LOOK: Rare false killer whales spotted in UAE after 24 years

A small group of false killer whales, a kind of dolphin which has not been seen in the UAE since 1995, was spotted in the waters of Fujairah.

After 24 years of not being seen in the UAE, the false killer whales, also known by its scientific name Pseudorca crassidens, was spotted on Saturday, February 16, in the coastline of Fujairah by the staffs and clients of XR Hub Dive Centre.

According to the Fujairah Whale Project, the false killer whales came from the family of dolphins despite its name suggesting that it is from the family of whales.

“These large oceanic dolphins are more closely related to Risso’s dolphins (Grampus griseus), pygmy killer whales (Feresa attenuata) and pilot whales (Globicephala sp.) than they are to killer whales (Orcinus orca), all of which also belong in the dolphin family,” the Fujairah Whale Project said in an Instagram post.

Scientists have since verified that the spotting was that of the rare false killer whales.

False killer whales can reach lengths of six metres and are usually found in deep tropical waters. Their skulls are similar to killer whales which is why it is named as a whale rather than a dolphin.

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On the 9th February a small pod of false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) was spotted off the Fujairah coastline, approximately 4-5km offshore by the XR Hub Dive Centre staff and their clients. The earliest known scientifically recorded sighting of this species in Fujairah dates back to 1995. Unlike their common name suggests, false killer whales actually belong to the dolphin family and can reach a length of 6m. These large oceanic dolphins are more closely related to Risso’s dolphins (Grampus griseus), pygmy killer whales (Feresa attenuata) and pilot whales (Globicephala sp.) than they are to killer whales (Orcinus orca), all of which also belong in the dolphin family. These are likely to be some of the same animals recorded only a day earlier just north east off Ras Ad-Dalaj in Musandam, Oman by staff and clients of Ras Musandam Divers. Thanks to our citizen scientists we can add another species to the list of cetaceans that are observed in Fujairah waters. Photo credit: Dr Csaba Géczy. Video credit in comment below: Majed Hamra في 9 فبراير شوهدت مجموعة صغيرة من الحيتان القاتلة الزائفة قبالة سواحل الفجيرة ، على بعد 4-5 كم تقريبًا من الشاطئ من قبل موظفي مركز هب دايف وزبائنهم. ۔ يعود أقدم رؤية معروفة علمياً لهذا النوع في الفجيرة إلى عام 1995.على عكس الاسم الشائع ، فإن الحيتان القاتلة المزيفة تنتمي في الواقع إلى عائلة الدلفين ويمكن أن يصل طولها إلى 6 أمتار. هذه الدلافين المحيطية الكبيرة ترتبط ارتباطًا وثيقًا بدلافين ريزو والحيتان القاتلة القزمة والحيتان التجريبية من الحيتان القاتلة و وكلها تنتمي أيضًا إلى عائلة الدلفين۔ ومن المرجح أن تكون هذه الحيوانات من نفس الحيوانات المسجلة قبل يوم واحد فقط من شمال شرق رأس الدلاج في مسندم بسلطنة عمان من قبل موظفي وعملاء راس مسندم دايفرز. بفضل علماءنا المواطنين ، يمكننا إضافة نوع آخر إلى قائمة الحيتانيات التي تتم ملاحظتها في مياه الفجيرة #5oes #fujairahwhaleproject #fujairah #cetaceanresearch #marinemammalresearch #uae #emirates #research

A post shared by Fujairah Whale Project (@fujairahwhaleproject) on Feb 11, 2019 at 12:14am PST