,
2004).
The Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeungliae) has been studied most in our
region, specifically by the volunteer researchers of the Oman Whale and Dolphin
Research Group (OWDRG). It has not been recorded from the Arabian Gulf, but
occurs off the east coast (Jongbloed, 2004).

A Whale Bone piece 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@N00/16764830870/
The Humpback gets its name from the way in which it arches its back before
diving. It has long slender white flippers, many fleshy knobs (tuberosities) on its
Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 141 – September 2016